Maria Antonieta Medina Seidner

It is with great sadness to announce the passing of Maria Medina Seidner on December 16, 2021, in her home at Austin Texas. She leaves behind her husband of 42 years, Stan Seidner, children Ariel Seidner, Jackie Cox and her husband David, Carl Swanson and his wife Lisa. Additionally, five grandchildren, Charlie, Calvin and Wendy Cox, Gabriel and Sophie Swanson. Maria’s sister, Elinor Medina Callarotti and her husband Roberto reside in Puerto Rico, and other loved family members. Numerous nieces, nephews and friends she embraced as family are also mourning their loss.

Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Maria was the beloved older daughter of Army Lt. Colonel Antonio Medina Hernandez and teacher Maria Clemencia Llavona. Imagine some bold, beautiful, brilliant, charismatic, and loving woman that had entered your life. If you can do so, this was our memorable Maria and where her story began. It launched a journey that took her from Puerto Rico to an army posting in Germany where she acquired another language culture from school and the community. From there, it was on to Bellinzona, the capital of the of Ticino canton in Switzerland, and challenges learning in another unknown language. In her own words:

When her father received orders to repost at Fort Hood, Maria went with her family and attended Killeen High School. Upon graduation, she attended the University of Texas (UT) in Austin and majored in Romance languages with a major in French. In 1958, she was selected to represent Texas as a guide interpreter at the World’s Fair in Brussels Belgium. Upon her return, a multilingual Maria worked as a graduate assistant with teaching responsibilities of French and Spanish at UT. When she was hired as a French consultant at the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in the late 1960’s, she told of the going joke at work (with a Texan accent): “It’s a sad state of affairs when TEA hires a Puerto Rican to be a French consultant.” During this time, she became one of the pioneers of bilingual education by helping in setting the national groundwork in schools so that no limited English child would be left behind.

She then relocated to Illinois where she served as Chair of the State Advisory Council on Bilingual Education and directed the regional Bilingual Education Service Center. From 1980-1993, Maria then worked as the Illinois State Director of Bilingual Education. President Carter appointed Maria to chair the National Presidential Advisory Council on Bilingual Education. The appointment was renewed under President Reagan. Aspira in New York elected her to chair its board. Those who worked with her, recognized Maria’s charisma and abilities to bring sides together and softly reconcile conflicts.

Much more could be said about the achievements of this national pioneer of bilingual education who also had been elected president of the International Association for Bilingual Bicultural Education (IABBE). While in Illinois, Maria worked on the passage of the Bilingual Education Act also known as Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Amendments of 1967. She also played a part in the landmark Lau v. Nichols Supreme Court Case of 1974. Leaving Illinois in 1993, Maria returned to Texas. There, she was appointed State Director of Bilingual Education while raising her family with her husband, Stan in Austin.

In Texas, she became President of the Pan American Round Table, and Chair of the Cedars Academy Board. Maria remained active on both boards through her last years. She received recognition from these and many other groups. The governments of Spain, Italy, the United States and Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bestowed national honors upon her. Shortly before the illness that took her, IABBE honored Maria for her lifetime of achievements. Her cremated remnants will be comingled with those of her beloved husband upon his demise and then transported for interment in the Medina family plot at Fort Buchanan, San Juan, Puerto Rico. “Such an incredible, charismatic, intelligent, fun, beautiful woman inside and out,” voiced one person for many, “that was Maria.” May her beautifully contagious spirit and memory always be blessings to her family, friends and the many lives she touched during her time with us.