Meet Texas Exes President Hector De Leon - The Alcade July/August 2004
The Texas Exes are not the first to benefit from Hector De Leon's involvement. His résumé lists no less than 38 civic organizations.
De Leon, BS '70, JD '73, an attorney who specializes in insurance and health law, grew up in East Austin. His parents did not attend college - his father, Mack, made it to third grade, Beatrice, his mother, 10th grade - but they always stressed the importance of education.
Why law? "Growing up, there was a guy named Perry Mason who was on TV. Perry Mason had a nice office, a lady with him who took notes; it was indoor work, no heavy lifting. And he always dressed nicely. That sounded pretty good to me," he says, laughing.
At UT, De Leon was a typical undergrad, though he did struggle a bit his first few semesters, going on and off "scho pro," scholastic probation, repeatedly before hitting his stride. He completed his BS in education, his second vocation. "Sometimes I have my regrets that I didn't continue teaching," he says.
When his first wife died of peritonitis during his last year of law school, De Leon says, "My UT family was there to help me. They brought me through a difficult time." He later married Arleigh Stoune, with whom he has three sons.
De Leon was UT ombudsman and was in the National Guard from 1969-75, where he was known as "the dessert man," being famous for his apple brown Betty. From 1975-77, De Leon was general counsel of the Texas State Insurance Board and founded his law firm, De Leon, Boggins & Icenogle, in 1977. He also was legal counsel to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy from 1978-87.
His motto for the upcoming year as Texas Exes president is "Securing the Future." De Leon will launch a major initiative to endow the programs of the Texas Exes so that its operating budget will not be as reliant on member dues. He sees the Texas Exes in a vital role of supporting the University, which helps to insure the future of Texas. "I think a lot of people think of Texas Exes as simply being a chamber of commerce - a bunch of rah-rah people that simple go to football games and wear orange and boast about UT. At some level, it is that. But if you stop and examine its role, we exist to support the mission of The University of Texas at Austin."
The Texas Exes can do things that UT simply can't. It is able to advocate openly to further public higher education issues in Texas. State funds once supported 75-80 percent of higher education in Texas in the 1960s. Today it's about 20 percent "and going south." says De Leon. And, as a result of Hopwood, UT was banned from using race as a factor in admissions. To help level the playing field with states that could offer incentives for minorities, the Texas Exes created a program that gives scholarships based on merit and race.
De Leon says this adds up to have a big impact. UT has been a significant factor in the economic growth of Texas. It provides research, development, human resources in terms of educated students, and it has helped the economy evolve so Texas is no longer so dependent on oil and gas. So by supporting UT, the Texas Exes help support the state, says De Leon.
He also chairs the College of Education's Foundation Advisory Council and serves on the Development Board, the Board of Directors of the UT Foundation, and the Chancellor's Council.
The depths of gratitude he has toward UT are enormous. "I would never have been a lawyer without UT, I would never have been ombudsman without UT, I would never have been able to build the practice I've built without UT," he says. "I view anything I do in terms of service on various committees and boards, not as an opportunity to lead; I think of this as an opportunity to serve and to give back a little of what I got, just a little, because there is no way I can give back anywhere near what I got." -Cora Bullock
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