Joe J. Bernal Papers
Scope and Contents Note
The Joe J. Bernal Papers are divided into six series: Personal and Biographical, Professional Files, Margaret Diaz, Administrative Assistant Files, Subject and Legislative Files, Audiovisual Materials, and Ephemera and Oversized Items.
The Personal and Biographical series includes Bernal's dissertation, personal correspondence, class notes and papers, copies of speeches, and yearbooks from Lanier High School and Trinity University, both in San Antonio. This series also contains a folder of biographical information (e.g. resumes/curriculum vitae), as well as papers related to his teaching a course on Mexican Americans in the U.S. at Trinity University.
The Professional Files series documents Bernal's work as Executive Director of both the Guadalupe Community Center (GCC) and then the Commission for Mexican American Affairs (CMAA). Files from the GCC and CMAA include case files, correspondence, clippings, memos, and meeting minutes. The series also includes files from his work and involvement as at-large member, Committeeman, and Delegate for the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Some files from Bernal's work as ACTION Regional Director are also included.
The Professional Files series is arranged chronologically and thereunder alphabetically. Restricted files are listed first followed by non-restricted files. The GCC and CMAA case files are restricted.
The Margaret Diaz, Administrative Assistant Files series contains material, 1969-1972, related to CMAA Board meeting minutes and agendas, as well as some legislation files. Other material related to the Commission can be found in the Professional Files Series.
The Subject and Legislative Files make up the bulk of the materials in the collection and are arranged alphabetically. This series documents Bernal's work as legislator, his interest in bilingual bicultural education, and his involvement with several organizations. Notable organizations include the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE), and the Texas Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, among others.
Materials on bilingual bicultural education include newsletters, clippings, articles, correspondence, and information on bilingual education legislation and programs in Texas and other states. The TABE material listed under bilingual bicultural education includes a resource booklet on bilingual education. Other education related files can be found in this series as well as files related to the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
MALDEF related material contain Board of Directors files including an annual report, committee files, case summary reports, legal briefs, clippings, memos, and correspondence. Other material in this series relates to Bernal's service in the Texas Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The Committee held hearings regarding school desegregation in Corpus Christi. Texas Advisory Committee files include a Corpus Christi School Desegregation Project Hearing Book, clippings, memos, press releases, and correspondence.
In addition, Bernal's cooperation with Julian Samora and Albert Peña to write a book on the Texas Rangers is also documented in this series. Material includes chapter drafts, correspondence and clippings.
Legislative material includes bill files, correspondence, clippings, and reports from Senate Committees chaired by Bernal (Interim Committee on Public Junior Colleges and Interim Committee Studying Poverty in Texas), as well as files related to redistricting.
Common abbreviations related to legislative material include: HB - House Bill, SB - Senate Bill, SR - Senate Resolution, and SJR - Senate Joint Resolution
The Audiovisual Materials series contains photographs, a couple of 8mm films, and reel to reel magnetic tape recordings. The photographs are mainly of Bernal alone and with others (constituents and state officials) and events. The magnetic tapes are campaign spots. The films appear to be about Mexico and Chile.
The Ephemera and Oversized Items series includes Mary Esther's Bachelor of Music diploma, a couple of certificates for Bernal (HemisFair and NEA Life Membership), and some ephemera related to the 1980 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in New York. Other materials include newspapers, oversize newspaper clippings, campaign signs, and four scrapbooks. The scrapbooks document Bernal's service as legislator. The newspapers include: Chicano Times, El Malcriado: La Voz del Campesino, La Raza, and The Furumeer: Official Publication of the American GI Forum.
Dates
- Creation: 1940-1981
Language of Materials
English, Spanish
Access Restrictions
GCC and CMAA case files are restricted.
Personnel files are restricted.
Use Restrictions
Standard copyright restrictions apply.
Biographical Sketch
Jose Maria Bernal was born on March 1, 1927 in San Antonio, Texas to Antonia Juarez and Jose Maria Bernal. Bernal, better known as Joe J. Bernal, was one of nine children and was raised by his mother after his father died when he was eleven years old. Joe grew up in San Antonio's west side, he attended J.T. Brackenridge Elementary School and graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in 1944. He served in the armed forces (Infantry and Air Force) during World War II and was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant on December 9, 1946.
After coming back from the war, Bernal took advantage of the G.I. Bill and enrolled at Trinity University where he graduated with a BA in Sociology in 1950. After graduating he worked as a teacher in the Kosciusko Independent School District in Wilson County, Texas from 1950 to 1951. Bernal's teaching career continued for another thirteen years, he taught at Burleson Elementary School in the Edgewood Independent School District for three years and then ten years at Crockett Elementary School in the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD).
While teaching, Bernal also pursued post-graduate education and was granted a Master's in education (M.Ed.) with a minor field in social work from Our Lady of the Lake College in 1954. In addition to teaching, Bernal also worked for four years, 1965-1969, as a social worker with the Inman Christian Center (ICC).
Bernal's legislative career began in the mid-sixties when he was elected State Representative in 1964. He served one term as Representative (1965-1967) and then ran for the State Senate. He won the election to represent District 26, Bexar County including the city of San Antonio.
Bernal's legislative accomplishments demonstrate his commitment to education and advocating for the interest of the elderly, minorities and other disadvantaged individuals. While a State Representative he authored the bill to extend elderly assistance benefits to non-citizens who had lived for more than 25 years in the U.S. His accomplishments as a Senator include authoring legislation to: authorize Texas' first minimum wage law; the Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA) 45-minute teacher planning time; the creation of state supported kindergarten for some five-year olds; the state's first bilingual education act in 1969; establishing the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) as well as the dental and nursing schools in San Antonio; a resolution to ratify the lowering of the voting age to eighteen; and authoring the Senate bill to provide funds for a Criminal Justice Council (SB 841).
In addition to his duties as legislator, Bernal also worked as Executive Director for the Guadalupe Community Center (GCC) from March 1969 to February 1970 and then for the Commission for Mexican American Affairs (CMAA), a community based agency of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, from March 1970 to January 1975. Later, Bernal went to work as the Director of the Bilingual Cost Analysis Project of the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) from 1974 to circa 1976. In 1979 he became Region VI Regional Director of ACTION (a federal agency which coordinated volunteer opportunities).
Bernal married Mary Esther Martinez in 1956, the same year Mary Esther graduated from Our Lady of the Lake College with a Bachelor of Music. Mary Esther shared Joe's interest in education, she has worked as a teacher, a bilingual specialist (1969), Director of the Cultural Arts Center (1975), and other administrative positions with the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD). Mary Esther and Joe had four children: Richard Cyril (1957), Patrick Charles (1958), Bernard Christopher (1966), and Rebecca Celeste (1970).
In 1978 Bernal earned a Ph.D. in Cultural Foundations in Education from the University of Texas at Austin. His dissertation focused on bilingual bicultural education and is titled A Study of Bilingual Bicultural Education: Contrasting Influences on Texas Legislators with Results of an Attitudinal Survey of the Members of the 64th Legislature.
After he lost the race for the Texas Senate against Frank Lombardino in 1974, Bernal decided to go back to the field of education. He worked as a principal in the Edgewood Independent School District for five years and then went to the Harlandale Independent School District in San Antonio, where he retired as assistant superintendent.
Dr. Bernal was elected to the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) in 1996 and re-elected in 2000 and 2002. He served in all Board committees: Planning, School Finance/Permanent School Fund and Instruction. He also chaired the Committee on Instruction and served as Vice-Chair of the 15-member Board from 2001 to 2003.
In February 2006, Dr. Bernal was interviewed in San Antonio, Texas for the VOCES Oral History Project (formerly the U.S. Latino and Latina WWII Oral History Project). The next year, 2007, the Texas Senate passed a Senate Resolution (SR 370) on the occasion of Bernal's 80th birthday and in recognition of his service to the state.
Then in 2009, Mary Esther and Joe received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) at the 25th Annual Awards Gala in San Antonio for their commitment to improve and increase opportunities for the Latino community. The Dr. Joe J. Bernal Middle School, part of San Antonio's Northside Independent School District (NISD), is scheduled to open in August 2014.
Dr. Bernal passed away in January 2025, he was preceded in death by Mary Esther who died in 2022. Dr. Bernal was survived by two sons, a daughter, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
- 1927
- Bernal born on March 1, 1927 to Antonia Juarez and Jose M. Bernal in San Antonio, Texas.
- 1944
- Graduated from Lanier High School in San Antonio.
- 1945-1946
- Bernal served in the armed services during World War II and was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant in 1946.
- 1950
- BA in Sociology from Trinity University in San Antonio.
- 1950-1951
- Teacher in the Kosciusko Independent School District, Wilson County, Texas.
- 1951-1954
- Teacher at Burleson Elementary School in the Edgewood Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas.
- 1954
- Masters in Education (M.Ed.) from Our Lady of the Lake College in San Antonio.
- 1954-1964
- Teacher at Crockett Elementary School in the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD).
- 1956
- Bernal marries Mary Esther Martinez. This same year, Mary Esther received a Bachelor of Music from Our Lady of the Lake College.
- 1957
- Firs son, Richard Cyril born
- 1958
- Second son, Patrick Charles born.
- 1960-1964
- Bernal was precinct committeeman.
- 1961
- Bernal spent five weeks as a Teacher-Sponsor in Santiago, Chile in a high school student exchange program sponsored by the American Red Cross.
- 1965-1966
- Bernal served one term in the Texas House of Representatives (59th Legislature)
- 1965
- Bernal authored a bill to extend elderly assistance/benefits to non-citizens who had lived in the U.S. for 25 years of more. He was also chairman of the statewide campaign to push for the constitutional amendment which was eventually approved.
- 1965-1969
- Social Worker, Inman Christian Center (ICC), June 1965– February 1969.
- 1966
- Third son, Bernard Christopher born.
- 1966
- Bernal was conferee for the first White House Conference on Mexican American Affairs, October 1966.
- 1966-1972
- Bernal elected to the Texas Senate (60th-62nd Legislatures) representing District 26, Bexar County including the City of San Antonio.
- 1967
- The Texas Conference for the Mexican American: Improving Educational Opportunities, held in San Antonio, Texas on April 13-15, 1967. Bernal was Chairman of the Texas Conference Planning Committee.
- 1969
- Bernal authored SB 46 during the 61st legislature (regular session). The bill was enacted and became Texas' first bilingual education act (for the first time allowing education in a language other than English).
- 1969
- Published:"Anita Insists . . . I am Mexican American," Today's Education, The Journal of the National Education Association (NEA), May 1969.
- 1969
- Member of the Citizen's Board of Inquiry into Health Services for Americans (members were from throughout the United States).
- 1969-1970
- Bernal served as Executive Director of the Guadalupe Community Center (GCC), a San Antonio settlement house, March 1969– February 1970.
- 1970
- Daughter, Rebecca Celeste born.
- 1970-1975
- Bernal served as Executive Director of the Commission for Mexican American Affairs (CMAA) in San Antonio, March 1970–January 1975.
- 1972-1980?
- Bernal elected to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) at the Texas state Democratic Convention. As a DNC member Bernal was involved with the Latino Caucus, the Latino Steering Committee, and the Mexican American Democrats (MAD) Caucus. Bernal was a DNC Committeeman and a Delegate to the 1980 DNC Convention in New York.
- 1974
- Bernal ran unsuccessfully for the Texas Senate against Frank Lombardino.
- 1974-1976?
- Director of the Bilingual Cost Analysis Project, Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA).
- 1978
- Ph.D. in Cultural Foundations in Education from the University of Texas at Austin. His dissertation is titled A Study of Bilingual Bicultural Education: Contrasting Influences on Texas Legislators with Results of an Attitudinal Survey of the Members of the 64th Legislature.
- 1979
- Published, Gunpowder Justice: A Reassessment of the Texas Rangers by Julian Samora, Joe Bernal, and Albert Peña.
- 1979-?
- Region VI Regional Director of ACTION Agency, a federal agency which coordinated volunteer activities.
- 1996-2006
- Dr. Bernal served in all committees of the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE): Planning, School Finance/Permanent School Fund and Instruction. He chaired the Committee on Instruction and also served as Vice-Chair of the SBOE.
- 2003
- Dr. Bernal was interviewed by Dr. Jose Angel Gutierrez as part of the Tejano Voices Project on April 17, 2003. The oral history interview is available at the University of Texas at Arlington Library Special Collections.
- 2006
- Bernal was interviewed on February 12, 2006 in San Antonio for the Voces Oral History Project
- 2009
- Mary Esther and Joe J. Bernal received the MALDEF Lifetime Achievement Award.
- 2014
- The Dr. Joe J. Bernal Middle School, part of San Antonio's Northside Independent School District (NISD), opened in August 2014.
Organizations Bernal was involved with (dates in parenthesis are approximate):
- American GI Forum, Member
- Common Cause, Washington D.C., Charter Member (1972-1973)
- Interstate Research Associates (IRA), Washington D.C., Charter Member and Past President of the Board (1970-1975?)
- Junior American Red Cross, 5 year pin (pin awarded on or before 1969)
- League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 16, Member
- Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), San Francisco, California, Charter Board Member (1970-1975?)
- Mexican American Unity Council (MAUC), Board Member (1969)
- National Urban Coalition (NUC), Washington D.C., Executive Board and Charter Member (1970-1975?)
- Raza Association of Spanish Surnamed Americans (RASSA), Washington D.C., Charter Member (1973-1974)
- Texas United Community Services, Austin, Texas, Board Member (1971-1975?)
- Sidney Lanier Alumni Association, San Antonio, Texas, Past President and Active Member (1970s)
- Voter Education Project (VEP), Atlanta, Georgia, Board Member (1972-1975?)
Sources:
- Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), accessed May 3, 2014, https://www.maldef.org/news/newsletter/maldef_honors_community_champions_09252009/index.html
- Northside Independent School District (NISD), accessed May 2, 2014, http://nisd.net/bernal/namesake
- Oral History Interview with Joe Bernal, 2003, by José Angel Gutiérrez. CMAS No. 169, University of Texas at Arlington, Center for Mexican American Studies, UT Arlington Library Special Collections, accessed May 7, 2014, http://library.uta.edu/tejanovoices/interview.php?cmasno=169
- Texas Legislative Library, Joe J. Bernal member profile, accessed May 2, 2014, http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=702
Full Extent
37 linear feet
Abstract
Papers of Joe J. Bernal, a teacher, social worker, former Texas state legislator and Mexican American civil rights activist. Bernal's work as an advocate of equal educational opportunities for all Texan children, especially access to bilingual education, is well documented. The collection includes material relating to Bernal's work with different community based agencies as well as his involvement with several Mexican American organizations. Other material relates to Bernal's collaboration with Julian Samora and Albert Peña on a book about the Texas Rangers. Some materials in the collection are from the files of Bernal's aide Margaret Díaz. The collection includes Bernal's dissertation, correspondence, legislative files, subject files, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, and audiovisual material.
Acquisition Information
Donation, 1980-1982.
Alternative Form Available
Audiovisual Material in Box 72 has been digitized. An access copy is available for reading room use.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Carla O. Alvarez, 2014.
Topical
- Civil rights--Law and legislation--Texas
- Education, Bilingual--Texas
- Educational law and legislation--Texas
- Labor laws and legislation--Texas
- Mexican Americans--Study and teaching (Higher)
- Mexican Americans--Texas--Politics and government
- Mexican Americans--Texas--San Antonio
- Migrant agricultural laborers--Texas
- Public schools--Laws and legislation--Texas
- San Antonio (Tex.)--Politics and government
- Title
- Joe J. Bernal Papers
- Status
- Edited Full Draft
- Author
- Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection
- Date
- 2006
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Revision Statements
- 2014 May: Updated finding aid encoded by Carla Alvarez.
- 2021 May: Edited by D Ryan Lynch to fix compliance check errors to prepare for the migration to new TARO website.
- 2021 November: Edited by Devon Murphy to update control access terms and formatting based on the TARO Control Access List.
- 2025 July: Revised by Ryan Sullivant to fix validation errors prior to ingestion into ArchivesSpace.
- 2026: Edited by Carla O. Alvarez.
Repository Details
Part of the Benson Latin American Collection, The University of Texas at Austin Repository
2300 Red River Street
Austin Texas 78712 United States
(512) 495-4578
bensonspecialcollections@austin.utexas.edu