Longtime El Paso special education teacher’s legacy lives on with tiny library

EL PASO, Texas -- It’s the story of a Socorro Independent School District special education teacher whose name and legacy will be present at the school where he taught for many years to come after his death.

Richard Collier worked at Elfida P. Chavez Elementary School for 16 years as a special education teacher and was always interested in serving his students.

But that came to a sudden end when complications for a stroke in 2019 took Collier's life.

He loved reading to his children and that gave his family the inspiration to honor his passion.

"So we thought, what can we do with books? And we decided to create this library," explained Veronica Collier in talking about the unveiling of the new little free library at the school dedicated to memory of her husband.

The concept is for students to come grab a book of their interest and then leave another one in its place. It's an idea the school received with open arms.

"I'm grateful to the family for coming up with this idea. And I think that for many years, it allows Richard's legacy to live on," said Principal Rosemary Yates.

You can learn more about the library by clicking here.