To honor his lifetime of service to the Oxy community and beyond, the Board of Governors is proud to posthumously name Jose F. Silva ’84 as a 2019 Alumni Seal Award recipient for Service to the College.
José Francisco Silva is among our most cherished alumni whose legacy of service continues to inspire the Oxy community. After receiving degrees in Spanish literature and economics, José spent 25 years at Raytheon where he was known for his professional success and more significantly, for his leadership of community service and diversity programs. He started mentoring programs to inspire under-served youth to pursue STEM careers and co-founded Raytheon’s national Hispanic Organization for Leadership and Advancement. He also founded Occidental’s Latino Alumni Association (OCLAA) and served on the Board of Governors. In 2008, José was killed in a tragic accident. Following his passing, Oxy’s Latino Scholarship Fund was renamed the José F. Silva Memorial Scholarship to commemorate his legacy.