• IDRA Newsletter • March 2019 •

Mr. William Acosta, a member of the IDRA Board of Directors for 22 years, passed away this month peacefully of natural causes and surrounded by family. He led a life dedicated to cross cultural understanding around the world and to supporting others in their pursuit of higher education.

IDRA President Emerita, Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, stated: “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with Bill during his 22 years as an IDRA board member. We are grateful also to Bill’s wife Grace and his family, especially his son Kevin, for their friendship and support. Los acompañamos en sus sentimientos. Que en paz descanse Bill Acosta.”

In the late 1950s and 1960s, Mr. Acosta worked with juvenile gang groups in Los Angeles and with incarcerated youth as a psychiatric social worker. He worked with the LA Head Start program and later as a community development consultant in Panama. In the 1970s, he worked with more than 300 Peace Corps volunteers in Bogota and directed Peace Corps operations in the Dominican Republic. He also served as the regional administrator for Health and Human Services for Region VI in Dallas. He became a naval aviator in 1953. After serving active duty, he was a reservist until 1984. Five years later, he retired from public service with the federal government and went straight to Thurgood Marshall School of Law to earn a law degree.

“Bill was committed to the understanding that education is life-changing. We at IDRA were blessed to have him serve alongside us to open possibilities for so many young people,” said Mr. Juventino “Tino” Guerra, IDRA board chair.


[©2019, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the March 2019 IDRA Newsletter by the Intercultural Development Research Association. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]

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