G. Roland Vela Soccer Complex

Dr. G. Roland Vela. Undated. League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Denton Council 4366 Records, Denton Municipal Archives, Denton Public Library.

Gerard Roland Vela (1927 – 2021)

Gerard Roland Vela was born September 18, 1927 in Eagle Pass, TX. He joined the Texas State Guard at the age of 15 during the height of World War II and later joined the Navy.  Following the war, he attended San Antonio College where he earned his associates degree before transferring to the University of Texas in 1948. There, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Bacteriology with a minor in Chemistry (1950) followed by his Master’s in Chemistry (1951). He would later earn a PhD in Microbiology and Biochemistry.

Vela and his family, wife Emma Lamar Codina and children, Gerard Roland, Anna Maria, Yolanda Marta and Jaime Joel, moved to Denton in 1965 where he began teaching microbiology courses at North Texas State University (UNT). He remained for 35 years becoming the first Latino professor to earn tenure and served as Associate Dean of Science and Technology. His research in bacterial physiology and nitrogen-fixing bacteria led to the discovery of Paenibacillus velaei which was named after him.

Vela was the first Latino City Council Member of Denton and maintained significant involvement in civic endeavors, serving on the boards of Ann’s Haven Hospice VNA, Our Daily Bread and the Texas Municipal Power Agency. He was also involved with Flow Health Care Foundation, Denton County Cooperative Agency, Firehouse Theater Group, Civil Air Patrol and a group of local intellectuals known as the Denton Forum.

Vela's Trophy Dedication Ceremony. 2021. Photo by Isabella Piña-Hinojosa. League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Denton Council 4366 Records (DTEX 2024.001). Denton Municipal Archives, Denton Public Library.

Following attempts by the Denton chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens to rename existing facilities (South Lakes Park and South Branch Library) in honor of Vela, an application was approved for the naming of a new soccer complex adjacent to North Lakes Park for that purpose in 2012. Groundbreaking and dedication for the G. Roland Vela Soccer Complex was held on August 10, 2013 and was opened to the public on August 31, 2019.

In 2021 a sculpture by artist Ray King inspired by Dr. Vela’s scientific background and love of soccer was installed. The geodetic sphere represents the Buckminsterfullerene molecule and a soccer ball while the interior spheres represent molecules and atoms, and the five-pointed star honors the State of Texas. It is called Vela’s Trophy.