Want to leave your mark at UTSA? The Office of Alumni Programs and the University Center are teaming up to give alumni, graduating seniors, faculty, staff and friends of the university the opportunity to do just that with the UTSA Brick and Bench campaign. The engraved bricks and dedicated benches will be located on the UC Paseo between the existing University Center and the new expansion that will open in August. For a limited time, bricks are being offered for $100 apiece to be installed in time for the start of the 2008–2009 academic year. After that, bricks will be sold for $150. “The brick program empowers past, present and future members of the UTSA family to mark their educational accomplishment and leave their own legacy,” says Jane Findling Burton, director of alumni programs. “Bricks and benches make excellent gifts to celebrate accomplishments, milestones, anniversaries, organization remembrances and memorials.” The new program complements the Buy the Brick program, which ran from 1996 until 2001. Bricks purchased under that program were installed in the UC Courtyard. Proceeds from brick and bench sales will be used to fund a leadership scholarship and various UC activities, including a film series, poetry slams, concerts and comedy shows. For more information on purchasing a brick, visit www.utsa.edu/alumni or call (210) 458-4133. Save the date for GalaThe 2008 UTSA Alumni Gala will be held Aug. 16 at the Westin La Cantera—six weeks earlier than last year’s event. This annual event raises money for scholarships at UTSA. More details for the event will be forthcoming at www.utsa.edu/alumni. |
 Singing a new song
René Ornelas, lead singer of the pioneering ’60s and ’70s pop duo René y René—best known for the still-requested “Angelito” and “Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero”—is going strong at age 71. Debonair and polished, he describes himself as spurred by a new musical and religious passion. “I have always been very energetic on stage,” says Ornelas from his San Antonio home, “but now, I’ve got the Holy Spirit gasoline in me and I just keep on going and going.” The Tejano Music Hall of Fame inductee has long ties to San Antonio. Originally from Laredo, he was married in San Antonio and earned a B.A. in Spanish from UTSA in 1977. “I was in one of the first graduating classes. My language studies really helped me, since I am a very prolific bilingual song writer,” he says. When his partner, the late René Herrera, quit in 1970, he decided to go solo, renaming himself René René. But Ornelas later felt that his music was intended for a deeper purpose. “Despite all the bright lights and fame, there was something missing in my life, and I finally realized that it was God,” he says. In 2002, Ornelas made a commitment to perform at churches and Christian music concerts. “It is the best thing that I have ever done,” he says. There are some things about Ornelas that have not changed from his earlier years on the road. He still loves to perform, a characteristic he inherited from his father, Mike Ornelas, founder of the Mike Ornelas Orchestra in the Big Band era. “My father was an awesome piano player from Laredo, Texas. He taught me to take my music seriously, but he also taught me to have fun while performing,” he says. As a teenager, Ornelas played the trumpet and sang in his father’s orchestra while traveling all over the country. He remembers fondly listening to Nat King Cole, Tony Bennet, The Four Freshmen, Glenn Miller, and Mexican trios like Trio Los Panchos and Los Aces, for inspiration. “These artists have had a tremendous influence on my music,” he says. Today, René Ornelas keeps a busy schedule writing and performing. His wife, Saundra, is a strong source of spiritual motivation. They regularly travel together for concerts and church functions. “I really love what I am doing,” says Ornelas. “Since I have given the controls of my life to Jesus Christ, my marriage is stronger and my life is sweeter.”
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— Jenny Moore |
Ramirez followed the careers of Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks, Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes of the Houston Comets, and Rebecca Lobo and Teresa Weatherspoon of the New York Liberty as they broke historic ground. “I grew up playing sports, and being in professional sports is where I wanted to be,” she says. Today, she is the public relations manager for the Chicago Sky—the newest WNBA franchise. Life in the Windy City is round-the-clock busy for Ramirez, as she handles all media relations for the team, players, coaches and upper management. “Although I don’t get to suit up, I’ve become a member of the team on the business side by being present for all games and locker room pep talks, and accompanying our players to most community relations events,” she says. During the off-season (October through April), she stays in Chicago, but during game season she travels frequently. “In handling media relations, I have the opportunity to travel with the team for all away games, which is awesome, especially when we travel to San Antonio to play the Silver Stars and I get to catch up with family and friends. I’m one of those people that have no problem living out of a suitcase,” she says. Ramirez’s personal ambition and early career focus worked to her benefit at UTSA. While earning her degree in communication/public relations, she held internships with the Dallas Cowboys training camp and with ESPN X-Games Global, both held at the Alamodome. After working again with X-Games in Los Angeles, she rose to the top of a long list of candidates to earn a position with the National Basketball Association in New York City, where she worked for three years in the marketing communications department. “I loved the job there. I was excited to be in New York City and working for an organization that I grew up watching.” After a brief stint back in San Antonio working for an advertising firm, she was told about the position with the Chicago Sky. “Chicago is a city I had always wanted to live in, so I jumped at the opportunity.” Ramirez says her job is a perfect fit. “I have the opportunity to work with women who are excellent role models on and off the court.” |
— Jenny Moore |
He was one of the first Hispanics to appear on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. He toured with Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Beach Boys, Fats Domino and Three Dog Night.
In 1997, the year the Women’s National Basketball Association was founded, Veronica “Ronnie” Ramirez was a 17-year-old tomboy who spent countless hours shooting hoops in the front yard of her Dripping Springs home. When the WNBA was announced, she says, “I thought it was the best thing in the world.”