Eagle Pass, TX - On Wednesday, former Eagle Pass ISD teacher and former Del Rio City Manager Richard A. Castro will receive the Texas Higher Education Distinguished Service Award in a virtual ceremony.
Mr. Castro is a Del Rio native who attended Texas State University before teaching at Eagle Pass ISD in the 1970s. He went on to own a McDonald’s franchise in the El Paso area and worked to help Texas students afford higher education.
Texas higher education leaders will gather to recognize Richard Castro for his distinguished service to Texas higher education. Castro, a child of immigrants, is the largest Hispanic owner and operator of a McDonald’s franchise.
The 42nd recipient of this award, Castro is passionate about uplifting Hispanic students and providing opportunities for all Texans to afford higher education. The Texas Higher Education Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes the extraordinary contributions and service to higher education in Texas by an individual or organization, has been presented 41 times in the past 43 years with the enthusiastic support of the State's three higher education organizations.
What: Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas (ICUT), the Council of Public University Presidents and Chancellors (CPUPC) and the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC) will host a virtual award ceremony recognizing Richard Castro's contributions to Texas higher education.
When: Wednesday, March 3, 2021, 11:00 a.m. CST
Where: Zoom Meeting: https://bit.ly/3dJe3r6 Passcode: 746564
Who: Richard Castro, Award Recipient, Owner/Operator, McDonald's Bobby Hall, President, Wayland Baptist University
Diane Melby, President, Our Lady of the Lake University Denise Trauth, President, Texas State University Heather Wilson, President, University of Texas-El Paso
William Serrata, President, El Paso Community College
About Richard Castro (From Texas State Bobcats)
Richard earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1970 from Texas State University and immediately began teaching third grade in Eagle Pass, Texas, upon graduation. He then served as an administrative assistant at the City of Del Rio and was named Del Rio city manager in 1978. He was city manager for two years, before starting a real estate and construction company. In 1983, he began his franchising venture with McDonald's in El Paso under the name Castro Enterprises. Today, Richard owns 27 McDonald's in El Paso and has been truly committed to serving the community.
In 1985, he created a program called HACER that has grown into one of the largest college scholarship programs for Hispanic students in the nation, awarding more than $28 million since its inception. Most recently, he helped found Community en Acción, a network of Hispanic community leaders that seek to improve El Paso "by engaging in 'value-driven' initiatives". Castro served on the Public Service Board from 1992-00 and the Ronald McDonald House Charities board, the El Paso City Planning Commission and the local Boys and Girls Club board.
