From a kid shining shoes in downtown L.A. to becoming a school superintendent: Dr. Robert Aguilar’s legacy

Dr. Robert Aguilar used to shine shoes in downtown Los Ángeles with another friend when he was a “little guy.” Whatever money he made he would turn over to his mother so that his younger brother and sister could eat lunch at school.

Aguilar have never heard of a superintendent until a man dressed in “a nice suit and tie and polished shoes” walked into his fifth-grade classroom. He knew right then that he wanted to be a teacher. Decades later he became a superintendent.

The 90-year-old educator died on March 20 at Kaweah Health Medical Center in Visalia. Aguilar died almost two months after his wife of 69 years, Gloria, died on Jan. 25 at age 90.

Aguilar’s son, Tony Aguilar, said his father fell ill with pneumonia and was hospitalized for a week and a half.

Aguilar’s services will be on April 11 at St. Mary’s Church in Visalia at 9:30 a.m. follow by a graveside service at Visalia Cemetery.

Born June 26, 1933, in El Paso, Texas, Aguilar moved with his family to Los Ángeles. When his single mother searched for work, she relocated them to Delano when he was in seventh grade.

When not in school, Aguilar played sports and worked in the fields along with his five siblings. He served in the U.S. Army Airborne before working with the late César E. Chávez and the United Farm Workers.

Aguilar graduated from Delano High School and Porterville College before he was recruited to play football at Fresno State.

“I played football, and you might not believe that. I’m not a big guy,” said Aguilar in a Fresno State video for his 2015 Kremen School of Education and Human Development outstanding alumnus award.

Aguilar remembered his first game and how after practice he saw the roster with the players’ names in alphabetical order.

“I saw that list and I saw Robert Aguilar. That was the greatest thing. And here a guy from Delano made that team, 5-5, 150-pound guy, you know, fast as heck, though,” said Aguilar in the video.

After graduating from Fresno State with a bachelor’s in education in 1962, Aguilar had a 50-plus-year education career, starting as a teacher and working his way up through the Delano Unified School District.

He taught history, and then became a counselor in Delano High School because he liked to work with students that needed a lot of help.

Because a teacher helped him, Aguilar wanted to be that teacher or counselor who helped students.

“I’ve had some of the greatest teachers that anybody can have. I had them. I had them here (high school). I had them in college. I had them at Fresno State,” said Aguilar.

Remembering a leader

Educators and community leaders remembered Aguilar on social media for making time to call people and meet them for coffee or breakfast where he would give advice and friendship.

“We will miss you and your leadership, dear friend. You have been an inspiration to many of us. Thank you for your outstanding service,” said former Tulare County Supervisor Lali Moheno.

“I find it impossible to shake the profound sense of loss that Dr. Robert Aguilar’s passing has left within our community,” said Raymond Macareno, president of the College of the Sequoias board of trustees, in a March 21 Facebook post. “He served as both a mentor and a figure I deeply admired, and his influence will remain ever-present.”

“Dr. Aguilar exemplified the importance of prioritizing service over self, instilling in us all a valuable lesson to uphold,” Macareno said. “His impact is undeniable, having touched countless lives. The stories of his dedication and efforts will undoubtedly continue to inspire and motivate others for years to come.”

“We lost another Latino legacy! He was on our legacy committee member, remembering the legacy of César Chavez! He will be missed! May he always rest in peace! El Capitán!,” wrote longtime UFW supporter Roberto Bustos.

“Dr Aguilar was a tremendous person and made a huge impact on a lot of people,” wrote Héctor Cartagena.

“He was an amazing person and a wonderful mentor to me. Would take the time to meet with me over coffee quite regularly,” wrote Ernie S. Flores.

“He always had an idea to lift up the Hispanic community and for the community to engage,” wrote Tina Macías-Pardo, who meet Aguilar 30 years ago when she first moved to Visalia.

“What an honor to have known Dr. Aguilar. A man who fulfilled a dream and left many impacted by his genuine caring soul,” said Marlene Moreno.

“Legends never die,” wrote Javier León.

“Dr. Aguilar could make your day in a second! Words of wisdom, words of encouragement, stories that I never could get enough of and could hardly wait to hear, his inspirational, motivational, trailblazing conquering days …in his profession, in community engagement, in politics, always echándole ganas, so positive,” wrote Suzanna Aguilera-Marreno.

Michael Cortés described Aguilar as “Mentor, role model, educator, paratrooper, CSU Fresno football player, first state director migrant education, high school’s football coach and umpire, and more!”

More than five decades in education

Aguilar obtained his master’s degree in administration/instruction from San José State in 1972.

Aguilar moved to Visalia in 1973 with his wife Gloria and their two sons, Tony and Robert Jr. “Bobby”, and they remained in the same home together for 51 years.

Aguilar received his doctorate in administration/curriculum in 1976 from the University of the Pacific.

Aguilar served as teacher, counselor, principal, director of migrant education and superintendent for school districts throughout California during his more than five decades in education.

He co-founded the Association of Mexican American Educators in 1965 and the California Association of Latino School Administrators in 1977.

In 2007, Aguilar was appointed as superintendent of the Delano Union School District, where he was a student in the 1950s, then a teacher in the 1960s.

Under his leadership, the school district opened a new education complex, expanded learning programs and received state recognition for academic achievement.

In the 2015 video Aguilar said school was a good experience for him.

“You know, kids come from different ways, different colors, different attitudes, different things. Their parents are also different. You have to establish a relationship with that student, and you do what you can,” Aguilar said. “You have to have a relation with the parent, because they’re the ones that are going to have the kid come to school every day.”

For Aguilar being selected Top Dog at Fresno State in 2015 was “the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”

As a kid who grew up in the barrio and in the fields, Aguilar said he would never have believed that he would reach that kind of recognition, giving credit to his family, his wife, his kids and his mom, who wanted him to go to school.

Aguilar was also recognized as administrator of the year by the Association of California School Administrators Region 14 and was selected among the 100 Outstanding School Executives in North America by Executive Education 100.

The Association of School Administrators named Aguilar as superintendent emeritus in honor of his 35 years as a superintendent.

He was also a Kremen School of Education and Human Development Community Council member and was the driving force behind an initiative to create a teacher pipeline between Fresno State and the South Valley.

He was preceded in death by his mother Margarita Márquez Aguilar, four of his siblings, his wife Gloria and his granddaughter Candice Aguilar.

He is survived by his youngest sister Somona; sons Tony and his wife Tina, and Bobby and his wife Melinda; grandchildren Tara, Carly (Blake), Cursti, Trenton (Julia), Brandon (Alejandra), Ariel (Frankie), and Alyssa (Jesse), and great-grandchildren, Asher, Amelia, Casey, Emet, Cooper, and soon to be baby Singer.