Funeral Services Set For John Treviño Jr., First Mexican American On Austin City Council [UPDATED]

UPDATE: Funeral arrangements for John Treviño Jr., the first Latino to serve on the Austin City Council and a longtime community leader, have been scheduled for this coming Monday, according to a Mission Funeral Homes advisory.

Visitation hours will begin 4 p.m. with recitation of Holy Rosary beginning at 6 on April 9 at Mission Funeral Home Serenity Chapel, 6204 S. First St. Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Louis King of France Catholic Church at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, April 10. Interment will follow at Assumption Cemetery with military honors.

Treviño is preceded in death by his mother, Salome Treviño; father, Juan Treviño; brother, Pete Moreno; and son, Paul Treviño. He is survived by the mother of his eight children, Connie Loya Treviño; his children, John, Mary Theresa, Peter (wife Sandra), Michael (wife Mary Alice), Mark, Patricia (husband Frank), and Jesse (wife Laura); as well as his special friend of many years, Judy Ford. John is also survived by his sister and surrogate mother, Josephine Zamarripa; brother, Ignacio “Nash” Moreno (wife Tommie); sister, Dora Ortiz (husband Jesse); 19 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great-grandchild; and numerous nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Pallbearers will be Peter Treviño, Jr., Christopher Treviño, Brandon Treviño, Matthew Castijella, Joshua Rendon, Jr., and Ryan Treviño.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler will be among the honorary pallbearers along with Mike Guerrero, Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, Gabe Gutierrez, Robert Flores, Lawrence Hernandez, Augustine Ramirez, Sam Guzman, James Ramirez, Mayor Kirk Watson, Mayor Carole Keeton McClellan, Mayor Lee Cooke, Mayor Bruce Todd, Mayor Ron Mullen, Mayor Frank Cooksey, Mayor Lee Leffingwell, and Mayor Will Wynn.

From April 5:

AUSTIN, TX — John Treviño Jr., the first Mexican-American member of the Austin City Council, died Tuesday at 78. According to media reports, Treviño died at home after a brief illness.

Reacting to the news, Mayor Steve Adler noted Treviño's trailblazing legacy is reflected in the once-shut doors he burst open for other minorities and formerly disenfranchised members of society, making entries of shattered barriers that are now portals toward inclusion thanks largely to his pioneering community work.

"On the Austin City Council, Mayor Treviño created opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses, pressured the city to increase hiring of women and people of color, led efforts to increase access to health care for the poor and needy pushed for a more equitable distribution of social services, and promoted better representation of women and people of color on boards and commissions," Adler said in a prepared statment. "If there was a door closed to people of color, John Treviño Jr. opened it."

According to a summation of his life's work by the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Treviño's work — both on council and his lifelong community work — left an indelible impression in the city and region.

"John Treviño has dedicated nearly his entire life to serving others," a chamber bio reads. "His commitment and dedication to public service has left a lasting impression on the people of Central Texas."

He had his first taste of public service at just eight years old, according to the account, when he served as an altar boy in the Catholic Diocese of Austin. By 17, he volunteered to serve his country in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division during a three-year stint. Upon returning to Austin, he took an active role in the St. Vincent de Paul Society, a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to helping the poor and needy, according to his bio.

In 1965, he was chosen to be the first director of the Community Action Program in Austin, a federal anti-poverty initiative. In 1966-67, he launched a bulk-trash collection program in East Austin, a model that was ultimately adopted throughout the entire city. In 1968, the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin nominated Treviño to attend an International Conference on Social Welfare held in Helsinki, Finland — one of only 13 Americans invited.

Seven years after that nomination, he became the first Hispanic elected to the Austin City Council upon his election on May 3, 1975, serving for more than thirteen years, ascending to the positions of Mayor Pro Tem and Acting Mayor along the way. Among his numerous accomplishments was persuading the director of the Internal Revenue Service to dispatch staff to help low-income residents prepare their tax returns. Later he supervised volunteers from the federal VISTA program who developed "Meals on Wheels" and the Austin Tenant's Council.

Among Treviño's other notable accomplishments while serving on city council:

• Helping to create what was the forerunner of the Department of Small and Minority Business Resources.
• Persuading the city to establish a systematic review of hiring practices to ensure fair access to city jobs for women and minorities.
• Spearheading efforts to establish clinics throughout the city providing the poor and needy more accessible and immediate health care.
• Helping establish the Social Policy Advisory Committee to ensure equitable distribution of funding to social service agencies.
• Promoting representation of women and minorities on city boards and commissions.
• Playing a significant role in establishing policies for the fair allocation of space to vendors using the Renaissance Market on Guadalupe Street.

In 1988, Treviño left the city council but continued his commitment to public service. At the University of Texas, he helped develop programs for Historically Underutilized Businesses, served on the board of directors of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He has served on the International Board of the U.S./Mexico Sister Cities Association, and was a founder of the Austin-Saltillo Sister City initiative.

In 2006, the City of Austin enshrined his legacy with an honor afforded to few: A park at Morrison Ranch on FM 969 in East Austin, the John Treviño Jr. Metropolitan Park, stands in tribute to his legacy.

On social media, accolades poured in as news of Treviño's death spread.

"Offering heartfelt condolences to the Treviño family," Austin ISD trustee Paul Saldaña wrote on Twitter. "Was honred to know and call the MPT (mayor pro tem) a friend. An icon and trailblazer."

"We lost yet another giant in Austin politics & history with the passing of former Austin Mayor Pro Tem John Treviño," wrote Sen. Kirk Watson.

This past November, UT Austin hosted its ninth annual Community Leadership Awards at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. UT Austin President Gregory L. Fenves and Vice President Gregory J. Vincent presented five awards, including special recognition for Treviño.

In another, more solemn, tribute, Sen. Kirk Watson asked for the Texas Senate to be adjourned in memory of Treviño on Tuesday evening. Before the adjournment, a resolution recognizing his many contributions was read and inserted into the official record.

>>> Photo of John Treviño Jr. (left) with UT-Austin President Gregory L. Fenves at the ninth annual Community Leadership Awards at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, via UT-Austin