Leading Latino demographer, Dr. Jorge Chapa, passed away this week

*Dr. Jorge Chapa, a noted and important Latino demographer, passed away on Tuesday in Urbana, Illinois. Former MALDEF attorney and St. Mary’s University Law Professor Al Kauffman was his friend and colleague and wrote this obituary. It’s worth reading, it’s worth learning of the Latinos in our midst who put their labor and intellect to good purposes. I met and spoke to Dr. Chapa on several occasions, but didn’t know him nearly as well as Al. He was a stalwart defender of U.S. Latino rights. May he rest in peace. VL

By Al Kauffman

Tuesday this week, the Latino community lost one of its most important scholars and policy experts. Dr. Jorge Chapa, Ph. D, was a leading demographer, one of only a handful of people in the country who knew the details, opportunities and challenges of the increasing Latino population in the country.

Jorge was co-author of the first and leading book on the Latino population growth in the United States, “The Burden of Support: Young Latinos in an Aging Society” in 1988. He was far ahead of the country and other demographers in explaining the growth of the Latino population and the upcoming crisis if the population did not have educational and employment opportunities. He was on committees for the US census to measure and fairly reflect the Latino population.

Jorge was an expert witness for MALDEF in the Texas higher education case and numerous state wide and local redistricting cases. He was a mentor to generations of new scholars and a teacher and inspiration to the many lawyers, legislators and policy experts who relied on his incredible unique knowledge.

Dr. Chapa did the basic demographic research supporting the 10 % plan for admission to Texas universities. After leaving the LBJ School at UT Austin as one of its first tenured Latinos, he founded and became director of Latino Studies at the University of Indiana and then moved to become the director of several centers and institutes at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

In “Apple Pie & Enchiladas: Latino Newcomers in the Rural Midwest” he was co-author of the first description of this new area of Latino population growth and influence. I knew Jorge well and I will always treasure his humor, knowledge and basic human goodness.  He leaves behind his blessed wife Belinda, a fellow PhD and scholar, and his precious sons Juan and Roberto.

The family has asked that memorial gifts be made in his name to the University of Illinois Foundation to establish the Jorge Chapa Memorial Scholarship Fund.  Some lucky students will have the tall Jorge and God looking over their shoulders!

Jorge, En Paz Descanse.