Dr. Linda G. Mora grew up in a bilingual household in Raymondville, Texas, a town down the road from Kingsville.
Neither of her parents, Conrado and Elvira Garcia graduated from high school; therefore, educating their children was very important. Her father had preached college and career readiness long before it became a catchphrase. There was one thing all four of their children knew for sure and that was that they were all going to college.
Mora’s three children, twin daughters Patricia and Diana, and son, Sal, are college graduates and the tradition stuck with the following generation. She has two college graduate granddaughters, two more grandchildren currently in college, one senior in high school and the youngest is a sixth grader.
Today Dr. Linda G. Mora, an alumna of Texas A&M University-Kingsville, is the namesake for the Dr. Linda G. Mora Elementary School because of her integral 48 years of service in public education.
“She is very exciting, very welcoming. It’s a well-deserved honor. I wasn’t suprised when they named the school after her. Everyone saw it coming,” said Jill Holmes, principal of Mora Elementary School.
Mora claims Raymondville is a small and quiet town with not much to do. After school her Aunt Tila, who was a good cook and seamstress, took her under her wing after school, this may have been the motivation that guided Mora to become a Home Economics teacher. She graduated from Raymondville High School in May of ’64 and quickly decided on attending Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M University-Kingsville). Family played a vital role in her decision to go to Kingsville, a town only about an hour away.
“Back then and being the first of my family to leave home to go to school, my family did not want us to go too far away. However, my chosen major was Home Economics Education and Texas A&I was known for its excellent program,” Mora said.
She received her Bachelor of Science degree from A&I in May 1968 after only three and a half years. But still she wanted more education, so she continued onwards until she earned her doctorate from the University of Texas in December 2005.
Mora has a distinguished career of 48 years in public education while serving as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and Curriculum Supervisor for students in Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco ISD, Corpus Christi ISD, United ISD and Zapata County ISD. In 2002, she went to Northside ISD as Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and remained there until her retirement in 2016.
During her time in public education Mora saw many changes in public education, advancements in technology, increases in opportunities and alterations in curriculum. She also created the Office of School Improvement to provide direct support for target schools and led the development of Curriculum Diagnostic Benchmarks that help prepare students for state assessments, help determine how well students are doing in particular areas and schools and what areas teachers need to focus on. Mora was also instrumental in adding Academic Deans at all middle school campuses.
Mora continues to be a driving force in public education as she frequently visits Mora Elementary School and offers help or guidance whenever needed.
Mora Elementary School offers a wide variety of classes and opportunities to ensure that everyone has a voice. The school offers traditional core classes, electives and physical activity outlets, but they also offer a dual language program that pays tribute to the namesake’s bilingualism.
The program has received monumental praise for the Northside district and on social media the hashtag #MoraLegacy can be seen on many grateful posts and likes. “Lucky kids, families and teachers to have such wise women at the helm,” wrote Carol Harle, Vice President of the Board of Trustees at Northside on the school’s social media page.
The students, the Mora Bearcats, are instilled with courage, intelligence and strength to persevere and reach for their goals every day.
“My parents legacy has paid off and continues,” Mora said.