The next Latino Community Luncheon will honor the memory of Lt. Col. Tom Martinez.

“During the time he served in the military, he was one of a few Hispanics that achieved a high rank to lieutenant colonel,” Anna Marie Ortiz, one of two coordinators, said in an email.

” He strived to improve services for veterans, recognize accomplishments by Latinos (and) worked hard to improve the school education system for Latinos,” among other efforts, she said.

“As a result, the Martinez Elementary School was named after him in 1988,” she said.

The luncheon, which will feature Martinez’s son as the keynote speaker, will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near Interstate 25 and South Circle. Registration starts at 11 a.m.

Tickets cost $18 per person if purchased by Sept. 11 and $23 if purchased after Sept. 11.

To register in advance, mail a check payable to Latino Community Luncheon by Sept. 6 to Carmen Abeyta, P.O. Box 17373, Colorado Springs, CO, 80935. Make sure and include a return address because an admission ticket or tickets to the luncheon will be mailed back to you.

To RSVP for the Sept. 16 luncheon, send an email to Ortiz at annaort5@comcast.net no later than Sept. 11.

The monthly luncheons had been scheduled for the third Wednesday of each month. However, they have been moved to the second Wednesday of each month because of scheduling conflicts.

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