Successful El Paso Businessman And Texas State University Distinguished Alumnus Donates $1 Million For A Second Time

Castro previously made a million-dollar gift to the university in 2014 to support student scholarships. The Richard A. Castro Undergraduate Admission Center was…

SAN MARCOS – El Paso businessman and Texas State University Distinguished Alumnus Richard Castro has donated $1 million to the university to support scholarships for student-athletes.

The gift was announced during the university’s homecoming activities last week. In recognition of his gift, the university will name the University Events Center club seating and adjacent multipurpose room in Castro’s honor.

Castro is a Texas State University Hero, a title given to individuals and organizations that give $1 million or more to the university. He previously made a million-dollar gift to the university in 2014 to support student scholarships. The Richard A. Castro Undergraduate Admission Center was subsequently named in his honor.

His latest million-dollar gift will be used to match other donor gifts given to support Texas State student-athletes.

“We are grateful to have donors such as Richard Castro, who understand the importance to and the impact of scholarships on our students, and his gift will help change the lives of many student-athletes for the better,” said Texas State University President Denise M. Trauth.

Castro earned his B.A. in history from Texas State in 1970 and became a teacher in the Eagle Pass Independent School District. He later served as city administrator for Del Rio from 1972 to 1980 before becoming a McDonald’s franchise owner in 1983.

Castro became the company’s largest Hispanic owner/operator with 23 restaurants in Texas and more than 1,000 employees. Sensing an opportunity to appeal to his West Texas clientele, he developed the breakfast burrito and convinced the chain to offer it nationwide.

Castro was named 2005 Hispanic Business Man of the Year by the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and won the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce Chairman’s Community Support Award that same year.

He received the 2011 Faces of Diversity Award from the National Restaurant Association.

In 1997, Castro was named a Texas State Distinguished Alumnus and in 2013 he received a Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from the College of Liberal Arts.

Founded in 1899, Texas State University is among the largest universities in Texas with an enrollment of 38,694 students on campuses in San Marcos and Round Rock. Texas State’s 181,000-plus alumni are a powerful force in serving the economic workforce needs of Texas and throughout the world. Designated an Emerging Research University by the State of Texas, Texas State is classified under “Doctoral Universities: Higher Research Activity,” the second-highest designation for research institutions under the Carnegie classification system.