Fairmount College to induct two into Hall of Fame

Elvira Valenzuela Crocker and Louis E. Sturns will be inducted into the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame ceremony at 2  p.m., Feb. 7 in Wiedemann Hall.

Hall of Fame honorees are chosen because they exemplify the merits and advantages of a liberal arts and sciences education. Induction into the Fairmount College Hall of Fame is the highest recognition of outstanding alumni who have had a significant impact on the region, nation and world.

Elvira J. Valenzuela Crocker, a 1961 alumna with bachelor's degrees in journalism and English literature, Elvira Valenzuela Crocker is a leader, communicator and feminist. Over her career Crocker has served as president of the Mexican American National Women’s Association, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education, and the director of communications for the Hispanic and Latino communities advocacy group, National Council of La Raza (now UnidosUS).

Louis E. Sturns, a 1971 alumnus with a bachelor's degree in political science, has served as the first African American Criminal DistrictLouis E. Sturns Court Judge in Tarrant County, Texas; the first African American on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state’s highest court for criminal cases; and the first African American president of the Tarrant County Bar Association.

Dean Andrew Hippisley will moderate an audience-involved panel discussion with Crocker and Sturns about their university experiences and how a liberal arts and sciences education prepared them for their careers. A reception will immediately follow the event in Miller Concert Hall Lobby, Duerksen Fine Arts Center.