Friday, December 8, 2023

Celebrating the 50th: Local knowledge moves UTSA from an idea to a piece of San Antonio history

Celebrating the 50th: Local knowledge moves UTSA from an idea to a piece of San Antonio history

Herbert Kelleher, the Southwest Airlines founder who died Jan. 3, 2019, played a key role in UTSA's history.

Editor’s note: This is an introduction to an excerpt of a 2009 interview conducted by David R. Johnson, professor emeritus, UTSA Department of History.

(March 1, 2019) -- Herbert Kelleher, the Southwest Airlines founder who died January 3, 2019 at 87, played a key role in UTSA’s history. In 1966, he was a lawyer in John Peace’s law firm and had also worked on Gov. John Connally’s reelection campaign when he was made chair of the S.A. Chamber of Commerce’s education committee.

From this position, he helped to shape the chamber’s recommendations to the state agencies determining the future of higher education in the Alamo City and, thus, he helped to shepherd UTSA into existence. Later, he remained a loyal supporter of the university, including as a President’s Associate for nearly four decades. And his son, David N. Kelleher, is a UTSA alumnus, acquiring his B.S. in physics in 1995.

>> Read the rest of this story and relive other memories from UTSA’s history as we celebrate UTSA’s 50th Anniversary.


Celebrate UTSA’s 50th Anniversary and share social media posts about the 50th using the hashtag #UTSA50.

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UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.


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UTSA’s Mission

The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSA’s Vision

To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSA’s Core Values

We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.

UTSA’S Destinations

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .

Our Commitment to Inclusivity

The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.