Tomás Rivera was born on December 22, 1935 in Crystal City, Texas. Rising from humble beginnings as the son of Mexican migrant farm workers, Rivera went to Southwest Texas State University, where he received his B.S. in English Education in 1958. Aiming higher, he returned to Southwest Texas State to get a Master's in Education in 1964 and then, in 1969, he received a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma in Romance Literatures. Rivera taught at the university level for many years at various institutions before becoming chancellor at the University of California, Riverside in 1979, the first minority chancellor in the University of California system. He served as chancellor until his untimely death on March 16, 1984. The Tomás Rivera archive contains more than 85,000 items in 198 document boxes (82.5 linear feet) which are divided into five sections: Biographical Works, Literary Manuscripts, Educational Material, Civic Leadership, and Illustrative Material. Folders further subdivide each box.

Tomás Rivera was born on December 22, 1935 in Crystal City, Texas. Rising from humble beginnings as the son of Mexican migrant farm workers, Rivera went to Southwest Texas State University, where he received his B.S. in English Education in 1958. He then taught English and Spanish in high school in San Antonio, Crystal City, and League City.

82.5 linear feet (198 document boxes)

Copyright has not been assigned to the University of California, Riverside Libraries, Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

The collection is open for research.