Dr. Ernest Garcia: Classroom teacher, administrator, college professor, education frontrunner, veteran, and ardent supporter of the arts. Photo Credit: San Bernardino Valley College
Many excellent teachers are fondly remembered for their significant contributions to their community. One of these was Dr. Ernest Garcia, a classroom teacher, administrator, college professor, educational frontrunner, veteran, and ardent supporter of the arts. During the course of a his lifetime, this remarkable man went from barrio to classroom to school board.
Ernest was the youngest of four children born to immigrants from Sinaloa, Mexico. During the 1930s, he was raised in a barrio in the San Bernardino County community of Colton. After his graduation from Colton High School, Ernest earned his Associate’s degree in Spanish from San Bernardino Valley College. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from the University of California, Riverside, in 1955. He earned his Master’s degree in School Administration and Curriculum from the University of Redlands, and completed his PhD in Instructional Technology from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1966.
During the Korean Conflict in the 1950s, Ernest joined the Air National Guard and served two years as a supply sergeant in Japan. When he returned, he married his long-time sweetheart Dorothy Morrison, whose he called “Dottie,” and the couple began their teaching careers together in the desert city of Barstow. Over the course of his lengthy career, Ernest also taught in Redlands and Rialto schools.
Once he earned his PhD, Ernest became a professor of education at the University of Redlands. The next year, he accepted a position at the Education Department at Cal State San Bernardino. While teaching there, he became a member of the Rialto Unified School Board, where he served from 1970-1979. During his tenure on the Board, he was instrumental in introducing programs for foreign language and gifted and talented education. “Still today,” says Syeda Jafri, Rialto Unified spokesperson, “his influence reaches far and wide in the Inland Empire.” In 1979, Ernest was named the Dean of the CSUSB School of Education. He retired in 1990.
In addition to his work in the field of education, Ernest was also a supporter of the arts. He performed with the Inland Master Chorale, the Canto Bello Chorale, and the University Symphonic Choir, and he acted in plays with the Rialto Community Players and University Theater. Also, he was a member of the Latino and San Bernardino Art Associations and his work appeared in their exhibitions. He served on the San Bernardino Symphony and National Orange Show boards. He was a curator of the National Orange Show Permanent Art Collection. In 2015, he established the Garcia Center for the Arts in San Bernardino, and served as its Executive Director until he retired from that position in 2020. The organization still provides a cultural center for the San Bernardino area.
Sadly, this Chalkboard Champion passed away on April 5, 2023. He was 93 years old. Before his passing, he was inducted into the San Bernardino Valley College Hall of Fame in 1977, and the Rialto School District named Dr. Ernest Garcia Elementary School in his honor.
