Texas State University has renamed the residence hall currently under construction on the San Marcos Campus in honor of Distinguished Alumnus Richard A. Castro. Previously known as Canyon Hall, the project is now Richard A. Castro Hall.
The Texas State University System Board of Regents approved the name change during its quarterly meeting Nov. 21-22 in Beaumont.
A graduate of TXST, Castro received his B.S. in education in 1970. His dedication to the university is evident through his numerous accolades, including being named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1997 and receiving the College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award in 2013. His contributions to TXST total nearly $2.3 million. He has also established scholarships for students from the College of Liberal Arts and student-athletes, pledging $1 million in matching funds for student-athletes in 2017.
Castro, an El Paso businessman, became a McDonald’s franchisee in 1983 and quickly rose to become the company’s largest Hispanic owner/operator, managing 27 restaurants in Texas and employing more than 2,000 people. He has held prominent positions such as the president of the McDonald’s Hispanic Owner/Operators Association and as founder of McDonald’s Hispanos Triunfadores.
Castro’s commitment to community service is exemplified by his co-founding of Community en Acción (CEA), a network of Hispanic community leaders supporting El Paso’s Latino community. In 2018, CEA honored him with the creation of the Richard Castro Community Service Scholarship. He has also played a pivotal role in the formation of the Council for Regional Economic Expansion and Educational Development (CREEED) and the Borderplex Alliance. In 1985, Castro created the Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources (HACER) Scholarship Program, which has awarded more than $33 million since its inception.