From a young age, Felix Fraga became a pioneer for the Hispanic community.The former Houston City Councilman and community activist died this summer at 94 years old due to complications from Alzheimer’s. Still, his kindness and dedication to helping others live on in the hearts of Houstonians.
Pioneer for His Family
Felix Fraga was born in Houston’s East End on October 30, 1929. He was the third son of six boys known as the "Fraga Six," and his parents also raised a daughter.
As a kid, Fraga sold newspapers on Sundays in front of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and played sports. His family often counted on help from Rusk Settlement House, which provided food, educational classes, and other assistance for low-income families. Things were so tight that Fraga thought about dropping out of high school, so he could work full-time and help his parents.
Instead, he ended up staying in school and getting a job as a youth social worker at Ripley House, a community center in the East End. His mentors there helped him find scholarship options for college, which paved the way for him to become the first person in his family to graduate from high school and college. At the University of Houston, he was the first Mexican-American player on the baseball team.
Pioneer for His Community
Fraga left Houston to earn his master’s degree in social work from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. But afterwards, he moved back to the East End to give back to his community. At Rusk Settlement House, Fraga helped his family and other community members become U.S. citizens through classes offered in Spanish.
In a full-circle moment, Fraga became the director of Ripley House, now known as BakeryRipley, in 1970. As director for the next two decades, he established citizenship classes, mentorship for kids, childcare, and other educational programs. In addition to his work at BakerRipley, Fraga also served on the Houston ISD school board in the 1990s, advocating for Hispanic students. In 1994, he was elected to Houston City Council to represent his East End neighborhood and the northside of Houston.
Even as his health began to decline, his son Bolivar Fraga said that his father still spoke about his work in the community and continued to repeat the words “help and helping” over and over again. Before he died, he was able to celebrate a new mural unveiled at BakerRipley, honoring his legacy and family.
I’m honoring Houstonians who have made a lasting impact on the city’s Hispanic community in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Let me know if you have ideas on who I should feature next.
