Luis de la Garza
| Luis de la Garza | |
|---|---|
Luis de la Garza
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| Born |
May 20, 1954 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Education | Universidad Autonoma de Mexico; Instituto Politécnico Nacional |
| Occupation | Businessman, radio talk show host, community leader |
| Spouse(s) | Blanca Estrada |
Luis de la Garza (born May 20, 1954 in Mexico City, Mexico) is a television executive, businessman and community leader in Texas. He is the recipient of numerous community awards for his personal success in business and media, as well as for his efforts to assist other Mexican-American entrepreneurs start their own businesses. To the shock of his family and many who have worked with him, de la Garza was arrested on suspicion of being a serial bank robber on June 22, 2013. He subsequently pleaded guilty to bank robbery charges and is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence.
De la Garza obtained his Bachelor's Degree in geology from the Instituto Politécnico Nacional and his Master's Degree in hydrogeology from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. He subsequently worked for the Mexican government and was responsible for detecting, studying and drilling for water with a team of 600 under his command. At the peak of his career, he married and moved to Houston, Texas. Unable to work within his field of expertise due to a language barrier, de la Garza earned his living performing manual labor. Soon after, he divorced and moved to Dallas, where he became a successful entrepreneur in the restaurant and automobile businesses, and married his current wife Blanca Estrada.
In the mid-eighties, de la Garza was invited to host a radio show and developed a new passion for media. In 1994, de la Garza founded TeleAmerica a Spanish speaking television station serving the Hispanic community giving them a venue to openly express their opinion. A couple of years later it became TeleAmerica Spanish Network, broadcasting to different states through independent stations but still under the TeleAmerica logo.
By then, de la Garza had become politically active within the Hispanic community and his Show Foro 44 had made a name for itself. De la Garza conducted interviews with various political figures from the U.S. and Mexico, most notably US President George W. Bush, Mexican Ambassador to the United States Jesús Federico Reyes Heroles, and Mexican President Vicente Fox. The show largely focused on local issues, including education, health, business and regional politics. In December 1999, after seeing the need for an immigration and consumer advocacy advice program, he produced The Roy Petty Show until 2002 when it moved to Univision America. De la Garza became active in American politics, meeting with numerous Senators and Congressmen, peacefully protesting against laws which he viewed as anti-immigrant, and conducting community organizing activities in Mexican neighborhoods.
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Wikipedia