OKLAHOMA CITY – Community leaders, artists, and entrepreneurs from across Oklahoma’s rich Latin-American and Hispanic community were honored Wednesday as the Oklahoma Hispanic Institute’s Hispanic Hall of Fame celebrated its 2026 inductees.
With a midday crowd packing the Oklahoma City Community College Performing Arts lobby, the ceremony saw praise, big laughs, and more than a few tears from presenters and honorees alike, including OKC-native and country music superstar Vince Gill, who spoke to induct his late guitar tech, collaborator, and lifelong friend, Benny Garcia.
The focus of the day was on the exemplary work of the eight individuals being honored, but a great deal of the sentiments and statements also sought to highlight the importance of Oklahoma’s – and America’s – Hispanic culture in a time of widespread hostility toward immigrants and Latin-American residents.
“When I was growing up as a kid, there were signs at restaurants and hotels and public facilities that said ‘No Mexicans or dogs allowed. Whites only,’ and Spanish was illegal on school grounds,” said Oklahoma Hispanic Institute founder and chairman Fred Mendoza, a music promoter and former White House consultant, before introducing this year’s inductees.
“We don’t live in that world anymore, and it’s because of the honorees that we’re honoring today,” Mendoza said. “We clean the hotel rooms, we wash the dishes, we mow the lawn, we pick the crops, we replace the roofs, and we are doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs, corporate giants, sports heroes, movies stars, Grammy-winners, teachers, university presidents, professors, judges, elected officials, priests, and preachers. We are no longer asking for a place at the table. We own the table.”
Inductees include leaders in law, business, music, and outreach
The Oklahoma Hispanic Hall of Fame welcomed eight new members for its 2026 induction:
- Norma Condreay – Publisher of El Latino American
- Manuel Cruz II – Guitarist, music educator
- Marcelino “Chelino” Garcia – Restaurateur, founder of Chelino’s
- Katheleen Guzman – Former Dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Law
- Dr. Mautra Staley Jones – President of Oklahoma City Community College
- Major Ed Pulido – US Army veteran, founder of Empower the Veterans
- Christian Kanady – Founder and CEO of Echo Investment Capital
- Benny Garcia – Musician, guitar tech
The ceremony also saw recognition for the recipients of the Oklahoma Hispanic Institute’s Visionary Aguila Eagle Award, honoring individuals that the Institute believes have strengthened Oklahoma’s communities overall and worked to create greater opportunities across cultural lines.
Recipients of the Aguila Eagle Award this year included Marilyn Luper Hildreth, daughter of Civil Rights icon Clara Luper, and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt.
“I know that our community, the Oklahoma City community, is better when we work together as a unit,” Luper Hildreth told the crowd in accepting the award. “And I realize that so goes one of us, goes all of us.”
Hispanic community in the spotlight
The robust and wildly diverse cultures of Oklahoma’s wide-reaching Hispanic community were at the forefront of each honoree’s statements Wednesday, as were their personal stories and perspectives of life in Oklahoma.
“I recognize how valuable this is, and I recognize how valuable community is,” Guzman said of the rare opportunity to gather so many leaders of the state’s Hispanic community together for a single event.
“The Hispanic community is an essential part of Oklahoma’s story,” said Dr. Staley Jones. “I understand that no meaningful work is ever done alone. Every step forward is made possible by people who believe in others, invest in others, and help open the door a little wider for those coming behind them.”
Major Pulido spoke about his own multicultural family, with a Puerto Rican mother and a Colombian father, and how all of those influences shaped his view of American life and his oath of service in the military.
“We understand how important it is to represent our community and where we come from, and to me, that’s where I’m at today,” he said. “This award is not just championing the work that we’ve done together, but it’s championing all the individuals that are in this room that have had an impact on my life.”
And Chelino got some of the day’s biggest laughs and responses in an energetic and heartfelt improvised speech, reminiscing about working his way up from a dishwasher and declaring wholeheartedly that “Oklahoma City is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Christian Kanady was not in attendance Wednesday, but Mendoza announced on his behalf that Kanady had pledged a major endowment to ensure that the Oklahoma Hispanic Institute and its Hall of Fame can continue for years to come.
Vince Gill honors late friend, musical partner Benny Garcia
To close out the ceremony, Oklahoma City-native and global country music superstar Vince Gill took the stage to speak about the late Benny Garcia, a musician and guitar tech that served as Gill’s musical partner for decades, and as his best friend for even longer.
“It was remarkable for me to get to invite Benny to come and go along on my journey,” Gill said, tearing up at times. “It was the neatest experience that my dearest friend shared this with me and had my back.”
Gill even spoke about witnessing the realities of racial profiling through experiences that Garcia had being harassed or singled out by police, telling a story of how he learned that Garcia would travel with signed photos of Gill to help get out of trouble when he needed to.
“It was a great lesson to learn about that stuff,” he said, “and about judging something before you really experience it.”
Gill presented the Oklahoma Hispanic Hall of Fame award to Garcia’s wife, Brenda, calling his friendship with Garcia and his decades of traveling and working together “the greatest gift I’ve known.”
‘A continued narrative’
Following the ceremony, Free Press caught up with Mayor Holt to ask what an organization like the Oklahoma Hispanic Institute and its Hall of Fame means to the multicultural identity of Oklahoma City during such a fraught moment for Hispanic Americans.
“Oklahoma City has maintained our focus on diversity,” he said. “One out of every five residents is Latino, and we’re committed to that inclusion.”
To Holt, the Institute represents a way to increase the visibility and respect for that community in our city and state.
“Having a growing institution like a Hall of Fame, that’s a great thing,” he said, “and that gives us an opportunity to kind of build a continued narrative for the community and to recognize people that are serving it and serving our city.”
Brett Fieldcamp is the owner and Editor in Chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly two decades and served as Arts & Entertainment Editor before purchasing the company from founder Brett Dickerson in 2026.
He is also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
