Ruiz Family Sets Up $5,000 Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament To Honor Ruiz Sr.

The Group Picture from Left to right: Robert Ruiz, Ofelia Padilla, San Marcos AGIF Commander Randall Padilla, Ruben Ruiz, Jr., Jessie Sanchez-AGIF, Rosina Ruiz Valle, Rodney Ruiz.

The Ruben Ruiz Sr., family, all seven adult children has set up an annual $5,000 plus fund for Scholarships to benefit San Marcos and Hays County kids.

Ruben Ruiz, Sr. was an active member of the American GI Forum (AGIF) of San Marcos, which was organized after WW II, to benefit veterans that had fought in WW II for their country, and were having a difficult time receiving fair and equal treatment for jobs and enrolling in college.

In fact, Ruben Ruiz Sr. is the only member of the San Marcos Chapter to be elected Texas State Chairman of the GI Forum, two years in a row.

In addition, Ruiz Sr. was very active in politics and the San Marcos community, and dedicated most of his life to public service and all Americans of San Marcos. He was the first Hispanic-American elected to the San Marcos City Council, first Hispanic Mayor-Pro-Tem, after serving on the city council for two terms Ruben Ruiz Sr., served on the Texas GI Forum Board of Directors, and as State Chairman. He was then elected as the first Hispanic-American to become a County Commissioner in San Marcos, Hays County.

He taught his seven children that the road to success in life was to attend college, and as he always said to them (about ten times a year) “you have a college in your own backyard, no excuses, you can walk to college.”

Because of that, five of the seven children graduated from SWT (Texas State University) and the other two children attended technical schools. These seven children produced two with Doctors’ degrees, three masters’ degrees, and five undergraduate diplomas’.

Ruiz Sr. and his wife Lillie had seven children, Ruben Jr., Roland, Rosina, Rene, Rodney, Robert, and Rhea set up the RRS-fund to dedicate to their father for all he did for his children and their community.

Mr. Ruiz Sr., named all his kids with double RR names, he wanted Lillie, to get confused with the names every time she called out to one of their children. And boy, it did work!

According  to the Ruiz children, he had a crazy sense of humor, and the kids are still laughing about their double RR names after all these years as they would mixed up too!

The scholarship fundraiser “The AGIF Ruben Ruiz, Sr. Firecracker Open Golf Tournament,” and will be held at Quail Creek CC  and will take place on the 4^th of July to celebrate our freedom and independence.

The scholarship fund is part of the San Marcos Chapter of the American GI Forum of Texas 2016 Conference, and has chosen the Theme of “Equality + Education = Empowerment.” Commander Randy Padilla and his committee have indicated that the New Holiday Inn in San Marcos will be hosting the American GI Forum as its initial Conference.

The tournament is a three-ball scramble in two flights, and they currently have room for additional teams.

Please call longtime friend of Ruiz, Sr., Bobby Rodriguez at 512-470-1356 to register.