Prolific Writer on Chicano Life and UArizona Professor, Roberto Rodriquez, Dies

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Roberto Cintli Rodriquez, associate professor emeritus in the Department of Mexican American Studies, who had an incredible impact on the department and the field.

NPR's A Martinez talks with MAS head Anna Ochoa O'Leary about the life and legacy of Chicano writer and activist Roberto Rodriguez.

You can read more about Professor Rodriquez's life in these Los Angeles Times and Tucson Sentinel obituaries.

“Roberto’s impact is expansive – the breadth of his knowledge is unmet. His research and role as a public intellectual created new paths, broke new ground. Yet it is the work and commitment to his students that makes this loss so massive,” UA associate professor of Mexican American Studies Michelle Téllez wrote in an email to Tucson Sentinel. “He created personal relationships with his students and always demonstrated his willingness to go above and beyond for young people trying to understand themselves and their place in academia. He encouraged and inspired countless students.”

“He was heroic,” said Patrisia Gonzales, associate professor in the Department of Mexican American Studies and Rodriguez’s wife for 19 years. “He was someone really touched by destiny.”