Arturo Islas, Jr. (May 25, 1938 – February 15, 1991) was an English professor and novelist from El Paso, Texas, whose writing focused on the experience of Chicano cultural duality. He received three degrees from Stanford: a B.A. in 1960, a Masters in 1963 and a Ph.D. in 1971, when he joined the Stanford faculty. Islas was one of the first Chicanos in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in English. In 1976, he became the first Chicano faculty member to receive tenure at Stanford. Islas died on February 15, 1991, from complications related to AIDS. Early life and education Fleeing the Mexican Revolution, Islas' father and paternal grandparents crossed the United-States-Mexico border to live in El Paso, Texas, in 1910. Islas' grandmother, Crecenciana, was a teacher who devoted much of her time to disciplining and educating her children, teaching them to read, write and speak fluent English, enabling Islas' father, Arturo Islas Sr., became a police officer in a largely white police force, and passing onto Arturo Jr. and his cousins a deep connection with learning. Arturo Sr. and Jovita Islas had three sons altogether; Mario Islas became a priest in Liberia, and Luis Islas became at attorney in El Paso. Despite a life-threatening polio attack during childhood that left him with a permanent limp, Islas was a good student, and graduated as valedictorian of his class from El Paso Public High School in 1956, beginning undergraduate studies at Stanford University in Palo Alto in the fall of the same year. Islas initially intended to be a pre-med student in order to follow a career as a neurosurgeon. However, after his first biology and chemistry classes resulted in B's, Islas decided to study humanities instead, where he was receiving A's and excelling in his coursework. Islas ultimately became an English major, and sources differ on whether he minored in French Literature or religious studies. Islas received several honors for his success in his study of literature, eventually being elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and receiving several awards for creative writing. After completing his B.A. in 1960, Islas went on to earn both a master's degree (1963) and Ph.D. (1971) in English from Stanford. Later life and career After completing his Ph.D in 1971, Arturo immediately joined the faculty of Stanford University in the English department. He was the Chair of the Faculty Recruitment Committee, adviser