Ernest Robles ’60

---

 

Ernest Z. Robles, educator, war hero and principal founder of the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund, has left an indelible mark on both his community and his profession. His extraordinary achievement is the formation and development of this remarkable scholarship fund. Starting the effort out of his own home in 1975, he headed the organization for more than 20 years, awarding $30,000 the first year to a cumulative total of $31 million awarded to more than 30,000 outstanding college students. Under his direction, the scholarship fund was named the Nations Best Fun Charity by Worth magazine in 1987. His legacy continues today as the Fund has now awarded $50 million in scholarships.

Ernest Robles’ dedication to the education of this country’s youth has not been limited to one program or interest. As a 19-year-old U.S. Marine Corps rifleman in Korea, he distinguished himself in battle and was awarded a medal for bravery in action and a Purple Heart.

As an educator, he covered the full spectrum of education, serving as teacher, principal and district administrator with the Riverside Unified School District. During the turbulent 1960s, he delivered desegregation court orders in the South. He later became an Assistant Regional Administrator for Equal Educational Opportunities with the U.S. Department of Education in San Francisco.

For his incredible contribution to the Hispanic community and to the general community of California, Robles has been honored at the White House by President Ronald Reagan and George Bush and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. He has also received the Education Leadership Award from the College Board; the Hispanic Higher Education Award from the National Hispanic Corporate Council; and has been named one of the “100 Influential Hispanics in the United States” by Hispanic Magazine.