2021 Recipient of the Tom Lea Research Fellowship
The College of Liberal Arts is proud to announce the 2021 recipient of the Tom Lea Research Fellowship, named for the nationally-known artist and author whose work has graced the Paso del Norte region and many national venues. The award was established by Donald and Adair Margo, distinguished citizens of El Paso, who are dedicated to the appreciation of the art and culture of our region. Adair Margo is President of the Tom Lea Institute.
The recipient for this Fellowship is Javier Segovia. He will use the fellowship award to support his research which would be focused on artist Tom Lea and Mt. Cristo Rey sculptor Urbici Soler and their friendship.
The project will be a research paper full of primary source documents, followed by an El Paso History Museum exhibition. The topic will be about artist Tom Lea and Mt. Cristo Rey sculptor Urbici Soler and their friendship. This research project and exhibition will also mention and detail Tom Lea's stepfamily, Rosario Partida Lea, who married Tom Lea's father, Mayor Lea, in 1941. Tom's stepsister Bertha Archer Schaer would be a Texas Western College graduate, the year is unknown, but she would fulfill two important seminar papers still housed at UTEP's Special Collections. The first work produced would be The Monument of Christ the King, depicting her stepbrother's close friend Urbici Soler and his magnificent statue Cristo Rey, built-in 1939. Assuming that Tom's stepsister Bertha would write such a detailed paper because her stepbrother had such a close relationship with Urbici Soler, this relationship would allow her to receive the privilege of knowing Urbici Soler through her stepbrother. Bertha's second seminar paper produced a historical sketch of Aoy School; After graduating from Texas Western College, Bertha Archer Schaer Bertha would become a teacher for Aoy Elementary School in Segundo Barrio and would help children learn English as a second language. Bertha was highly passionate about teaching and especially teaching Spanish-speaking students English. The project topic is based on primary historical sources and will be surrounded by qualitative research.
Congratulations, Javier Segovia!
