Richard A. Castro
El Paso businessman, philanthropist, civic leader and Texas State Distinguished Alumnus Richard A. Castro offered extraordinary contributions and service to Texas State and his community. Richard A. Castro’s makes a positive social impact and has gained ample recognition garnered over decades. His overall impact to Texas State, El Paso and the Hispanic community is unparalleled.
Richard A. Castro. A child of immigrants who settled in Del Rio, Richard A. Castro received his Bachelor of Science degree in education from Texas State in 1970 before becoming a teacher in the Eagle Pass Independent School District. Castro maintained strong ties with his alma mater over the years, becoming a member of the men’s basketball Tip In Club, the Bobcat Club benefiting athletic scholarships, Texas State’s Founders Society for distinguished athletics philanthropy, in addition to service on the Texas State Development Foundation Board. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1997, and for his volunteerism on the Council of the College of Liberal Arts, he was given in 2013 the College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. In 2013, he also established the Richard A. Castro Endowed Scholarship benefiting dozens of students annually in the College of Liberal Arts and Athletics. In 2017, he pledged an additional generous gift in matching funds for student-athletes. In 2020, Richard Castro donated a leadership gift of $100,000 to the university’s Bobcats to Bobcats scholarship fund to help students financially impacted by the coronavirus to complete their education. Castro is a Texas State University Hero, a title given to individuals and organizations that give $1 million or more to the university. In recognition of his gifts, the Richard A. Castro Legacy Club in the University Events Center and the Richard A. Castro Undergraduate Admissions Center were named in his honor.
Castro’s contributions beyond Texas State set an extraordinary standard for trusteeship, philanthropy, leadership, and service. In 1983, Castro became a McDonald’s franchisee, and was soon the company’s largest Hispanic owner/operator with 27 restaurants in Texas and more than 1,000 employees. In 2020, McDonald’s named Castro recipient of the Fred L. Turner Golden Arch Award for his lifetime dedication to community involvement, customer service, and business achievement. Besides pioneering the breakfast burrito which McDonalds rolled out nationwide, Castro was former president of the McDonald’s Hispanic Owner/Operator Association (MHOA); in 1985, Castro and MHOA Initiated the creation of HACER, the Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources Scholarship Program, one of the largest college scholarship programs for Hispanic students in the nation, awarding more than $28 million since its inception. Castro also helped found, and currently serves as chairperson, of CREED, the Council for Regional Economic Expansion and Educational Development, an El Paso educational advocacy organization committed to helping El Paso County high school students increase post-secondary attainment and close gaps in student achievement.
In 2019, Richard A. Castro initiated a partnership with El Paso Community College (EPCC), the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and McDonald’s El Paso to provide scholarships for El Paso students wishing to attend EPCC or UTEP; by 2020, the McDonald’s El Paso Scholarships program was awarding $100,000 annually to local graduating high school seniors. Castro has further served UTEP with volunteerism, most recently on its El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence Board. Castro also helped found Community en Acción (CEA), a network of Hispanic community leaders which, in 2018, honored its co-founder with the establishment of the Richard Castro Community Service Scholarship for his dedicated service to the El Paso community. Castro is a member of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, which provides scholarships to area high school students who face adversity. Since 2014, Richard A. Castro has also served on the Board of Trustees of Our Lady of the Lake University in a term extending to 2023.
He always made a remarkable and extensive record of support to students in higher education, education and the service to the community.
