Oral History Interview with Victor Rodriguez, June 13-18, 2009

Interview with Dr. Victor Rodriguez, educator and author of the memoir "The Bell Ringer," about his life and career. Dr. Rodriguez is a North Texas alumni, member of the UNT Athletic Hall of fame, member of the Geezles Fraternity, and pioneer Mexican American educator. Dr. Victor Rodriguez spotlights significant insights into his storied career through five eras: his early all-Hispanic elementary school training; his continued study and budding athletic prowess in the Edna, TX, school district; his Victoria Junior College athletic achievements and learning; his higher education, Geezle membership, and track accomplishments at North Texas State College; and his 37-year career as a teacher, coach, and superintendent in the San Antonio school district. Inspired by his Anglo third-grade teacher in an all-Hispanic school in Edna, TX, Rodriguez responded to his teacher's challenge to be a civic contributor by becoming a daily bell ringer at the local Catholic church (described in detail in his book, The Bell Ringer), a job requiring him to arise at 4:30 each morning and to run two miles one way amid nipping dogs to ring the bell. This discipline and activity would tap his athletic ability later as he surfaced as a distance district winner despite running barefoot, in blue jeans, and in an oversized t-shirt. From this beginning, he would emerge as a state champion and win a track scholarship to Victoria Junior College where he would win the national junior college title; that accomplishment would earn him track scholarship offers from many top-level four-year college programs of which he selected North Texas State College to continue his running and educational pursuits. While at NTSC, he joined the Geezle Fraternity and captured attributes of group cohesion, solidarity, and mutual benefit/trust. On the cinder track, his talents earned him gold medals in national events such as the Kansas and Drake Relays. After college and military service, Victor joined the San Antonio ISD to begin a 37-year career journey, first as a classroom teacher for bilingual children, then to increasing levels of responsibility as coach, teacher, principal, area coordinator, climaxing at the pinnacle of leadership as superintendent for the district. Along the way, he earned a PhD from the University of Texas-Austin and a year-long fellowship at Yale