In Memoriam:

Ruth Galindo, B.A., Spanish, 1932; Teaching Credential, 1933

Ruth Galindo, who worked 34 years as a teacher at Mt. Diablo High School, passed away on Christmas Day, 1999 at the age of 89. Ms. Galindo also served as chair of the Foreign Language Department at Mt. Diablo High. She was the last direct descendant of Don Salvio Pacheco, one of the founders of Concord, California, and she could trace her ancestry back to a member of Captain Juan Bautista de Anza's first Spanish expeditions to California in the 1700s.

"She was one of our favorite teachers," said Pat Keeble, a former student. "She was an interesting person who knew how to use Concord, the place where she lived, to teach Spanish and history and why it was important to be aware of it."

She lived all her life in her ancestral home, the oldest wood-frame structure in Concord, now on the National Register of Historic Places, and slated to become a museum. The house was built by Ruth Galindo's great-grandfather, Francisco Galindo, in 1856, and was originally the homestead of a large farm, but is now located in downtown Concord.

"She taught us Spanish at Mt. Diablo High, but she taught us much more than a language," Keeble said.