Dr. Abelardo Baeza was a professor of English and Spanish at Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas. A native of Alpine, he had B.A. and M.A. degrees from SRSU with honors and a Ph.D. from Texas Tech University with honors. He served as director of the HIS Title V Program at SRSU and director of Mexican American Studies. In 1997 he was recognized as the Outstanding Faculty Member at Sul Ross.A playwright, Dr. Baeza has written, produced, and directed thirteen Spanish-language plays on the SRSU campus. He is former chairman of the Spanish Department, director of Minority Affairs, and director of the Spanish Experimental Theater. He established Mexican American Awareness Week on the SRSU campus in 1979, a cultural program that commemorates Cinco de Mayo.Active in the community, Dr. Baeza served twice on the Alpine ISD Board of Trustees. He also wrote numerous articles for journals and newspapers. In 1979 he wrote Keep Blessing Us, Ultima: A Teaching guide to Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya.Dr. Abelardo Baeza suffered an apparent heart attack at his home in 2004 and passed away at the age of 59.
