著名社会学家和文化倡导者吉尔贝托·卡德纳斯于周日在德州奥斯汀家中去世，享年79岁[1]。他因对芝加哥运动的深入参与和对拉丁美洲艺术的倡导而受到广泛尊敬。
卡德纳斯在德州大学奥斯汀分校担任社会学教授近25年，期间创立了墨西哥美洲研究项目[1]。1999年，他前往圣母大学担任助理教务长，并在该校建立了拉丁研究所[1]。他还从1993年到2012年担任墨西哥美洲法律防卫与教育基金会董事会成员[1]。在其职业生涯中，2001年美国总统乔治·W·布什曾任命他为白宫研究员委员会成员，2008年布什还任命他参与探索建立美国潜在拉丁博物馆的委员会[1]。
在个人收藏方面，卡德纳斯与妻子多洛雷斯·卡里略·加西亚共同积累了近20000件拉丁美洲艺术作品[1]。2023年，他们向德州大学奥斯汀分校的布兰顿艺术博物馆捐赠了收藏的约一半[1]。葬礼弥撒定于周六在奥斯汀的圣伊格那提烈士天主教堂举行[1]。
Gilberto Cárdenas, a renowned sociologist and cultural advocate celebrated for his championing of Chicano activism and Latino art, died Sunday at his home in Austin, Texas, at age 79 [1]. Throughout his career, Cárdenas established himself as a leading figure in advancing Latino scholarship and artistic preservation, leaving an indelible mark on American cultural institutions.
Cárdenas spent nearly 25 years as a sociology professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where he founded the Mexican American Studies program [1]. In 1999, he relocated to the University of Notre Dame to serve as assistant provost and established the Latino Studies Institute [1]. His influence extended into the highest levels of government; President George W. Bush appointed him to the White House Fellows Commission in 2001 and to a committee exploring a potential National Latino Museum in 2008 [1]. Additionally, he served on the board of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund from 1993 to 2012 [1].
Beyond his academic and policy work, Cárdenas was instrumental in building one of the most significant private collections of Latino art in the United States. Working alongside his wife, Dolores Carrillo García, he amassed nearly 20,000 Latin American artworks [1]. In 2023, they donated approximately half of this collection to the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin [1]. A funeral mass is scheduled for Saturday at St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church in Austin [1].