Rice alumnus to assume a top job in Bush White House

Rice alumnus to assume
a top job in Bush White House
…………………………………………………………………

When George W.
Bush takes office as the 43rd president Jan. 20, he will
have a Rice graduate among his closest advisers.

Alberto Gonzales
’79 was named by Bush as White House counsel-designate.
Gonzales has served as a Texas Supreme Court justice since
January 1999, a position to which he also was appointed
by Bush. Prior to that, he served as Texas’ 100th secretary
of state from December 1997 to January 1999 and as general
counsel to Gov. Bush.

Born in San
Antonio, Gonzales was raised in Houston, where he attended
public schools. At Rice, he was a member of Lovett College.
He went on to graduate from the Harvard Law School. Gonzales
served in the United States Air Force between 1973 and ’75
and attended the U.S. Air Force Academy between 1975 and
’77.

Among his numerous
honors, Gonzales received a Presidential Citation from the
State Bar of Texas in 1997 for his dedication to addressing
the legal needs of the indigent. He was selected as one
of five Outstanding Young Texans by the Texas Jaycees in
’94 and as the Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas in
’92. In 1993, he was honored by the United Way with
a Commitment to Leadership Award. Most recently, Gonzales
was recognized as the 1999 Latino Lawyer of the Year by
the Hispanic National Bar Association, and he was selected
as one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in 1999 by
Hispanic Business.

Gonzales is
involved in many professional and civic activities, including
having served as a member of Rice’s Committee on Undergraduate
Admissions.