The University of Texas at San Antonio mourns the passing of Joe R. Long, an extraordinary philanthropic leader whose generosity, together with that of his beloved wife, Teresa Lozano Long, transformed opportunity for generations of students at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio and strengthened health professional education in Texas.
Joe Long passed away Oct. 7 at the age of 96.
For more than a quarter-century, Joe and Teresa Long were the UT Health Science Center San Antonio’s most consequential champions, advocates and friends. Their philanthropy advanced scholarships, faculty excellence, research and discovery. It reflected a deeply personal belief in the promise of students and education. The Longs’ names will forever be part of the institutions and places their extraordinary generosity made possible. But their greatest legacy extends far beyond the buildings that bear their names.
Through scholarships made possible by the Longs, hundreds of aspiring physicians, nurses, health professionals and biomedical scientists were given the opportunity to pursue their education, many without the financial burden that otherwise might have placed their dreams beyond reach. Those students went on to care for patients, conduct research, educate future generations and serve communities across South Texas, the state and the nation.
In 2008, the Longs made a transformational $25 million gift to UT Health Science Center San Antonio, establishing the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Scholarship, Research and Teaching Fund, creating permanent endowments for scholarships for students, medical research and the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty. In recognition of that generosity, the institution’s flagship campus was named the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Campus.
Their philanthropy impacted across the disciplines of medicine, nursing, physician assistants, and biomedical scientists, expanding educational opportunity while strengthening the faculty and research enterprise that supports those students.
In 2017, the Longs made another $25 million gift, further expanding medical student scholarships and creating endowed support for faculty excellence and leadership in the School of Medicine. In recognition of their extraordinary cumulative impact, The University of Texas System Board of Regents named the medical school the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine.
By 2021, the Longs’ support to UT Health Science Center San Antonio exceeded $70 million.
Today, more than 444 Long Scholars have been supported across medicine, nursing, physician assistant studies, biomedical science, and the MD/PhD program. Eighteen new Long endowments, established through the Longs’ original investments, are held by Long School of Medicine faculty members to advance education, research and faculty excellence.
Francisco G. Cigarroa, MD, senior executive vice president for health affairs and health system at UT San Antonio and interim dean of the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, knew the Longs for decades and witnessed firsthand the evolution and impact of their philanthropy. Cigarroa served as president of the Health Science Center from 2000 to 2009 and later as chancellor of The University of Texas System.
“Joe Long was an extraordinary philanthropist, but to those of us who knew Joe and his beloved Terry, their greatest legacy will always be the lives they changed. They understood firsthand the transformative power of education and saw extraordinary promise in young people, particularly students from South Texas who might never have imagined becoming physicians, nurses, scientists or health professionals. Through their generosity, they opened doors that once seemed closed and gave generations of students the confidence to pursue dreams they might otherwise have thought impossible.
“My relationship with Joe and Terry was deeply personal, and our friendship extended across generations of our families. My wife, Graciela, and I treasured our time with them, as did my parents. In fact, my father cared for Terry’s family, creating a lasting bond rooted in trust, friendship and a shared commitment to serving others. I will forever cherish the wonderful memories, the stories and the laughter we shared. Those moments will always bring a smile to my face. I will miss Joe dearly.
“One of my greatest joys was witnessing how personally Joe and Terry embraced the Long Scholars. They knew these students, celebrated their accomplishments and took enormous pride in the professionals and people they became. Their generosity came from the heart, with a simple but powerful hope that those whose lives they touched would one day use their talents to make life better for others.
“That is the extraordinary beauty of their legacy. Generations from now, students will pursue careers they once thought beyond their reach. Patients will receive compassionate care from physicians whose education Joe and Terry helped make possible. And communities will be stronger because of the opportunities they created.
“Joe and Terry changed our university forever, but their greatest impact cannot be measured by the institutions they helped build. It lives on in the people they believed in, the families they touched and the countless lives that will be better because of them. For my family and me, their friendship was an extraordinary gift. We are saddened by the loss of a dear friend and celebrate Joe’s remarkable life with profound affection, respect and everlasting gratitude.”
Joe and Teresa Long remained devoted supporters of UT Health San Antonio throughout their lifetimes and greatly admired the late President William L. Henrich, MD. During his tenure, they made their second $25 million gift to the institution.
A shared belief in the transformative power of education
Joe and Teresa Long came from modest beginnings and shared a profound belief in the power of education to change lives, a conviction shaped by their own experiences and reflected in their lifelong commitment to creating opportunities for others.
Born in San Antonio in 1930, Joe Long spent much of his childhood in small Texas communities, including Sonora, Oakwood and Centerville, where he graduated from high school in 1947. The son of an oilfield electrician, he worked his way through college, first attending what is now Tarleton State University before earning a bachelor’s degree in government from The University of Texas at Austin in 1951.
After serving as a military police officer during the Korean War, Joe Long taught government and history at a high school in Alice, Texas. It was there that he met Teresa “Terry” Lozano, a physical education teacher from nearby Premont. They married in 1958.
Teresa Long became the first Hispanic woman to earn a doctorate in health and physical education from The University of Texas at Austin. Joe earned his law degree and built a successful career in law and banking, ultimately serving as chairman and CEO of First State Bank in Austin. Joe and Teresa made Austin their longtime home and, over the decades that followed, became two of Texas’ most significant champions of higher education, health and the arts.
Their shared beginnings as educators and their own experiences pursuing higher education inspired a lifelong commitment to opening doors for talented students, regardless of their financial circumstances. The Longs began supporting the Health Science Center in 1999, initially providing scholarships for medical students from South Texas, many of whom were the first in their families to attend college. The Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Presidential Scholars Program provided full tuition support for students to complete their medical education and pursue their calling without the weight of substantial educational debt.
Taylor Eighmy, PhD, president of The University of Texas at San Antonio, said the Longs’ legacy reflects the fundamental promise of public higher education and its ability to transform lives and strengthen Texas.
“Joe and Teresa Long understood the promise of higher education. When a talented student is given the opportunity to learn, serve and lead, that impact can extend for generations,” he said. “Their extraordinary commitment strengthened Texas by helping hundreds of students pursue lives of service, discovery and healing. UT San Antonio has the profound responsibility and privilege of carrying their legacy forward.”
A legacy measured in lives
Their commitment grew dramatically over the years, transforming the lives of generations of students. Among the many whose lives reflect the Longs’ extraordinary vision and generosity is Joel Torres, MD.
Torres grew up in the Rio Grande Valley and spent summers working alongside his family as migrant farm workers. He was the first in his family to attend college, ultimately earning degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University before entering medical school at UT Health Science Center San Antonio.
As a Long Presidential Scholar, Torres received a full scholarship from Joe and Teresa Long. It allowed him to focus on becoming a physician without the additional burden of financing his medical education.
He went on to become an emergency medicine physician in Edinburg, Texas, returning to serve the region that had shaped him.
“They have given me a wonderful gift, not only financially, but also the gift of their trust that I honor today by being the best physician I can be,” Torres said.
For Joe and Teresa Long, that was the purpose of their philanthropy: what one student might make possible for others.
Joe Long described the students educated through their endowments as their “real legacy.” The Longs understood that those students would go forward to care for people they would never meet, advance discoveries they would never see and inspire generations they would never know.
Their generosity created a continuum of opportunity and service passed from one life to another.
A partnership that transformed an institution
Joe Long’s legacy cannot be separated from that of Teresa, his wife of 63 years, who passed away in 2021. Their philanthropy was a shared undertaking, rooted in their marriage, their beginnings as educators and their conviction that talent, determination and ambition should never be constrained by financial circumstances.
Their generosity extended throughout Texas and across The University of Texas System, supporting higher education, the arts and culture. In 2018, the Longs received the Santa Rita Award, the highest honor bestowed by the UT System Board of Regents, recognizing their extraordinary service and contributions to the advancement of The University of Texas System.
John Zerwas, MD, chancellor of The University of Texas System, reflected on the enduring reach of that generosity.
“When the Longs received the Santa Rita award by the Board of Regents, they considered all the young people of Texas as their children, and they saw no greater calling than to offer them opportunities to learn in, and ultimately serve, their beloved state. They cited that an investment in education reached far beyond a single student or institution. It strengthened families, communities and ultimately the health and well-being of Texas. The Longs were grateful for their UT experiences both as students and philanthropists. We mourn the loss of our dear friend Joe, and we are blessed that the Long name will stand forever as one of the most honored, admired, respected and beloved symbols of educational access and opportunity in higher education.”
Remembering a treasured friend
Neela K. Patel, MD, MPH, professor and chief of the Division of Comprehensive and Supportive Care, served as the Longs’ primary care physician and became a trusted presence in Joe Long’s life after his wife’s death. Patel described her bond with Joe Long as one grounded not only in medicine, but also in mutual respect and humanity.
“We had a relationship that was not just a regular patient-doctor relationship, but one human to another,” she said.
Patel said she was grateful for the honor of caring for the Longs and for the example they set through their generosity and devotion to others.
Their names will remain on the places and programs their generosity helped build, and their endowments will continue supporting students, faculty and research for generations. Yet their greatest memorial will be found in people: In the student who can attend medical school because financial circumstances no longer stand in the way. In the physician who returns home to care for a community in need. In the scientist whose discoveries advance human health and improve the human condition. And in the patients whose lives are made better through compassionate care or a lifesaving medical breakthrough.
Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long’s legacy is profoundly human, living on in the students they helped educate, the patients whose lives they helped save and the countless people whose futures are brighter because of their generosity. Their greatest gift is what they have made possible for generations to come.