Description
The Rene Nuñez Memorial Collection, assembled after Nuñez's death, documents his work in promoting educational equity and parent involvement, and his help in
founding the Chicano Studies Department at SDSU. Filed alphabetically, the collection includes educational treatises, academic
papers, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and materials relating to Nuñez's memorial service at San Diego State University.
The collection dates from 1968 to 2008.
Background
The son of immigrants, Rene Nuñez was born in 1936 and raised in San Diego. He graduated from San Diego High School in 1955,
and joined the army four years later. After leaving the army, Nuñez attended the University of California, Los Angeles where
he received his Bachelor's degree in Spanish in 1967. During this time, he worked as the Director of the Educational Clearinghouse,
a college outreach program for Chicano/a and African-American students living in LA's underprivileged neighborhoods. As an
activist dedicated to improving Chicano education, Nuñez participated in the 1968 Chicano Student Walkouts, and helped to
organize the Biltmore Hotel educational demonstration of 1968. He was arrested as part of the "Biltmore 10." He played a major
role in the 1969 UC Santa Barbara Conference of Chicano students, professors, and activists. The conference discussed educational
issues in the Chicano community, and resulted in the creation of "El Plan," a blueprint for the codification of Chicano Studies
programs at the university level. Several universities implemented the plan the following year. The conference also established
the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA). In addition to this work, Nuñez was active in the anti-war movement
as well.
Restrictions
The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with
the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections
is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be
submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available
for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.
Availability
This collection is open for research.