Lifelong Educator, Entrepreneur, and Community Activist Passes Away
Written by admin, Dec 23, 2020, 0 Comments
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Courtesy Noraida Negron,
(Laredo, Texas)-Estela Quintanilla, Chairperson of the Laredo/Webb Drug and Alcohol Commission, passed away on Wednesday, December 23. Quintanilla was an activist for fighting crime and helping others. Most recently, she worked diligently alongside city and county officials for the creation of a detox center. Her vision was to create a village-building center with medical staff, psychiatrists, substance abuse and chemical dependency licensed counselors, and job placement advocates to benefit everyone in the community, especially those suffering from drug and substance abuse.
Mayor Pro-Tempore and Council Member for District 4, Alberto Torres, appointed Quintanilla to the Laredo/Webb and Alcohol Commission. “I am saddened to hear of the passing of Mrs. Quintanilla. Her valuable contributions to this city made a positive impact in our community,” said Torres. “Her leadership and advocacy for fighting crime and the expansion of public resources for those in need, while serving in different capacities mentoring local, state, and federal government officials, will always be reminisced. I treasured our friendship, and she will always be remembered as a kind, humble, community-minded, and hard-working woman. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.”
For over fifty years, Quintanilla’s community service has made an impact in Laredo. In 1994, Quintanilla introduced Crime Stoppers to the Laredo Independent School District and implemented the Campus Crime Stoppers Program with the mission of combatting crime and juvenile delinquency. She served as the district’s campus crime stoppers administrator for over 15 years, leading the award-winning and nationally recognized program that became a model for schools worldwide. Quintanilla also implemented the Teens in the Driver Seat Program at the Vidal M Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts for Laredo ISD, through the Texas Department of Transportation. It became the first program of its kind in south Texas and a model program for schools across the state.
Due to her volunteer service and work for organizations such as the Texas Crime Stoppers Teaching and Technical Assistance Work Group, she was appointed to serve the Juvenile Justice Federal Advisory Committee by former Governor, Rick Perry. Also, because of her efforts that made an impact in Laredo, she was recognized nationwide. In 2007, Governor Greg Abbott, while serving as Texas Attorney General, made a personal visit to Laredo and Martin High School to recognize Quintanilla for her efforts in combatting crime across Texas and at the Mexican-American border.
Quintanilla was a retired educator who spent her entire career of thirty-five years as an English teacher at Martin High School. An advocate for higher education, she worked tirelessly to ensure that all students had an opportunity to apply for and earn scholarships to get a college education with the hopes that students would return to Laredo to help others become successful.
In 2006, Quintanilla founded LULAC Council #14 and started the first-ever Youth LULAC Council in Laredo at Martin High School. She also served on the Board of Directors of Laredo Crime Stoppers, Texas Crime Stoppers, Crime Stoppers USA, and many other fine organizations.
She is survived by her husband Manuel of Laredo and son, David, daughter-in-law, Judith, and grandchildren, Nicholas David, and Lauren Rose of Sugarland, Texas.
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