Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. E.L. “Zeke” Navarrete was the first Hispanic elected to the Amarillo City Commission. Navarrete served two terms from 1983 to 1987 according to a recent article from the Amarillo Globe-News.
Zeke Navarrete was born and raised in Carlsbad, N.M., served more than 10 years in the Army, received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cameron University, then moved to Amarillo where he worked for Amarillo National Bank as vice president of various departments.
He served on the Good neighbor Council, Amarillo Community Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission, Panhandle coalition for Child Abuse Prevention, Campfire Council, Salvation Army, Amarillo Clearing House Association, Better Business bureau of the Golden Spread, the Center for Non-Profit Management, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Los Barrios de Amarillo, Wesley Community Center, the Amarillo Chapter of the International Good Neighbor Council, was a member of the American Business Club.
Navarrete was one of 13 residents named to a panel designed to improve communications between the Amarillo Globe-News editors and residents of the Texas Panhandle. He also contributed columns to the Globe-News in the early ’90s.
More about Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. E.L. “Zeke” Navarrete, his military service and family life is available from the Amarillo Globe-News.
