Tomás Rivera (December 22, 1935 – May 16, 1984) was a
Mexican American author, poet, and educator. He was born in Texas to
migrant farm worker
A migrant worker is a person who migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work.
Migrant workers who work outsi ...
s, and worked in the fields as a young boy. However, he achieved
social mobility through education—earning a degree at Southwest Texas State University (now known as
Texas State University
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
), and later a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) at the University of Oklahoma—and came to believe strongly in the virtues of education for Mexican-Americans.
As an author, Rivera is best remembered for his 1971
Faulknerian stream-of-consciousness
In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. The term was coined by Daniel Oliver in 1840 in ''First Li ...
novella ''
...y no se lo tragó la tierra'', translated into English variously as ''This Migrant Earth'' and as ''...and the Earth Did Not Devour Him''. This book won the first
Premio Quinto Sol award.
Rivera taught in high schools throughout the Southwest US, and later at
Sam Houston State University and the
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...
. From 1979 until his death in 1984, he was the
chancellor of the
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...
, the first
Mexican-American to hold such a position at the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Franci ...
.
Biography
Early years
Rivera was born on December 22, 1935, in
Crystal City, Texas
Crystal City is a city in and the county seat of Zavala County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,354 at the 2020 census. It was settled as a farming and ranching community and was a major railroad stop being from San Antonio. Spinach ...
, to Spanish-speaking, migrant farmworkers, Florencio and Josefa Rivera. At eleven years old, Rivera was in a car accident in Bay City, Michigan. After the accident, Rivera decided to write his first story about the wreck and called it "The Accident".
In an interview with Juan D. Bruce-Novoa, Rivera explains: "I felt a sensation I still get when I write. I wanted to capture something I would never forget and it happened to be the sensation of having a wreck".
[Bruce-Novoa 1980, p.141] Rivera continued writing throughout high school, creative pieces as well as essays. He dreamed of being a sportswriter as an adult, inspired by what he read most, sports articles and adventure stories.
In the same article, Rivera explains the reality of growing up with ambitions to be a writer in a migrant worker family. He explains that "When people asked what I wanted to be, I'd tell them a writer. They were surprised or indifferent. If people don't read, what is a writer?". His grandfather was his main supporter, though, and provided him with supplies and encouragement.
Rivera worked in the fields alongside his family during summer vacations and often missed school because of the overlapping work-season. At the beginning of every school term, he had to catch up on missed material from the preceding year. The family labored with many other migrant workers in various parts of the
Midwest: they lived and worked in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Dakota.
Rivera worked as a field labourer until 1956; at this point he was enrolled in Southwest Texas Junior College and the school would not permit him to miss class.
This signified the end of his migrant working days and the beginning of a new life.
The first-hand experience Rivera had from growing up as a migrant worker provided him with writing material for his literary works. His novel ''...y no se lo tragó la tierra'' is semi-autobiographical and is based around the migratory life of a young boy. As Rivera grew up in the late 20th century, he discovered some of the difficulties Chicanos faced as lower-class Mexican descendants. While trying to get published, Rivera encountered some racism; this was mainly because his writings were in Spanish, thus restricting his audience. The unjust and frustrating situation faced by many Chicanos motivated Rivera. He understood that the only way to get ahead in life was through education. Rivera graduated with a degree in English from the
Southwest Texas State University
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
in 1958 and taught English and Spanish at secondary schools from 1957 to 1965.
He strongly believed that post-secondary education was the only way Chicanos could evolve from migrant work. He worked in public schools until he could further his education at the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
, where he graduated with a PhD in Romance Languages and Literature in 1969.
Rivera's extensive education gave him the step up that he needed. Rivera was (and is) a role-model for young Chicanos throughout the United States because of his involvement in the community and his success as a scholar and writer.
He married Concepción Garza on November 27, 1958. The couple had two daughters, Ileana and Irasema, and one son, Javier.
In an article commemorating Rivera's life, Rolando Hinojosa remembers Tomás and Concepción (Concha) as party hosts, writing that although they were both extremely hard workers, they knew how to enjoy themselves and their door was always open to whoever wanted. Hinojosa comments that the pair "loved each other as much as they loved life".
Education and career
It was customary for
Chicanos of the Midwest to live the majority of their lives workings in the fields, an occurrence Rivera included in ''...y no se lo tragó la tierra''. Despite the fact that his
Chicano culture was rooted in migratory field work, Rivera not only graduated from secondary school but moved quickly through his post-secondary education. Rivera graduated from
Crystal City High School
Crystal City High School is a high school that serves the city of Crystal City, Texas, as well as the unincorporated communities of Chula Vista-River Spur, Amaya, Loma Grande, Cometa, and southern Zavala County. It is part of the Crystal City I ...
in Texas in 1954. He then majored in English at
Southwest Texas Jr. College in 1956.
Immediately thereafter, he attended
Southwest Texas State University
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
. Here, he had earned a
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
in English with minors in Spanish, History and Education by 1958. At the same school, Rivera earned a
M.Ed.
The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...
in Educational Administration in 1964.
Rivera earned all of his post-secondary degrees while he was working as a high school teacher. He taught both Spanish and English at schools in
League City
League City is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Galveston County, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 112,129.
The city of League City has a small portion north of Clear Creek within Harris ...
,
Crystal City and
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
.
He also taught Spanish and French at Southwest Texas Junior College. By 1969, Rivera had received a Ph.D. in
Romance languages
The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages in the Indo-European language ...
and Literature, as well as a M.A. in Spanish literature, both from the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
.
Upon completing his Ph.D., Rivera taught as an associate professor at
Sam Houston State University until 1971. He then became a professor of Spanish at
University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a Public university, public research university in San Antonio, Texas. With over 34,000 students across its four campuses spanning 758 acres, UTSA is the Education in San Antonio, largest universi ...
. In 1973, he was appointed an associate dean and in 1975 became a vice-president. He became the executive vice president of the
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...
in 1978. Rivera worked as corporate officer of the
Times Mirror Company
The Times Mirror Company was an American newspaper and print media publisher from 1884 until 2000.
History
It had its roots in the Mirror Printing and Binding House, a commercial printing company founded in 1873, and the ''Los Angeles Times'' ...
before leaving to become chancellor of the University of California, Riverside in 1979, a position he held until his death in 1984. While working in his various administrative roles, Rivera insisted that he continue teaching, despite it no longer being required: highlighting his dedication to higher education. Rivera chose to include migrant labor in his Curriculum Vita, a sign that he never forgot his beginnings, history or true identity.
Above all, according to Hinojosa, Rivera considered himself to be a professor.
Literary career
In addition to his other achievements, Rivera contributed greatly to the literary world with his short stories, poetry and scholarly works. But he is best known for his novel, ''...y no se lo tragó la tierra'' (1971); for which he received the first Premio Quinto Sol literary award in 1971.
Quinto Sol was a publishing house founded in 1967 by UC Berkeley students and faculty to disseminate Chicano/a literature and culture. They created the Premio Quinto Sol literary prize to recognize and promote Chicano authors.
The novel has since been translated into English several times: by Herminio Ríos-C as "...And the Earth Did Not Part"; by
Evangelina Vigil-Piñón as "...And the Earth Did Not Devour Him"; and most recently by Rolando Hinojosa as ''This Migrant Earth''.
In 2012, the first Latin American edition of ''…y no se lo tragó la tierra'' was published with an extensive introduction by Julio Ramos and Gustavo Buenrostro. The volume also includes appendices that explain the genesis of the novel and the relationship between Rivera and the editors of
Quinto Sol.
''...y no se lo tragó la tierra''
''...y no se lo tragó la tierra'' is a novel divided into fourteen vignettes.
The book opens with a section called "El año perdido" (The Lost Year) told from the perspective of an anonymous Chicano child, the son of two migrant workers. The unnamed child narrates some of the sections with his thoughts, memories and impressions while other people connected to his life narrate the remaining sections. The narrations come in many varying forms, from dialogue and prayer to descriptive passages.
The varying perspectives form a collective narrative that piece together the events occurring over the past year of the child's life, prefaced in the first chapter. The reasoning behind having an anonymous protagonist and irregular form is left for the reader to infer.
Civic activities
Rivera was very active in each community he lived in. A memorial letter from the University of California, on behalf of the Regents, states that he had "a strong voice in both the nation and the community in recognizing that our youth is a resource beyond measure".
He served on many distinguished advisory committees such as the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the American Association for Higher Education, the
American Council on Education
The American Council on Education (ACE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) U.S. higher education association established in 1918. ACE's members are the leaders of approximately 1,700 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher educatio ...
, the President's Commission on a National Agenda for the 80s and the National Commission on Secondary Schooling for Hispanics.
Rivera was presented with an award from the Chicano News Media Association for outstanding achievements and contributions to the Chicano community, and also received an award from the Riverside Chapter of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...
for his leadership as Chancellor at the Riverside Campus.
In addition, Rivera sat on the board of committees or was a member of the following public service groups:
American Association for the Advancement of Science (1983-4),
Council on Foreign Relations (1983-4), Carnegie Commission on the Future of Public Broadcasting (1977-9), the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund (1979–84), the Human Resources Management and Development Program (1979–84), the Citizens' Goals for Greater Riverside Area (1981–84), the Riverside Community Hospital Corporation (1981-2), the Greater Riverside Hispanic Chambers of Commerce (1981–84) and the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans (1977–79) amongst many others.
Legacy
Rivera died on May 16, 1984 in his
Fontana home of a heart attack.
His sudden death was a "great shock" to the University of California.
At the request of UC President
David P. Gardner
David Pierpont Gardner (born March 24, 1933) was the 15th president of the University of California and was also the president of the University of Utah.
Biography
Gardner was born in Berkeley, California, to Reed S. Gardner and Margaret Pierpont ...
, UC Irvine's founding chancellor
Daniel Aldrich came out of retirement to serve as UC Riverside's acting chancellor while the campus mourned Rivera's loss and began searching for his permanent replacement.
Rivera is remembered as a gifted teacher, consummate administrator and acclaimed poet by many. After his death, many plazas, schools and certifications were named in his honor: a
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
ship, the primary
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...
library and a plaza (as mentioned above), a
Riverside Unified School District
Riverside Unified School District (a.k.a. RUSD) is a school district headquartered in Riverside, California, United States. The district serves a large portion of Riverside as well as unincorporated areas of Highgrove and Woodcrest in River ...
elementary school, a Denton, Texas elementary school, a
Val Verde Unified School District middle school, a Crystal City (his hometown) elementary school, a Mexican-American children's book, an honorary doctorate from
Santa Clara University and was named a distinguished alumnus by
Texas State University
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
. His work is studied in courses of
American and
Mexican-American literature
Mexican American literature is literature written by Mexican Americans in the United States. Although its origins can be traced back to the sixteenth century, the bulk of Mexican American literature dates from post-1848 and the United States ann ...
, and the
Tomás Rivera Policy Institute bearing his name continues to publish studies on educational, immigration, economic, and other issues important to
Hispanic-Americans
Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify as ...
.
At the
University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a Public university, public research university in San Antonio, Texas. With over 34,000 students across its four campuses spanning 758 acres, UTSA is the Education in San Antonio, largest universi ...
, a tutoring center is named in his honor. At
Texas State University
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
Student Center Drive was renamed Tomas Rivera Drive in his honor. In 1995, the College of Education at Texas State established the ''Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award'' (
Tomás Rivera Award) "to honor authors and illustrators who create literature that depicts the Mexican American experience"; winners have included such notable authors as
Rudolfo Anaya
Rudolfo Anaya (October 30, 1937June 28, 2020) was an American author. Noted for his 1972 novel ''Bless Me, Ultima'', Anaya was considered one of the founders of the canon of contemporary Chicano literature. The themes and cultural references of ...
,
Pat Mora
Pat Mora (born January 19, 1942 in El Paso, Texas) is an American poet and author of books for adults, teens and children. Her grandparents came to El Paso from northern Mexico. A graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, she received Honor ...
, and
Gary Soto
Gary Anthony Soto (born April 12, 1952) is an American poet, novelist, and memoirist.
Life and career
Soto was born to Mexican-American parents Manuel (1910–1957) and Angie Soto (1924-). In his youth, he worked in the fields of the San Joaqui ...
.
In the year following his death, the General Library at UC Riverside was renamed the Tomás Rivera Library. His wife, Concepción Rivera donated all of her late husband's papers to be put on loan at this library. The archive now contains all of Rivera's work, more than 85,000 items. The contents of this archive are indicative of his hardworking, selfless and motivated nature. Not only did Rivera leave this world with buildings, plazas and learning centers in his name, he left an imprint on future generations of Chicanos. Above all, Rivera had a vision for the world: that generations of migrant workers following his own would have equitable access to post-secondary education and opportunities to succeed.
Annually, the Tomás Rivera Conference, founded in 1988, is held at the
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...
, which provides a venue for reflecting on the contributions of Chicanos/Latinos in the arts, culture, literature, creative writing, business, medicine and education.
Works
;Editions of ''Tierra''
*Rivera, Tomás (1971) ''...y no se lo tragó la tierra/...And the Earth Did Not Part''. Trans by Herminio Rios, Berkeley:
Quinto Sol.
*Rivera, Tomás (1977) ''...y no se lo tragó la tierra/...And the Earth Did Not Part''. Trans by Herminio Rios, Berkeley: Justa Publications.
*Rivera, Tomás (1987) ''...y no se lo tragó la tierra/...And the Earth Did Not Devour Him''. Trans by
Evangelina Vigil-Piñón, Houston: Arte Público Press.
*Rivera, Tomás (1996) ''...y no se lo tragó la tierra"''. Houston: Arte Público Press.
*Rivera, Tomás (2012) ''...y no se lo tragó la tierra".'' Edition and Introduction by Julio Ramos, Gustavo Buenrostro and
Jean-Luc Nancy
Jean-Luc Nancy ( , ; 26 July 1940 – 23 August 2021) was a French philosopher. Nancy's first book, published in 1973, was ''Le titre de la lettre'' (''The Title of the Letter'', 1992), a reading of the work of French psychoanalyst Jacques Laca ...
, Buenos Aires: Ediciones Corregidor.
;Other prose
*.
;Poetry
*.
*.
*.
;Film
*''...And the Earth Did Not Devour Him''. American Playhouse Theatrical Films presents a production of KPBS and Severo Pérez Films; produced by Paul Espinosa; written and directed by Severo Pérez. New York, NY: Kino International. Kino Video, 1997.
;Works and editions: https://faculty.ucmerced.edu/mmartin-rodriguez/index_files/vhRiveraTomas.htm
Further reading
*''Art at Our Doorstep: San Antonio Writers and Artists'' featuring Tomás Rivera. Edited by Nan Cuba and Riley Robinson (
Trinity University Press, 2008).
Notes
References
*.
*.
*
*.
*.
*.
*.
*.
*.
*.
External links
The Tomás Rivera Policy Instituteat the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
The Tomás Rivera Center for Student Successat the
University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a Public university, public research university in San Antonio, Texas. With over 34,000 students across its four campuses spanning 758 acres, UTSA is the Education in San Antonio, largest universi ...
Tomás Rivera archive(digitized photographs and documents) on
Calisphere
The California Digital Library (CDL) was founded by the University of California in 1997. Under the leadership of then UC President Richard C. Atkinson, the CDL's original mission was to forge a better system for scholarly information management a ...
, via the
University of California, Riverside Libraries
Guide to the Tomás Rivera Archiveat the
University of California, Riverside Libraries
The making of Severo Perez's ″…and the earth did not swallow him″at
Texas State University
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Tomas
Chancellors of the University of California, Riverside
American Spanish-language poets
American Spanish-language writers
American poets of Mexican descent
American academics of Mexican descent
University of Oklahoma alumni
University of Texas at El Paso faculty
University of Texas at San Antonio
Texas State University alumni
Sam Houston State University faculty
1935 births
1984 deaths
20th-century American novelists
American male novelists
Hispanic and Latino American novelists
Postmodern writers
Hispanic and Latino American short story writers
20th-century American poets
American male poets
American male short story writers
20th-century American short story writers
20th-century American male writers
Novelists from Texas
People from Crystal City, Texas
20th-century American academics