As autumn settles in, some observe one of America’s more controversial holidays: Columbus Day. The Genoese navigator aside, Columbus Day is also a celebration of all things Italian with parades, fundraisers and feasts. So when the holiday came under attack, some Italian Americans took it personally. One of the best ways to restore Italian consciousness in San Antonio — which has supplanted Columbus Day since 2017 — is to honor exceptional members of the Italian-American community, like Frank Lombardino, who deserves to have UT San Antonio’s North Paseo Building named after him.
Lombardino’s name is conspicuously absent from Main Campus, which is regrettable because he is rightfully called “the father of the University of Texas at San Antonio.” The first bill he drafted to create UT San Antonio failed in 1967, but he at least earned a plaque in the now-demolished Institute of Texan Cultures that recognized him for passionately and persistently advocating for the creation of this essential state university.
UT San Antonio might have started as a twinkle in young Lombardino’s eye, but like any good statesman, he actually listened to his constituents who acknowledged the need for public higher education in South Central Texas both before and after his election to office. In a ceremony in front of the Alamo on June 5, 1969, Gov. Preston Smith signed House Bill 42 of the 61st Texas Legislature on Rep. Lombardino’s back, recognizing his efforts and establishing the institution. Five years later, President Peter T. Flawn signed the first UT San Antonio diploma on Lombardino’s back in homage.
Lombardino also established the San Antonio State School, a residential institution for people with mental illnesses. This is yet another demonstration of his belief in education for all.
It is time to end the obscurity of Lombardino and dedicate something on campus in his honor. The North Paseo Building, unoriginally named for its location on Paseo del Norte, is the best candidate to become the Lombardino Technology, Operations and Administrative Building. This is something both those who wish to move on from Columbus and those who will never let him go could get behind.
Readers who agree should convey this appeal to UT San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy at [email protected] and the University of Texas System Board of Regents at [email protected]. By honoring the codifier of this institution, UT San Antonio would promote a good example of forward-thinking public service.
