Many historical figures make an impact in multiple areas. For Dr. For Roland Vela, an intense curiosity about the world and a drive to serve others became the defining characteristics of his life. He spent a decades-long career making important discoveries in science and helping make his community a better place for all.
Gerard Roland Vela was born in Eagle Pass in September 1927. When he was young, the family moved to San Antonio. As a youngster he was a voracious reader and sold newspapers. He later talked about how people flocked around him to get the latest news after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Like many young men of his generation, he was eager to volunteer and defend the country. At age 15, he volunteered for the Texas State Guard. In 1944 he was still 17 and too young to enlist. However, he convinced his parents to sign the necessary release forms so he could enlist in the Navy. He formally enlisted in June 1945. He was assigned to the Navy base at Seal Beach, California, where he worked on a tugboat. Vela earned his GED while in the service. He was honorably discharged in July 1946, still only 18 years old.
Vela returned to San Antonio and said in a 2007 interview that he was trying to finish high school with several other returning young veterans. However, it was difficult for a worldly Navy veteran with salty stories from the service to fit in with students who were still young teenagers. He was expelled from school due to behavioral problems. Wanting to further his education, he enrolled at San Antonio College. He was initially on academic probation, but within a semester he was on the honor roll.
In 1948 he received his associate degree and transferred to the University of Texas. After taking a course in bacteriology, he decided to choose this as his major. He worked a series of jobs to support himself, including caddying, mechanic and hospital staff. He completed his bachelor’s degree in bacteriology with a minor in chemistry in 1950. He completed his master’s degree in one year, a pace that allowed him to study and work from 7 a.m. to midnight every day, he recalled.
At the UT he met a nursing student, Emma Codina. The two married in 1953. The couple would have four children together. After obtaining his master’s degree, Vela worked as a chemist in San Antonio.
Vela soon returned to graduate school and completed his doctorate in microbiology in 1963.
In 1965, North Texas State University (later University of North Texas) hired him as a professor of microbiology and he moved to Denton. The small university was best known for its education and music programs, but Vela and his colleagues worked to expand its reputation for scholarly research.
Vela quickly earned the respect of his peers at the university and throughout the field. He was awarded a number of research grants to work on a number of research projects with NASA, the National Institute of Health, and the National Science Foundation. In 1975, his colleagues elected him to the prestigious American Academy of Microbiology. In 1985, the university promoted him to associate dean.
Through his research he discovered a new species of bacteria. It was named after him, given its scientific name Paenibacillus velai. It is a type of bacteria that has been found to help adjust nitrogen levels in the soil. Vela and others’ research showed that this specific bacterial species could have many applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Because it is not a disease-causing bacteria, it is considered safe for laboratory use, making it relatively easy for scientists to study it.
Vela was in high demand among colleagues. He traveled frequently to lecture and was a visiting professor at universities in the United States and around the world. He mentored dozens of graduate students, helping them earn their degrees and shaping the profession’s future leaders. He wrote two well-respected books on microbiology, including Applied food microbiology (1997).
In addition to his research in the laboratory, Vela was known for a variety of other interests. He was fascinated by history and wrote two books about historical figures, including General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and Spanish Viceroy Bernardo de Galvez. He enjoyed participating in historical reenactments, especially reenacting battles from the American Revolution. For years he led a group called the Denton Forum, a group of local intellectuals from many different walks of life who met periodically to discuss important issues in science, philosophy and ethics.
He became a fixture in the Denton community over the years, helping with programs to help minority students improve their academic performance in middle school and high school to prepare them for college. He served on the local Airport Advisory Board, worked with numerous local charities and served on the Board of Directors of the Texas Municipal Power Agency. He became the first Latino elected to the Denton City Council and served two full terms.
By the time he retired from UNT in 2000, he had published four books and 75 scientific articles that appeared in leading scientific journals. He donated his extensive library of books, articles, bacterial slides, and research materials to the university. In 2000, he was named by Latino Monthly as one of the top Texas Latino scientists of the 20th century. Vela died in January 2021 at the age of 93, widely respected by scientists and the Denton community.
Ken Bridges is a writer, historian and native Texan. He holds a PhD from the University of North Texas. Bridges can be reached by email at drkenbridges@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared in Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Bridges: Dr. Roland Vela remembered as a top Texas Latino scientist
