Jose H. Rojo

Joe was born on Jan. 5, 1926, in Port Arthur, TX to Emilio Rojo Sr. and Carmen Milan Rojo. He was the third of seven children and modeled the quality of scholarship, character and leadership which distinguished the entire Rojo family in their community. When the youngest of the seven Rojos followed his older siblings by graduating from high school, The Port Arthur News ran an article entitled, “The Remarkable Rojos”.

Joe attended Franklin Elementary, Woodrow Wilson JH and graduated from Thomas Jefferson HS in Port Arthur in 1944. In high school, Joe was very popular. He was known as a nimble dance partner, who also lettered in basketball and sang in the choir. His leadership skills led to his election as both TJHS Student Body President, and President of Boys State.

Like many in his generation, he served his county during WWII, joining the US Navy and serving in the Pacific aboard the USS Kula Gulf.

After the war, he returned to attend Lamar College in Beaumont. He sang in the a cappella choir and was elected President of the Student Body. Joe continued his education at the University of Texas at Austin, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1952 and then pursuing a legal career at the UT School of Law. He eventually transferred to South Texas College of Law in Houston. In 1956, while still attending law school, he passed the Texas Bar Exam, earning his license to practice law without graduating from law school (a fact he was proud of and an option which is no longer available to law students).

His participation in the Houston theater scene as a patron and performer resulted in him meeting, and in December of 1956, marrying the love of his life, Sidney Gail Burch, a local actress/dancer/singer, and on Christmas Eve of 1959 they adopted triplets, Ramon, Roberto and Raquel. Joe’s love of singing and performing was evident on stage and off, earning him a reputation in the courts as “the singing lawyer”.

Compassion for the poor and disenfranchised characterized Joe’s practice of law. Being of Hispanic heritage and fluent in both English and Spanish, he dedicated himself to representing people regardless of their ability to pay.

In 1972, he was a co-founder of the Mexican-American Bar Association of Houston (MABAH), which in 2010 honored him with a reception and an award at the Rice Hotel, citing "his dedication, commitment, and lifetime contributions to MABAH and his zealous advocacy on behalf of the Latino community."

In the 1980s, Joe and fellow attorney David L. Garza partnered with longtime mentor, John J. Herrera, a noted civil rights attorney whose argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954 cleared the way for Mexican-Americans to serve on juries throughout Texas.

Throughout his career, Joe worked to provide legal representation for the indigent, as well as improve their overall quality of life. He worked as Deputy Director of the Houston Legal Foundation, helped establish Casa de Amigos as a source of low-cost healthcare, and hosted a public affairs TV program called "Reflejos del Barrio" (Reflections of the Neighborhood).

Love for music, theater, opera and cinema characterized Joe’s life, and even recently could often be found at the Rice Media Center or Opera in the Heights.

Jose was proud of his Hispanic heritage and travelled to both Mexico and Spain several times. He always spoke of his love for Spain, the birthplace of his mother’s family. He had planned to be on vacation in Spain with his family at the time of his passing.

Joe absolutely loved his family and was proud of each and every one of them. He never missed an opportunity to be at a family gathering and often was the life of the party.

He is preceded in death by his parents, brothers Gabino Rojo, and Emilio Rojo Jr., and sister-in-law Pauline Rojo.

Joe is survived by his former wife and friend Sidney Rojo, and their children Ramon Rojo, Raquel (Mitchell) Clendening, of Houston, Roberto (Janet) Rojo of Richardson; by brother Carlos (Eddie Jean) Rojo of Houston, and sisters Carmen (Manuel) Trevino, Gracia (Jesse) Gonzales and Alicia (Joseph) Capello of Port Arthur, and sister-in-law Ida Rojo of San Antonio. Joe leaves behind 6 grandchildren: Erin Riley of Rhode Island, Megan (Adam) Figueroa of Mesquite, Andrew (Sarah) Rojo of Wylie, Lauren Rojo of Richardson, Matthew Clendening and Claire Clendening of Houston. Joe had 5 great-grandchildren: Adam Figueroa, Emma Figueroa, Jacob Rojo, Katy Rojo and Gavin Wesner.

There will be a public memorial Jan. 4th at Brookside Funeral Home - Cypress Creek on Hwy. 6 N in Houston, beginning at 5 pm. A funeral mass will be held the following day at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church at 11:30 am. Jose Rojo will be interred at Houston National Cemetery at 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations benefitting pancreatic cancer research be made in his memory: The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, PO Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486.