When its first students walked through the Ft. McIntosh Campus toward their class, it was clear that history was made. Though the world has changed since 1947, the powerful impact education has on a person has not. Former Webb County Judge and longtime Laredo College Trustee Mercurio Martinez Jr. began his higher education journey at Laredo Junior College (LJC) in 1956 and has been one of its strongest supporters, akin to a father figure, ever since.
“My father had a quite a bit of influence in me in becoming a teacher as he had been a teacher before; he graduated from St. Edward’s in 1898,” he said, recounting some of his father’s wise words: “No hay nada como la educación. Es lo que te ayuda a abrir puertas.” 
Over the span of the college’s history, Martinez found himself as an LJC student, faculty member, administrator and trustee. He emphasized that his father, Mercurio Martinez Sr., was always a major influence in his life due in large part to the respect he had for his advice, wisdom and work ethic. It was his father’s friendship to then-LJC President Dr. Domingo Arechiga that inspired him to study at LJC after high school, which he said looked very different than what it looks like today.
Nowadays with social media, it’s easy to catch glimpses of Laredo College’s student life, its evolving campuses, state-of-the-art facilities and technology used throughout its programs. Martinez painted a different picture of what LJC was like in the 1950s and 1960s, which saw students learning in the soldiers’ barracks, where sleeping quarters were converted to classrooms.
LJC students, many of whom were Korean War veterans looking for new doors to opportunities, turned to the college to expand their skills, which included learning shorthand, typing and accounting. Martinez recalled overloading classes throughout his time at LJC, taking on 21 college hours per semester, earning his Associate of Arts in approximately a year and a half. He lauded the college’s impact on the community and himself as he went on to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration from St. Mary’s University.
After graduating with his bachelor’s degree, Martinez chose to follow in his father’s footsteps in education and was hired as an LJC instructor. Throughout his teaching career, he taught Introduction to Business, Accounting and multiple levels of typing courses.
“I actually spent most of the day here at Laredo Junior College because I also taught at night four nights a week. I didn’t mind,” Martinez said.
Amid his work as an instructor, he continued his education at North Texas State University, where he would later be awarded with a Master of Business Administration with a focus on Accounting and Economics. Martinez said his love for business, economics and accounting came from his father.
“He was an adding machine. I was his bookkeeper; I would yell the numbers to him when we would balance the books. I have very fond memories of all that,” Martinez recalled with a smile.
It’s been clear that both his father and Laredo Junior College played a major role in his growth as a professional and as a person. After years of teaching new generations at LJC and seeing the potential of the students, staff, faculty and campus, he moved on as opportunity called.
He was approached by Union National Bank to take on the role of Senior Vice President. However, this didn’t mean that LJC was left in the rearview as Martinez would become a member of the Laredo Independent School District Board of Trustees, and would eventually become the board president, helping lead the board to the decision to separate and name the LJC Board of Trustees.
“Laredo Junior College started to grow, and I was instrumental in promoting the issuance of bonds in order to construct new buildings, some of which ended up replacing barracks with formal classrooms,” Martinez said.
As the board member with the longest tenure, Martinez has seen how far the college has come since those early days. With the College of Health Sciences Building, the Lewis Energy Group Academic Center, a Gateway Community Health Center Clinic at the South Campus, the Visual and Performing Arts Building, and many more, he had an early hand in the decisions that have led to LC students taking advantage of campuses designed to maximize their learning potential.
“Serving alongside him for the past eight years has been a tremendous honor,” Laredo College Board President Esteban Rangel said. “His dedication to Laredo College and higher education is something that cannot be measured simply by the years he served on this board. He has been part of the college as a student, educator, administrator, board member and board president, and his institutional knowledge and commitment to our students have been invaluable. While we will miss him on the board, his legacy and his contributions to Laredo College will remain for generations to come.”
Laredo College President Dr. Minita Ramírez noted that there are no right words to fully describe the magnitude of the impact Judge Martinez has had on the institution throughout the years.
“Judge Mercurio Martinez Jr. has been a pillar in our community and an advocate for Laredo College over the past 70 years,” she said. “His monumental support for our beloved institution, both in the boardroom and in the classroom, has been instrumental in ensuring that past, current and future students have access to the best education and resources available. He is a friend, a mentor and a Palomino at heart. Moving forward without his guidance will be difficult, but the path he laid will continue to lead us to a future where Laredo College thrives, our community has better access to higher education and our students make the world a better place.”
In the 1970s and 1980s, Martinez left Laredo when appointed by President Jimmy Carter as the Region 6 Administrator of the Small Business Administration. As Webb County Judge, he then went on to endorse Gov. Bill Clinton amid his presidential campaign and later visited him in the White House. Years passed, and with a penchant for public service only matched by his love for Laredo College, Martinez ran for and was elected for a Laredo College Trustee position in 2004.
With decades of experience and a keen understanding of the college’s operations, Martinez said that the support from those in the community and within the college is what makes Laredo College what it is today. From the long line of presidents and board members to the passionate faculty and staff helping students every day, for the past 80 years, Laredo College has been built to be a place where everyone belongs.
“I was fortunate enough to have been involved one way or another,” Martinez said. “This is part of my identity. I pretty much had a great experience being a faculty member, an administrator and seeing the manner in which Laredo College has really developed and made a big difference in our community.”
With a heartfelt look back at the past 80 years of education, Judge Mercurio Martinez Jr. retired in September 2026 among friends, family and colleagues, all grateful for his dedication to Laredo College.
“Count on my friendship,” he said before the final vote was cast. A timeless and cherished sentiment he held his entire life and will continue to hold as he sets us off to enjoy his retirement.