Gary Dennis Keller

Dr. Gary Dennis Francisco Keller, Regents’ Professor and Director of the Hispanic Research Center at Arizona State University, died peacefully July 15th, 2020 at the age of 77 after a 40 year well-fought battle with diabetes. He is survived by his wife, Mary Margaret, his sons, Randall Gawain, Thomas Gilbert, and Shawn Gareth, his grandchildren, Isabella Eling, Kaylee Estelle, William Hanlin, Alexander Travis, and John Gary, his daughters-in-law, Andra Elizabeth, Qing Xiao, and Erin Kathleen, and his brother, Andrew Lanning. He was proceeded in death by his parents, Jack and Estelle Keller.

Dr. Keller, teacher, scholar, author, publisher, and champion of minority students, was nationally and internationally acclaimed for his achievements in the fields of Spanish language, literature, history, and culture, including the work of Hispanic and Chicana(o) writers and artists. In addition, he was widely recognized for his commitment to helping Latina(o) and other minority students reach their full intellectual and academic potential. He authored or coauthored more than 30 books and wrote and produced more than two dozen documentaries spanning his many areas of expertise. Throughout his prestigious career he received numerous awards and recognitions including a Dana Foundation Award for Pioneering Achievements in Education, a Distinguished Scholar Award from the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies, and a Distinguished Leadership in Arizona Higher Education Award from the Victoria Foundation. Then in 2018, Dr. Keller was chosen to become the first recipient of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education President’s Award. He was, perhaps, most gratified by the success of the programs he created to help Latina(o) and other minority students achieve advanced academic degrees in the sciences as well as the arts. His legacy will live on through the countless students he mentored during his 50 years of service in higher education, through his dedicated staff and colleagues at the Hispanic Research Center, and through his beloved children and grandchildren.