Joe Gomez
Historical Summary
Joe (Jose) M. Gomez, born in Puerto Rico, came to El Paso in 1958 when his father, Pedro Gomez, an Army enlisted man, was transferred to Fort Bliss for Air Defense Missile Artillery training. After a family transfer to Bamberg, Germany, in 1961 during the period of the Berlin Wall’s construction, the family returned to El Paso in 1964, when Gomez entered Burges High School.
After graduating from Burges in 1965, Gomez enrolled at Texas Western College, later UTEP, where he worked extensively to support himself, at times holding four jobs while studying. Influenced by coach John Gooden, he majored in history and minored in physical education, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History in January 1970. Among his collegiate honors, he especially valued membership in the Phi Alpha Theta Historical Society. He later served in the U.S. Army Reserves until his discharge in 1976.
While at Texas Western, Gomez formed lasting friendships with members of the 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship team, especially Bobby Joe Hill. Recognizing the historic significance of Texas Western’s 1966 championship victory over Kentucky, he began collecting memorabilia and became deeply involved in preserving the team’s legacy. His work included assisting the costume crew for Glory Road, attending President George W. Bush’s 2006 dinner honoring the team, helping secure championship rings for its members, and contributing to four documentaries about the team.
Gomez also played an important role in public history projects in El Paso. For the El Paso Museum of History, he worked on the “Awakening El Paso’s Giants Don Haskins” exhibit, contributed to the Farah exhibit, and arranged and managed interviews for an exhibit on El Paso’s mayors. His civic and university service included work on the UTEP Civil Engineering Advisory Board, leadership of the UTEP Heritage Commission, service as volunteer executive director of the Alumni Academy for Civil Engineering, and membership on the UTEP Hall of Fame Committee.
His contributions earned numerous honors, including UTEP’s Gold Nugget award, induction into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame, the Star on the Mountain award, and recognition by the Sun Bowl Association as Most Valuable Volunteer. Through his dedication to UTEP, athletics, and local history, Gomez helped preserve and promote the historical heritage of El Paso.
Document Transcription
Joe (Jose) M. Gomez
Like many El Pasoans, Joe (Jose) M. Gomez came to El Paso via the military. Born in Puerto Rico, he first came to El Paso because his father, Pedro, an enlisted man in the Army, was transferred to Fort Bliss in 1958 to receive training on the Air Defense Missile Artillery. The family, including his mother, Norma, followed.
In 1961 the family was transferred to Bamberg, Germany about the time that the Russians were constructing the Berlin Wall. In August 1964 the family was again transferred to El Paso, and in September of that year Joe enrolled at Burges High School. He graduated in May 1965 and enrolled at Texas Western College in the fall. Throughout his college years he worked full-time at a small post-exchange (PX). After his freshman year, Joe held four jobs so that he could pay for his car, tuition, and fraternity dues. One of these jobs was delivering the El Paso Times to 180 households during the week and to 320 households on Sundays.
Coach John Gooden, one of Joe's teachers at Burges, influenced him to major in history and minor in physical education. Joe graduated from UTEP in January 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. While attending Texas Western College (UTEP) Joe received many honors, but his most cherished honor was that of being selected to be in the Phi Alpha Theta Historical Society. After graduating, Joe joined the U.S. Army Reserves; he was discharged in 1976.
During his years at Texas Western, Joe became friends with some of the members of the 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship team. He became especially close to Bobby Joe Hill; their friendship lasted almost 40 years. Being a history major and a sports fan, he realized that the 1966 victory over Kentucky for the championship was something special. He began to collect memorabilia on this historic event and still does today. As a result, he has become involved in a number of projects involving the team. He worked with the costume crew for the movie Glory Road. He also attended the dinner hosted by President Bush in 2006 for the 1966 team, and he secured championship rings for the team. He has been involved in the production of four documentaries on the team.
For the El Paso Museum of History, he worked on the "Awakening El Paso's Giants Don Haskins" exhibit. His historical interests go beyond sports and include working on the Farah exhibit and arranging and managing interviews for the exhibit on El Paso's mayors.
Joe has received numerous awards including the Gold Nugget award from UTEP; he was inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame. He also received the Star on the Mountain award and was named the Sun Bowl Association's Most Valuable Volunteer. He has served on the UTEP Civil Engineering Advisory Board and has been chairman of the UTEP Heritage Commission. He is the volunteer executive director of the Alumni Academy for Civil Engineering and serves on the UTEP Hall of Fame Committee.
His passion for El Paso and UTEP has helped preserve and promote our history.
