HispanicVista Columnists

Laura Alvarez Morphy – Una Gran Dama (1914-2006)

By Sal Osio

From the Publisher's Corner

In Memoriam

Laura Alvarez Morphy – Una Gran Dama (1914-2006)

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1914, made Laura a child of the Mexican Revolution, a defining event in her psyche which remained for the rest of he life. Her grandfather, Albert Morphy, had been England’s charge d’affaire to Mexico and, after his retirement, settled in Orizaba, at that time the textile capital of the country. His son, Alberto, continued the textile operation initiated by his father and distinguished himself in the process. Elena Morphy de Alvarez, Alberto’s sister, married Jose Alvarez Icaza, whose family, originally from Spain, earned the distinction of heroism and patriotism in Mexico’s fight for independence from Spain in the 1800’s.

Elena, Laura’s mother, became the family matriarch. In addition to her financial success, she became the confidant to every 1^st Lady and President of Mexico, from Lazaro Cardenas in the 1930’s to Adolfo Lopez Mateos who took office in 1958. In Mexico she was revered and admired for her sage counsel and generosity. Her legacy lives in the work of her grandchildren, distinguished businessmen, academics, professionals and financiers.

And so it is that Laura followed the trajectory of her parentage. She studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and became fluent in French, English in addition to her native Spanish, with a degree in international relations. She joined the Mexican Consular Corps, albeit a divorced woman at the time, and served as Mexico’s Consul in Los Angles for ten years (1955-65). In recognition of her service to the Mexican community and contribution to the goodwill between the United States and Mexico, the City and County of Los Angeles awarded her with numerous honors, including a City Council Proclamation dedicating the Laura Alvarez-Morphy Day, all of which she treasured.

Her greatest virtues were her compassion and charity. She was a giver and always the defender of the less privileged. She was particularly protective of the Mexican guest workers who, at that time, were known as braceros. These workers were housed in cramped field dormitories almost always lacking basic sanitary and health facilities. They were exploited by unscrupulous contractors and agricultural bosses. They were the victims of racial discrimination, more so than the Mexican-American community, and were abused by law enforcement agencies.

To her credit, she inspired a network of sympathetic pro bono attorneys who defended the human rights of the braceros and other Mexican nationals. They obtained numerous punitive awards as a result of personal injury abuses, false imprisonment and violation of human rights. She was a familiar face in city, county, state and federal prisons visiting prisoners and securing their rights.  During her tenure as Consul, Laura became a cause celebre, and was highly respected by members of the Consular Corps throughout the United States as well as government officials and political leaders in California.

In Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs she became a symbol for women’s rights. During her early career, until her retirement in 1985, Laura set the example, through her conduct and diplomacy, as being equal to men in her profession. And she was rewarded by Mexico by elevating her to the Diplomatic Corps, stationed in embassies in Nicaragua, Venezuela and Colombia in senior positions, including de facto Ambassador. In this context one must appreciate that at the time Mexico was slow in recognizing women’s rights.

Our mother, Laura Alvarez Morphy was the inspiration that motivated my brother, Patrick, Jr. and I to join with other distinguished Mexican American leaders and concerned citizens, to launch this online publication which has become, arguably, the most read and best received in its treatment of Hispanic America and U.S.-Mexico issues.

My sisters, Lupe and Adriana, join Pat and I in extending a tribute to one of the Gran Damas of our generation, our mother, Laura Alvarez Morphy.

Sal Osio is the Publisher of HispanicVista (www.hispanicvista.com)    Contact at: sposio@aol.com