NALAC laments the passing of Manuel Diosdado Castillo Jr., a member of the NALAC board of directors from San Antonio, who lost his battle with cancer on January 6 at age 40.  Manny was our youngest board member, elected to the board in 2004. A graduate of the first NALAC Leadership Institute in 2001, Manny was a major force in the community cultural arts movement in San Antonio and across the country.  He will be missed by many.

As a leader, Manny was kind, caring and always available with advice,support and an open door.   His boundless spirit and energy, sense of humor and willingness to collaborate with others enabled Manny to accomplish great things.  He was extremely respectful, and we never heard him say an unkind word about anyone.  Manny's love of art, community, music and culture was expressed through his work, both as an Executive Director and a professional drummer.  Manny was equally comfortable making a presentation to a foundation, hosting a community barbecue fundraiser, or jamming on drums with a local Conjunto legend.

Through his non-profit organization, San Anto Cultural Arts, Manny created programs that provided opportunities to youth from San Antonio's Westside for creative expression as muralists, journalists, photographers and filmmakers.  Through San Anto's programs, local youth would gain valuable experience, transitioning into mentors for younger students,and then emerging as young adults able to pursue a college education or a career in the arts.

In a single decade, San Anto artists painted more than three dozen murals on the Westside dealing with such issues as mental health, domestic violence, tributes to community leaders, and local Vietnam War veterans.

There is also a special mural where the names of recently deceased community members are memorialized each year as part of San Anto's annual Dia de los Muertos procession.  Through his artist-in-residence programs, Manny brought in talented artists from Georgia, California, New York, Philadelphia and Kansas City to work with local youth.

Through San Anto's youth newspaper, El Placazo, Manny created a vehicle for local children to become engaged in their communities and connected with their culture.  Its pages feature articles, interviews, youth poetry, inmate art, and photo essays on issues impacting the community.  In El Placazo could be found stories on diabetes, nutrition, teen pregnancy, environmental pollution, other health issues, and profiles of community figures.  Like San Anto's other programs, El Placazo chronicled the contributions of people doing important work who may not be recognized by the mainstream media.  The San Anto Multimedia Institute and new online version of El Placazo provide a larger forum for the talented youth who call San Anto home.

Manny was an important member of the NALAC Board and was a tireless advocate at the local and national level on issues impacting the Latino arts field. His understanding of the role of art as an integral part of community life, as a healing force, and as a bridge connecting generations serves as an inspiration to us all. We honor his time on the NALAC board.

We will miss Manny dearly and are grateful for the time we spent with him. Our deepest sympathies go to his family and friends.

For those who wish to send cards or expressions of sympathy, please direct them to: