Eugenio Garza Sada
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| Eugenio Garza Sada | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 11, 1892 Mexico |
| Died | September 17, 1973 (aged 81) |
| Occupation | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Known for | Founder, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education |
Eugenio Garza Sada (January 11, 1892 – September 17, 1973) was a Mexican businessman and philanthropist who founded the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in 1943.
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[edit] Early life
Garza Sada was born to Isaac Garza and Consuelo Sada. His father Isaac, together with his uncle and other entrepreneurs, founded the Cuauhtemoc Brewery, now Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery, in 1891.
In 1913, the Garza Sada family left Mexico for security reasons, as they had backed the reactonary interests of Victoriano Huerta during the Mexican Revolution. They settled in the United States. During those years they faced financial difficulties, as the Cuauhtemoc Brewery, their major source of income, was unprofitable during the Revolución. Garza Sada worked as an usher for a movie theater and as a salesman in a clothing store. He enrolled in Western Military Academy, a military school in Alton, Il., for high school. He studied civil engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating in 1917.
[edit] Professional life
In 1917, when the family was able to return to Mexico from Boston, the brewery was given back to the Garza Sada family with the intervention of the American and the Russian government. Garza Sada began working at the brewery in Monterrey, where his father was Director-General, the equivalent of a modern CEO. His first job there was in the statistics department, and from there he was promoted to positions of greater responsibility. After his father died, Garza Sada was named the company's Director-General, alternating the job with his brother Roberto.
During their management, they started a large number of businesses to support beer production, such as a glass company to make the beer bottles, which later became Vitro. They also opened Grafo Regia, a business which produced labels for the bottles and boxes for the finished product. He and his brother also founded Hojalata y Lamina de Monterrey, known today by its acronym, HYLSA.
[edit] Philanthropic activities
In 1943, along with a number of other prominent businessmen, Garza Sada founded the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education on September 6, 1943, with the hope of creating an educative institution with strong principles and high academic standards. His belief was that an "institute of technology" was a better model than a university because an institute of technology would create a more capable and business-oriented workforce for his industries as well as for other local industries. [1]
[edit] Kidnapping attempt and death
During the 1970s the Mexican political situation was difficult, with several groups looking to destabilize the government, including communist guerillas who sought funding for their activities. One of those guerillas groups, Liga Comunista 23 de Septiembre, planned to kidnap Garza Sada for ransom. On the morning of September 17, 1973, a small group of 23 de Septiembre guerillas ambushed Garza Sada's car at a red light in downtown Monterrey. The kidnapping attempt turned into a gunfight when Garza Sada's bodyguard intervened, and Garza Sada was killed by multiple gunshot wounds received while reaching for his own gun. Garza Sada's funeral was attended by more than 200,000 people.
In 2006, a Mexican Secret Police document filed in the Mexican National Archives uncovered that the Mexican government was aware of the kidnapping conspiracy a year before it actually happened, yet did not prevent it for political reasons.
[edit] Eugenio Garza Sada Award
The Eugenio Garza Sada Award was created in the memory of Garza Sada to preserve his values and ideas. This award is financed by FEMSA, the holding company of the Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery, and by the Monterrey Institute of Technology. [2]
[edit] Legacy
Garza Sada helped transform Monterrey into an industrial city. He and his brother founded several companies in Monterrey: Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery, Hylsa, Titan, Grafo Regia, and others. Garza Sada's companies extended social benefits to their employees, such as medical, educational and financial aid, at a time when such benefits were not required by law. A major avenue that passes by the Monterrey Institute of Technology bears his name.
[edit] References
- ^ "Crónica Intercampus". Itesm.mx. http://www.itesm.mx/cronicaintercampus/no_19/perfiles.html. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
- ^ "Crónica Intercampus". Itesm.mx. http://www.itesm.mx/cronicaintercampus/no_34/institucional.html. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
[edit] External links
- Crónica Intercampus essay on Eugenio Garza Sada
- Eugenio Garza Sada article at El Salón del Empresario.
- Eugenio Garza Sada's Ideary
- Eugenio Garza Sada biography at Mexican Professional Baseball's Hall of Fame
- Vega, Guadalupe, 'Don Eugenio Garza Sada: Trascendencia de un líder visionario, Panorama Magazine, ITESM, Monterrey, Mexico, 13 de enero de 2005.
- Crónica Intercampus del Sistema Tecnológico de Monterrey, Premio Eugenio Garza Sada reconoce mérito de personas e instituciones.
- Profile of Eugenio Garza Sada
