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Angel Arroyo

A photo of Angel Arroyo

Born in Puerto Rico and coming to Lorain in 1955, Angel was a Spanish-speaking student for most of his youth. With the assistance of Lorain City School's extra English courses, Angel became a proficient English speaker. Mrs. Kingsley, a 12th grade English teacher, introduced Angel to many historical books that he became a finalist in the world history competition for the school. In 1970, Angel graduated from Admiral King High School in the top 1% of his class. He earned a certificate for his scholastic and extra activities, such as being recognized for his four years in track and student government, and was elected as the vice president of the senior class. He has fond memories of the daily school bus adventures from South Lorain to the school and appreciated the integrated and diversified classmates of the school.

Angel continued his education by receiving a Business Administration, Finance, and Accounting degree from Cleveland State University in 1974, a law degree from Cleveland State—Marshall Law School in 1977, completion of the Leadership Development Program from DePaul University, and is continuing his legal education on a yearly basis.

Angel has been a strong advocate for Hispanic issues and social justice for all. He was appointed by Governor Rhodes and Representative Camera to the Ohio Spanish Speaking Commission and served as its president in its inception. He was elected to the Lorain City Council from 1980-88 serving on Police, Finance, and Social Service Commit-tees. He is the past president of Acción Latina (a community foundation) which provided to the community Hispanic Month, cultural awareness, educational and social events, religious activities, and athletic events. He was also a very active member of Sacred Heart Chapel of Lorain as a Eucharistic Minister, a member of Parish Council, and a mentor in the Marriage Encounter Programs. His family and religious devotion guided him to promote the Decency Law which was passed by the electorate of Lorain. He coordinated many interactive activities with El Centro, Lorain City Schools, Lorain County Community College, and was a member of the Rotary Club, Lions Club, Jaycee Club, and board member of many groups such as Lucy Idol and Visiting Nurses.

Angel's professional career has always been dedicated to the underserved members of the community. He was the first Puerto Rican attorney to practice in Lorain County when he started with the law firm of Kolczun, Bradley, & Burge, and then his own practice with Norm Beller in South Lorain for 11 years. In 1987, he became a bankruptcy specialist for GM-UAW Legal Services of Flint, Michigan. From 1988-2018, he was a federal attorney with Department of Housing and Urban Development as Chief Counsel for Ohio Region. He reviewed construction loans and refinancing of over a billion dollars in single family and multi-family buildings and community projects. He currently has a private practice in trust, will, and probate.

Angel has been married to Cookie Arroyo for 43 years. They are the parents of four adult children who all attended Lorain City Schools: Angel, Jr. (SVHS, Class of 2002); Amelia (AKHS, Class of 2003); Analisa (AKHS, Class of 2004); and Alex (SVHS, Class of 2005); and has six lovely grandchildren.

Angel Arroyo's Induction Speech