Diana Natalicio Obituary

Natalicio, Diana Siedhoff

It is with great sadness that the family of President Emerita Dr. Diana Natalicio share that she passed away on Friday, September 24th in El Paso, Texas at the age of 82. She was the daughter of William and Josephine Siedhoff and is survived by her brother Bill Siedhoff of St. Louis.

President Natalicio led the University of Texas at El Paso(UTEP) for 31 years and at her retirement, had the longest serving tenure among presidents at any major public research university. During her long and distinguished career, UTEP's enrollment grew from 15,000 to over 25,000 students, reflecting the demographics of the Paso del Norte region, and UTEP was designated as a Carnegie R1 university, recognized nationally for both the excellence and breadth of its academic and research programs.

Dr. Natalicio served on numerous boards, including the Rockfeller Foundation, the U.S.-Mexico Foundation for Science and the American Council of Education. She was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to the Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. Initially appointed to the National Science Board by President Bill Clinton, she served two six-year terms as a Board member and three two-year terms as the NSB's vice chair. Time Magazine named her to their 2016 Time 100 list of most influential people in the world and in 2017, she was named to Fortune Magazine's Top 50 World Leaders. The President of Mexico presented her the Orden Mexicana del Aguila Azteca, the highest recognition bestowed by Mexico on foreign nationals. A graduate of St. Louis University, Dr. Natalicio earned a master's degree in Portuguese and a doctorate in linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. She was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of fame, bestowed with an honorary Doctor of Science degree from St. Louis University, as well as honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award from The University of Texas at Austin.

Diana and her brother Bill were very close throughout their lives, sharing many happy memories growing up in St. Louis and traveling the world together in later years. She loved El Paso, and she chose to retire there. She loved the weather, the mountains, the food, and the wonderful people. She loved UTEP and most of all, she loved UTEP's students. They are what drove her life's work and what provided her the greatest satisfaction. She always said, "Talent is everywhere" and Commencement brought her the greatest joy, recognizing the achievement of those walking across the stage, as she proudly shook each of their hands. Her brother Bill said, "She was very happy in El Paso, and I thank the El Paso community for embracing her all these years, and for all the love she always received."

The family asks for privacy during this difficult and painful time. There will be a celebration of her life event on the campus of UTEP on Sunday, October 24th. Contributions in her memory are suggested to The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) or to the St. Louis Crisis Nursery.