By Andrea Estrada

To celebrate the 100th birthday of Luis Leal, a pioneering professor of Chicana and Chicano studies respectfully known as “Don Luis,” UC Santa Barbara will host a two-day conference next month featuring panel discussions, special remembrances, and the premiere of a film biography commissioned specifically for the event.

The free conference will take place Oct. 1 and 2 in two separate campus venues, and the public is invited to attend.

The first panel discussion begins Monday at 3:30 p.m. in the McCune Conference Room, 6020 Humanities and Social Sciences Building. Moderated by Mario García, UCSB professor of history and Chicana and Chicano studies, it will feature three scholars: Sandra Messinger Cypess, chair of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Maryland, College Park, Manuel Martín-Rodriguez, professor of literature at UC Merced, and Seymour Menton, a research professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at UC Irvine.

The second panel discussion, moderated by Francisco Lomelí, a professor of Chicana and Chicano studies at UCSB, begins at 4:45 p.m. in the McCune Conference Room. Miguel Méndez, and Hernán Lara Zavala, leading writers in the field of Chicano literature, will discuss how Leal influenced them.

A member of the UCSB faculty since 1976, Leal is an internationally recognized scholar of Mexican, Chicano, and Latin American literature. During his career he has taught at the University of Chicago, the University of Mississippi, Emory University, and the University of Illinois.

“Professor Leal is a national treasure, one who inspires us all,” says Chancellor Henry Yang. “At this century mark in his life, as we take stock of the enormity of his unceasing contribution to literature, culture, and education, we also stand in awe of his humility, his kindness, and his generosity of spirit.

“In addition to his prolific and life-long scholarly achievements, he has served as a caring mentor and role model to generations of students and faculty colleagues alike,” Yang continued. “His intellect and humanity have won the respect not only of scholars in his own field, but of people from all disciplines and all walks of life. We at UC Santa Barbara are honored and proud to have Don Luis as a ‘sabio maestro’ (wise elder) of our campus community.”

The author of more than 45 books and 400 scholarly articles, Leal is a prolific researcher and writer. His book, “A Brief History of the Mexican Short Story,” is considered a landmark of modern literary scholarship.

Added David Marshall, executive dean of the College of Letters and Sciences: “We’re privileged to have Professor Leal as an active participant in our academic community. His intellectual energy and productivity, even in retirement, are of great benefit to our campus.”

The conference continues on Oct. 2 with a reception beginning at 4 p.m. in the MultiCultural Center, followed by informal discussions with Sara Poot Herrera and Victor Fuentes, professors of Spanish and Portuguese at UCSB; Mauricio Parra, a professor of Hispanic studies at Illinois Wesleyan University; and García.

A screening of the film, “Luis Leal: A Journey of 100 Years/Luis Leal: Un Camino De 100 Años,” begins at 6:15. The film was written, directed, and produced by Janette Garcia.

Leal has received numerous honors, including the Distinguished Scholarly Award, which was presented to him by the National Association for Chicano Studies in 1988 in recognition of a lifetime of achievement. In 1992, he was awarded the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor granted to foreign citizens by the Mexican government, and in 1997 he received the National Humanities Medal, which was presented to him at the White House by then President Bill Clinton.