Tatangelo to Provide Historic Collection to A&M International

A collection of memorabilia and historical documents that trace the life and times of former Laredo mayor Aldo Tatangelo will soon find a welcome home in the Special Collection Room at Texas A&M International University's Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library.

The collection will be announced at a reception to be held on Monday, March 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the University's Great Room on the third floor of the Killam Library. The public is invited to attend.

Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, Dr. Jerry Thompson, who along with University president Charles Jennett helped to coordinate the collection's transfer to the University, said the Tatangelo Collection represents a critical period in Laredo's history.

"There is wealth of material here that helps to underscore a period of tremendous change and growth that occurred under the Tatangelo administration. It is a valuable addition to our special collection and will be an important part of our growing border history holdings," Thompson explained.

Thompson noted that the Tatangelo administration mixed good business sense with an innate charm that many Laredoans came to admire and respect.

"Tatangelo served as Laredo's mayor from 1978 to 1990. Although a successful businessman originally from Rhode Island, he moved with equal ease from boardrooms to barrios and earned the respect and admiration of his adopted hometown," Thompson explained.

The Tatangelo collection includes historic correspondence, special gifts, presentations by visiting state, national and international dignitaries, hand-written messages from the day's political leaders, newspaper collections, awards and historic photography.

Thompson said the University welcomes any similar collection of private papers relevant to the history of the City of Laredo, Webb County, and South Texas.

For more information, contact the College of Arts and Humanities at 326.2460 or the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at 326.2180.

University office hours are from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu