Memorial Set For WSU Poet

Richardo Sanchez, the Washington State University poet and professor who died Sunday, will be honored in a cross-campus march and memorial service tonight.

Often described as the grandfather of Chicano poetry, Sanchez, 54, taught at WSU for five years before returning to his native El Paso, Texas, last May.

“Everybody was waiting. Everybody knew it would happen,” said Claudia Nieto, a WSU sophomore from El Paso who is helping plan tonight’s services.

Marchers will gather at 7 at the Chicano/Latino Student Center in Room 101 of Wilson Hall before heading down Stadium Way to the St. Thomas More Catholic Student Chapel at 820 NE B St. Ceremonies will include a rosary and readings of scripture and Sanchez’s poetry and personal remembrances.

Plans for a more formal university service are pending, as are plans for a local event honoring Sanchez and the WSU Press’ publication of “Canto y Grito Mi Liberacion: The Liberation of a Chicano Mind Soul.”

The book, published in 1971 a year after his release from prison, established Sanchez as a major voice in the movement to gain recognition for Americans of Mexican descent. , DataTimes