TX SR222

Memorial resolution honoring former State Senator and Representative Joe J. Bernal of San Antonio, who passed away on January 25, 2025, at age 97

Bernal served in the Texas House of Representatives beginning in 1964, then served two consecutive terms in the Texas Senate from 1967-1973, where he championed bilingual education and secured passage of Texas's first bilingual education act in 1969

He was instrumental in establishing UT San Antonio and UT Health Science Center, served as the first executive director of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, and was a founding board member of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)

Bernal was elected to the State Board of Education in 1996, serving until 2006 including as vice chair from 2001-2003, continuing his advocacy for bilingual education and Spanish-language textbooks

U.S. Army veteran who served in World War II in Manila and Tokyo, educator with degrees from Trinity University, Our Lady of the Lake College, and a doctorate from UT Austin; Northside ISD named Bernal Middle School in his honor in 2014