Changes

== School board service ==

== School board service ==

Finley was an original UISD board member, having served from the founding of the district in 1961 until 1993. The district was created by the merging of three small districts, Cactus, Johnson, and Nye, within the still existing Webb Consolidated Independent School District, based in Bruni, Texas. At the time, the City of Laredo was served only by the Laredo Independent School District. In time, the northern half of Laredo came under the UISD. Along with Amparo Gutierrez and John W. Arndt,Finley is considered part of the "Big Three" of UISD, with a school named for each.<ref name=rodriguez>Cesar G. Rodriguez, "UISD founder dies: Rancher Joe Finley helped make district happen", ''Laredo Morning Times'', September 11, 2011, pp. 1, 11A.</ref>

Finley was an original UISD board member, having served from the founding of the district in 1961 until 1993. The district was created by the merging of three small districts, Cactus, Johnson, and Nye, within the still existing Webb Consolidated Independent School District, based in Bruni, Texas. At the time, the City of Laredo was served only by the Laredo Independent School District. In time, the northern half of Laredo came under the UISD. Along with Amparo Gutierrez and John W. Arndt, Finley is considered part of the "Big Three" of UISD, with a school named for each.<ref name=rodriguez>Cesar G. Rodriguez, "UISD founder dies: Rancher Joe Finley helped make district happen", ''The Laredo Morning Times,'' September 11, 2011, pp. 1, 11A.</ref>

UISD began with 340 pupils in grades one through nine; by the time of Finley's death, the district had 41,000 students. The district adopted the bilingual program at a time when Texas state law forbade the use of [[Spanish]] in publicschools. According to his daughter, Alicia Finley Richter, Finley "felt very strongly that children should speak both languages."<ref name=georgiou/> After his thirty-two years as a UISD trustee, Finley maintained a continuing interest in the district. In the late 1990s, his namesake Finley Elementary School was named a National Blue Ribbon School. Finley was present for the opening of the new United High School in 2009 and the 50th anniversary celebration of the establishmentof UISD earlier in 2011.<ref name=georgiou/>

UISD began with 340 pupils in grades one through nine; by the time of Finley's death, the district had 41,000 students. The district adopted the bilingual program at a time when Texas state law forbade the use of [[Spanish]] in publicschools. According to his daughter, Alicia Finley Richter, Finley "felt very strongly that children should speak both languages."<ref name=georgiou/> After his thirty-two years as a UISD trustee, Finley maintained a continuing interest in the district. In the late 1990s, his namesake Finley Elementary School was named a National Blue Ribbon School. Finley was present for the opening of the new United High School in 2009 and the 50th anniversary celebration of the establishmentof UISD earlier in 2011.<ref name=georgiou/>