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Tony Bonilla Bonilla & Chapa, P.C.

Tony Bonilla was the 5th of eight children born to Ruben and Maria Bonilla in Calvert Texas. He graduated with honors from the Calvert Public Schools and received a football scholarship to Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. While at Del Mar College, he was a Student Body President and was elected to the College Wall of Fame. He continued his education at Baylor University and received a Bachelor of Arts in Education. He subsequently received his Jurisprudence Doctorate from the University of Houston College of Law. He began his legal career in Corpus Christi in 1960 and became active in various community organizations. Tony Bonilla was the first Hispanic from Nueces County elected State Representative and subsequently served as President of the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce and President of the Instituto de Cultura Hispanica. He served on various local, state, and national committees and was twice elected to State Chairman of LULAC and then National President of LULAC. He has traveled to various countries representing the United States Government speaking out for drug education as well as equal employment opportunities, and the law. Tony Bonilla is a member of St. Pius Catholic Church and married to Olga Garcia Bonilla. Together, they have 4 children: Tony, Jr. (Duke), John Edward (Ted), Maria Teresa (Tessa who is now deceased), and Anna Patricia (Tricia). All 8 children had an opportunity to go to college. Four became attorneys and activists. Two became educators and two others entrepreneurs. Every sibling credits their very strict upbringing and their parents emphasis on education with the family's success. Tony was a football star and student body president and Olga was a beauty queen each year in school from the time she was 13 until she graduated from college. Since then they were called the Mexican Kennedy's. Olga was always compared to Jackie.