Michael Olivas

Professor Michael A. Olivas passed to be with our Lord on April 22, 2022. Michael is survived by the love of his life, Dr. Augustina Reyes, to whom he was married for 38 years. His mother Clara A. Olivas, his great aunt Rose Harris, and eight of his nine siblings survive him: Phillip Olivas, Richard Olivas and his wife Marian, Sean Olivas, Kathleen Olivas Bouloy and her husband Greg, Lisa Olivas Etherington and her husband Tim, Tim Arehart, Rose Hammer, and Alex Olivas. He leaves behind many cousins, nieces and nephews whom he loved very much.

His first mother, Christine Childers Olivas, whom he lost when he was 16, his father, Sabino Olivas III who passed in 1997, and his sister, Mary Margaret Anderson, predecease him.

Michael led an extraordinary life; he was an impactful scholar, a beloved teacher and mentor, an “accidental” historian, a radio personality, a counselor to political leaders and deans, and a beloved friend. Most of all, he was a devoted and loving husband.

Michael attended the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Santa Fe and graduated from St. Pius in Albuquerque. He often credited much of his academic preparation and his lifelong passion for Rock and Roll music to the time he spent at IMH. He graduated magna cum laude from Pontifical College Josephinum.  He received his Masters and Ph.D. at Ohio State, and published his first book on John Updike.

He went to Georgetown University Law Center and found a passion for the law. He became a law professor at the University of Houston where he taught for 38 years. He mentored many students and challenged them to be excellent. He was always an inspiration and role model, especially for students of color. He founded the Institute of Higher Education Law and Governance and served as President of the UH Downtown Campus. He founded the Latino Law Professor Association and served as a mentor to law professors all over the country. Professor Olivas single handedly mentored and recruited dozens of Latinos into the academy. He was a frequent contributor to several scholarly and immigration listservs, his Twitter account and Rock and Roll Posse.

His scholarship was so profound that a book, Law Professor and Accidental Historian, The Scholarship of Michael A. Olivas collected articles by professors around the country who wrote about the brilliance and prescience of his work in immigration, education and diversity. He wrote16 books including: No Undocumented Child Left Behind: Plyler v. Doe and the Education of Undocumented School Children; Perchance to DREAM: A Political and Legal History of the DREAM Act; Suing Alma Mater: Higher Education and the Court; and, The Law and Higher Education: Cases and Material on Colleges in Court.

He served as president of the Association of American Law Schools, elected as a member of American Law Institute and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.  He was a member of the American Educational Research Association and the National Academy of Education. He was a long time Board member of the Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund.

Tina and Michael lived a rich life, filled with the best of live concerts, art, theater, movies and museums. They cultivated deep relationships with artists. With all Michael’s travels and success, his heart was always in New Mexico. He and Tina kept their residence in New Mexico for many years before moving to Santa Fe full-time. After retiring from the University of Houston, he launched another career as the Rock and Roll Law Professor, broadcast by KANW in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he educated and inspired thousands with the depth of his knowledge of music, the law, and his wit.

Services are on Saturday, April 30 at the Santa Fe St. Francis Cathedral with a rosary at 11:00, the Eulogy at 11:30 and the mass celebrated at noon. In lieu of flowers, Dr. Reyes requests donations be made to MALDEF, 634 S. Spring St. 11th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90014 or to student scholarship funds he established at the University Houston Law Center. Rivera Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.