Roberto Zárate labored as a boy in the cotton fields of Texas but became the first person in his family to attend college and was a longtime school principal and trustee of the Alamo Colleges District.
Zárate, widely known in education circles as “Mr. Z,” died surrounded by family members on March 31 at age 76. A celebration of life is planned in the Alamo Colleges board room, 2222 N. Alamo St. from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. It will be streamed live .
He was born in Eden on June 7, 1948. Growing up in West Texas, Zárate was exposed to racial indignities and had to “fight for his own education,” said his daughter, Ashley Alaniz.
“Because of that, he had a passion to make sure nobody had to go through what he went through,” she said…