Enrique Ramirez

Services for Dr. Enrique Ramirez, 87, of Tyler, will be held on Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. in the Stewart Family Funeral Home Chapel with Deacon Bill Necessary officiating. Dr. Ramirez passed away Tuesday, December 26, 2017 in Tyler. He was born February 10, 1930 in Mayaquez, Puerto Rico to Sergio Ramirez and Ofelia Rivera Ramirez. Dr. Ramirez served in the Army, including a deployment to Vietnam from 1970-71. After leaving the service, he attended Oklahoma State University where he earned his BA in 1975, Master of Arts in 1976 and Doctor of Philosophy in 1979. After spending a short time as a lecturer at OSU, he became a professor and late Chair of the History Department at Texas College and HBCU in Tyler from 1979 to 1992. He was also Director of History and Geography at Tyler Junior College from 1992 until his retirement. He served as a distinguished panelist for the National Grad Fellows Program for the United States Department of Education in 1986 and Coordinator of International Studies Southwestern International Consortium beginning in 1984. Some of his accomplishments were Fulbright-Hays Scholar of Soviet Studies/United States Department of Education, 1989; Brazilian Studies, 1991; recipient of the United Negro College Fund/MacArthur Foundation Award, Spain, 1983; Sears-Roebuck Foundation Professor of the Year Award, 1991; Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education Research Award, 1979; and Fellow Students in Free Enterprise, 1988. Throughout his life he also served as Chairman of Community Development Communications, President of East Texas Council on World Affairs, Tyler, 1988-1989 and founded the Hispanic Association of East Texas in 1989. He was Commissioner of the Clean Tyler Commission from 1984-1985. He also ran for a number of public offices and even explored running for Governor of Puerto Rico. He was a Representative at the Conference on Foreign Policy with the State Department in Washington D.C. in 1988. He served on the Board of Directors of the following: United Way of Greater Tyler; Court Appointed Advocates; Parents Service Center, American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, and Progressivo Mundo Hispano (for television). He was a past Precinct Chairman of the Democratic Party in Texas and a Member of the Southwestern Social Sciences Association and a long-time member of the Kiwanis. He is survived by his loving family including his wife, Lydia and his children, Enrique Ramirez Jr., Hector Ramirez, Pier Angeli Pooler, Roxanna Hall and eight grandchildren.

Enrique Ramirez

February 10, 1930 - December 26, 2017