[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1131]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO DR. RAY MARVIN KECK III

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HENRY CUELLAR

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 14, 2016

  Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Ray Marvin Keck III was born in San 
Antonio, Texas to Mr. Ray Keck and Mrs. Joyce Keck. Dr. Keck grew up in 
Cotulla, Texas but considers Laredo to be his hometown. He attended The 
Texas Military Academy and went on to earn an AB and a PhD in Romantic 
Languages and Literature from Princeton University. Beyond that, Dr. 
Keck studied at Harvard Divinity School, the National Autonomous 
University of Mexico, the Center of Hispanic Studies in Madrid, and the 
German Summer School.
  Dr. Keck began his teaching career at the Hotchkiss School in 
Connecticut in 1970. He then joined the Texas A&M International 
University (TAMIU) faculty in 1979, and went on to become a professor, 
department chair, provost and the university's longest-serving 
president. Under his leadership, TAMIU has doubled its enrollment and 
serves a higher percentage Hispanic population than any college or 
university in the country. Under his administration, the university has 
improved with the upgrade of the Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium, the 
creation of the Senator Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center, and 
the creation of the Texas Academy of International STEM Studies.
  During Dr. Keck's tenure as TAMIU president, the university has been 
consistently recognized in rankings by Washington Monthly Money 
Magazine, and The Economist for providing a high value education for 
its students. Dr. Keck has received many awards and honors recognizing 
his advocacy of higher education, promotion of art and culture, study 
of the riches of the Spanish language, and his devotion to advancing 
his hometown, Laredo. In May 2016, Dr. Keck was named the interim 
president at the Texas A&M University-Commerce.
  Dr. Ray Keck is a devoted husband to his wife, Patricia Cigarroa Keck 
and father of three daughters Teresa, Joyce, and Lacey, who is no 
longer with us. He is a proud grandfather of Adam and Laila. Dr. Keck 
is also an accomplished organist, having performed as a guest artist 
with the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra and others around the nation. He 
is the author of Love's Dialectic: Mimesis and Allegory in the Romances 
of Lope de Vega and supports the need for a comprehensive, dual-
language program for all students in Texas schools.

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