From Peacecorpsonline.org:

Chile RPCV Ofelia Miramontes, who championed bilingual education and linguistics in Southern California and diversity at the University of Colorado, died after a four-year battle with breast cancer.  She was 60.  Mrs. Miramontes was born and raised in San Diego. She earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish from San Diego State University. After graduating, she joined the Peace Corps in 1968 and traveled to Arica, Chile, where she helped provide special education.  It was her Peace Corps work in South America where her career essentially took off, her husband said.  She received the 2000 Latino Americans Who Make a Difference Award from the Urban Spectrum, a Denver newspaper; the 2004 President's Diversity Award from the University of Colorado Office of the President; and the CU Boulder Equity and Excellence Special Recognition Award. 

From San Diego Union and Rocky Mountain News, July 2005:

Dr. Ofelia Miramontes, a 1963 graduate of San Diego High School, was born June 16, 1945, in San Diego.  She became the first member of her family to graduate from college when she earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish from San Diego State University.  She later received a master's from U.S. International University and a doctorate in education at Claremont Graduate School.

The educator in Ofelia Miramontes took shape during her childhood in Logan Heights, where she played school with her sisters and neighborhood kids. " She wanted to be a teacher from the time she was 6," said her sister Angela Snyder.  Raised in a Spanish-speaking home, Dr. Miramontes believed in bilingual education and in 1970 she became a teacher at the Nestor School in San Diego,  one of the first bilingual programs in the United States.  Mrs. Miramontes helped develop the bilingual program for San Diego City Schools, where she became a staff development instructor and director of the teacher training center for bilingual education.

Dr. Miramontes and her husband moved to Colorado in 1982.  Three years later, Dr. Miramontes joined CU and later gained tenure as an associate professor in the school of education.  She published writings that countered critics of bilingual education who thought children's retention of their mother language was restricting their development in English.  "If you have a child coming with this gift and you're going to give them another language, you're going to create someone who's going to be valuable," Barclay said, explaining his wife's theory about the advantages of retaining a child's first language. 

Dr. Miramontes' activism led in February 1998 to her appointment to the newly created post of Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Equity.  As a Latina, she brought to others an awareness of, and a sense of immediacy about, issues of cultural and linguistic diversity," Snyder said.  Concurrently, the couple housed financially- strapped and academically-struggling students in their own home over the years until their situations improved.  Her enthusiasm and commitment to the university and in our community has left a legacy that will benefit students, faculty and staff for years to come," interim Chancellor Philip DiStefano said in a statement. 

Dr. Miramontes retired from CU in 2003 as associate vice chancellor for diversity and equity so she could seek treatment for her illness.  She died at her Boulder County home.  Her husband, Bill Barclay, a sister and friends were with her.  Dr. Miramontes led the development of the campus diversity plan, Blueprint for Action, and was instrumental in creating the CU Leadership, Excellence, Achievement and Diversity Alliance (LEAD).  The alliance was designed to help retain and graduate minorities, women and students who were the first generation in their families to enroll in college. It works with students to keep them from becoming isolated on campus by offering them social and academic support.  The LEAD Alliance has been paying dividends since Dr. Miramontes started the program about six years ago, said Christine Yoshinaga-Itano, who took over Dr. Miramontes' position after she retired.  "The graduation rates of students of color on campus have increased dramatically," Yoshinaga-Itano said.

In addition to her husband, Mrs. Miramontes is survived by two sisters, Jeri Satterbloom of Chicago and Angela Snyder of San Diego. She was preceded in death by her parents, Jesus and Carmen Miramontes Parra, and a brother, Javier Parra.  The family has asked that donations be made in memory of Mrs. Miramontes to the University of Colorado Hospital Breast Cancer Fund, Office of Development, P.O. Box 6508 MS F485, Aurora, CO 80045.

From University of Colorado - Boulder Today, June 28, 2005:

Ofelia Miramontes, former professor of education and associate vice chancellor for diversity and equity at the University of Colorado at Boulder, died today in Boulder. She was 60. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on July 10 at Koenig Alumni Center on the Boulder campus, located on the southeast corner of Broadway and University Avenue.

"Ofelia was a wonderful and respected faculty member, administrator, leader and friend," said Interim Chancellor Philip DiStefano, former dean of the School of Education and a long-time colleague. "Her enthusiasm and commitment to the university and in our community has left a legacy that will benefit students, faculty and staff for years to come." Miramontes, an accomplished researcher and teacher, joined the CU-Boulder faculty in 1985 and gained tenure as an associate professor at the School of Education.

In 1998 she assumed the newly created position of interim associate vice chancellor for diversity and equity to provide dedicated leadership for campus diversity. She was named to the permanent post in 2000. Miramontes led the development of the campus diversity plan, "Blueprint for Action." She was instrumental in creating the CU Leadership, Excellence, Achievement and Diversity Alliance, an academic excellence program that has led to increased recruitment and retention of students from diverse backgrounds. In addition to furthering many other diversity efforts on the Boulder campus, Miramontes, along with her husband William Barclay, established the CU-LEAD Opportunity Scholarship program. Miramontes' research and teaching focused on linguistic diversity and first and second language acquisition. She was the author of numerous publications and books.  An expert in bilingual programs, she was actively involved in the development of programs for language minority students in public schools.

Ofelia Miramontes Seminar Room

In January, the Ofelia Miramontes Seminar Room was dedicated in her honor at the School of Education. "Ofelia's courage and passion for her work were remarkably beyond everyone else's," said Lorrie Shepard, dean of the School of Education. "She will be missed because she taught us so much." Miramontes  was the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the 2000 Latino Americans Who Make a Difference Award from the Denver-based newspaper Urban Spectrum, the 2004 President's Diversity Award from the University of Colorado Office of the President, the CU-Boulder Equity and Excellence Special Recognition Award and the CU-LEAD Alliance Faculty Appreciation Award. 

Miramontes Arts and Sciences Program

The Miramontes Arts and Sciences Program is recognized as one of the most effective multicultural programs on campus, focusing on the enrollment, retention, graduation, and post-graduation success of its students.  The program, which is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, offers a series of semester-long, 1-credit co-seminars and seminars to expand students’ understanding beyond concepts presented in classes.  Participants receive academic and career advice and engage in a supportive environment to study and.network with fellow MASP students.  Financial aid, in the form of participation grants, is available to selected students.

Ofelia Miramontes Park

Named in honor of Ofelia Miramontes, a professional in bilingual education and diversity programs, this park stands as a reminder of the mixture of ethnicities and community spirit comprising Lafayette, which Mrs. Miramontes valued and advocated for throughout her life. Mrs. Miramontes, a first generation college student, served in the Peace Corps in Chile and then implemented the first federally funded bilingual program for the City of San Diego.  Later, in Boulder Valley School District, she was instrumental in creating the bilingual programs at Washington Elementary School and Escuela Bilingue Pioneer.  Mrs. Miramontes, always grounded in her family and Hispanic heritage, served as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Equity at CU-Boulder and established a scholarship program for first generation college students and students of color.  During her life, Ofelia lived out what she taught, and serves as a reminder of the power of education and the strength of community when we take time to attend to one another.