Filemon and Rosemarie Vela Papers

Rose Vela

Rosemarie "Rose" Rivera Vela was born on November 5, 1964, at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. She is the youngest of five and the first in her family to attend college. She is the daughter of Air Force veteran Charles H. Rivera and Arcelia Rivera. After graduating from South San Antonio West Campus High School in 1982, Rose enrolled at San Antonio College and transferred to Southwest Texas State University in 1983. However, she continued to attend San Antonio College in the summers. In 1985, She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Political Science. Rose continued her education, receiving her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree (JD) at St. Mary’s University of School of Law in 1988. Rose was a Phi Delta Phi Legal Honor Society member as a law student and was included in the 7th edition of Who’s Who Among American Law Students in 1987.

While attending law school, Rose met Filemon Vela, a summer clerk for a law firm in San Antonio, in 1986. After graduation, Rose served as a Briefing Attorney from 1988 to 1990 at the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio and the Thirteenth Court of Appeals in Corpus Christi. During this time, she worked on hundreds of civil, criminal, and other cases involving district jurisdiction before transitioning to private practice in 1992. At the time, Rose married Filemon on February 3, 1990, permanently changing her surname to Vela and moving to Corpus Christi.

While working for a private practice, Rose and Filemon became active members of the Democratic Party and took on many legal responsibilities. Rose held many professional roles, such as the first chairperson of the Crime and Control and Prevention District Board (1997), Director of the Corpus Christi Bar Association (1992-1995), President of the Corpus Christi Young Lawyers Association (1994), and Director of the Nueces County Appraisal District. In the course of time, Rose decided to run for state district judge of the 148th District Court of Nueces County and was elected in 1999. While Rose served an eight-year term at the 148th District Court, she continued her legal education by completing many professional programs, such as the Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation, National Judicial College, and the Texas College of Advanced Judicial Studies.

In 2006, Rose changed political parties, campaigning as a Republican and becoming the first of her party ever elected to the Thirteenth Court of Appeals. After serving a six-year term, Rose left the Thirteenth Court of Appeals and became a state district judge for the Fifth Administrative Judicial Region of the State of Texas in 2012. In 2021, Rose was chosen by President Joe Biden to become the Director of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.

Beyond her prolific legal and academic career, Rose was actively involved in the community. She was a founding member of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), an organization that helps abused and neglected children navigate the court process in Nueces County. Rose supported numerous community initiatives, including LULAC Feria de Las Flores, the American Heart Association Hurricane Katrina Relief, Foster Angels of Texas, Special Olympics, NAACP, and the Corpus Christi Christian Fellowship. Her work in the civic and legal community has not gone unrecognized, as she has received numerous awards, such as the "Community Leaders Award for 1999" from the LULAC Council and the "Las Estrellas Award 2005" from the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas (HWNT Corpus Christi Chapter).

Filemon Vela

Filemon Bartolome Vela, Jr., was born in Harlingen, Texas, on February 13, 1963. The oldest of three, Filemon grew up predominantly in Brownsville, where his family had a strong tradition of public service and a deep connection to the legal profession. His father, Filemon Bartolome Vela, Sr., was a United States district judge for 12 years, and his mother, Blanca Vela, made history as Brownsville's first female mayor.

After graduating from St. Joseph Academy in 1981, Filemon attended Loyola University in New Orleans for one year. He then transferred and graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., with a Bachelor of Arts in 1987. Following his family’s footsteps, Filemon earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) from the University of Texas School of Law in 1987. During law school, he interned for Solomon Ortiz, the U.S. Representative for Texas's 27th district. In 1986, he also worked as a summer clerk in San Antonio, where he met his future wife, Rose Vela.

After marrying Rose on February 3, 1990, Filemon and Rose relocated to Corpus Christi, where he engaged in private legal practice. He worked for several law firms, including Southers Lyons, and Webb & Salyer, and established a couple of his own: Constant & Vela and Rhodes & Vela, LLP. Filemon handled various legal cases, advocating for civil and legal rights as well as environmental protections. He took on cases against major corporations like Walmart and CITGO. In 1996, he represented 11 Latino workers who were prohibited from shopping at Walmart in Aberdeen, Mississippi, due to their ethnicity in 1994 (Robert Treviño et al. v. Walmart, INC). In 1998, Filemon assisted Oak Park residents in Corpus Christi, Texas, in receiving their settlement against CITGO (Citgo Refining & Marketing, Inc. v. Garza), notably donating $250,000 of his lawyer fees to charity organizations. Filemon worked closely with many organizations in civil rights cases, including the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC). In addition, he volunteered as counsel for the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA, AFL-CIO) and helped plant workers organize across South Texas.

Besides his professional endeavors, Filemon was a passionate art collector and supporter of local Texas and Latino/a artists reflecting on their experiences in the United States. He championed and collected works from artists including Joe Lopez, Vincent Valdez, Jesse Treviño, and Luis Jimenez. His collection spanned various media such as sculptures, paintings, and specially commissioned pieces like handmade ceramic tiles. In addition to accumulating art, Filemon consistently advocated for these artists by allocating funds for their exhibitions in Corpus Christi and promoting their artworks through interviews with media outlets such as the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and San Antonio Express-News. He even served as an advocate for artists, notably representing local San Antonio artist Joe Lopez pro-bono in a significant lawsuit in 1997 concerning the trademark of the Spanish term "Gallo," owned by E. & J. Winery. Joe Lopez designed a graphic logo featuring a rooster alongside the Spanish phrase "Puro Gallo," which translates to "Pure Rooster." E. & J. Winery viewed this logo as a violation of their trademark and a dilution of their brand, even though the phrase is widely used by the Mexican community. Facing immense pressure from E. & J. Winery’s lawyers, Joe Lopez was ready to give in until he was offered legal representation by Filemon Vela Jr., who rallied help from national Latino organizations such as the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the United Farm Workers Union. The organizations and community members organized marches with Joe protesting E. & J. Winery, causing the winery to drop the suit.