A&M International Presents First Terpsichorean Award

Dance legend Altagracia Azios Garcia has been named recipient of Texas A&M International University's First Annual Terpsichorean Award, an honor bestowed to a loyal supporter of the arts.

The award was presented to Garcia during A&M International's 1999 Spring Dance Concert held recently in the Kinesiology/Convocation Building.

Bede Leyendecker, assistant professor of dance at A&M International, and director of the University's Dance Performance Troupe and Flamenco Troupe, said it is an honor to bestow the first Terpsichorean Award to such a civic minded and community oriented individual.

"Terpsichore, the muse of dance in Greek mythology, would be privileged to have Altagracia at her side. It is our privilege to bestow this award to her for her devoted generosity and support of the arts and to A&M International's dance troupes," said Leyendecker.

Garcia served as director and owner of the Altagracia Azios Garcia Dance Studio for 43 years. She is an innovator in the area of folk dance for the community's youth, and is an active participant in many community and social organizations including Borderfest, the Society of Martha Washington, the Laredo Little Theatre, LULAC's Noche Mexicana, the Chamber of Commerce, the Lady Knights of the Holy Sepulcher and Blessed Sacrament Church, San Antonio's San Jose Mission Society and the Folk Dance Festival, Aquafest in Austin.

She is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Laredo Woman's Hall of Fame, Outstanding Small Business Person, Laredo Community College's Top 50 Distinguished Alumni, Outstanding Woman for the Performing Arts, and was the 1999 Martha Washington.

Garcia is the daughter of Josefina Azios and the late Leopoldo Azios. She and husband Hector, the 1999 George Washington, have two children, Anna Isabel Garcia Alvarez and Hector Garcia, Jr.

For more information on A&M International's First Annual Terpsichorean Award, please call Leyendecker at 326-2640. University office hours are 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