Américo Paredes (1915-1999)
 |
 |
|
Born in 1915 into a family with deep roots on both sides of the border, Américo Paredes grew up in Brownsville, Texas, where he attended public schools and Brownsville Junior College. After completing junior college in 1936, he embarked on a 14-year career in journalism, initially writing for newspapers in South Texas and northern Mexico. He also worked as a disc jockey and honed his skills as a guitarist and performer of corridos (Texas/Mexican story songs), an interest that would one day become integral to his scholarly identity. He served in World War II and remained in Tokyo after the war, writing for the military newspaper Stars and Stripes and for the international bureau of the American Red Cross. In 1950 Paredes returned home from overseas and enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin, graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and philosophy within a single year. His undergraduate work was followed by a master's degree (1953) and doctorate (1956) in English (folklore) and Spanish. The next year he joined the UT English faculty as an assistant professor. He became a full professor of English in 1965 and a professor of anthropology in 1966. Paredes published five nonfiction books, including a Texas-Mexican cancio–ero (songbook) and countless articles. His first book, With His Pistol in His Hand: A Border Ballad and Its Hero (UT Press, 1958)--an illuminating account of the cultural and linguistic differences between Anglo and Mexican culture in Texas--kindled the imaginations of a new generation of student-scholars. Paredes always challenged the writings of established historians and their versions of life along the Texas-Mexico border. His work redirected the discipline away from the mere collection and cataloging of folkloric materials toward an integration of music, crafts, literature, and legend. 
Américo Paredes helped to institutionalize Mexican-American Studies and folklore studies at UT Austin. He was the organizing force behind UT's Folklore Archive--where he held the position of archivist from 1957 to 1967--and he established the interdepartmental folklore program/Folklore Center (1966) and the Mexican-American Studies program/Center for Mexican-American Studies (1970), serving as director of both centers for several years. He designed and taught a broad range of courses in literature, folklore, and related subjects to thousands of undergraduate and graduate students. He supervised theses and dissertations in English, anthropology, folklore, Mexican-American Studies, American Studies, Spanish, and education. His musical legacy endures in the thriving UT Ethnomusicology program and Mariachi Ensemble, both his innovations. In 1983 the University named him the Raymond Dickson, Alton C. Allen, and Dillon Anderson Centennial Professor of Anthropology and English. Paredes's international stature is reflected in the many accolades he won in the course of his long, distinguished career. Among the more recent and important:
In the 1990s Paredes continued to write and edit, returning to his early passion for poetry and fiction. After the age of 75 he published two novels, a book of verse, and two volumes of short stories. In his last years Américo Paredes visited the UT campus every week, meeting in informal get-togethers at the Cactus Café in the Texas Union with friends, colleagues, and protégés. He died on May 5, 1999--Cinco de Mayo--at age 83. The memorial ceremony, held at UT on May 23, was attended by 200 people who paid homage to the late folklorist and his enduring legacy. By Rae Nadler-Olenick,
|
||
 |
 |