Like the flower she was nicknamed for, Susana Alemán ’84 ensured the continued growth of something beautiful.
Alemán—a triple Longhorn, Texas Law alumna, former law school assistant dean of student affairs, and “Sunflower Lady” to the multitudes who loved her—passed away on March 21, 2025.
The Edinburg-born and proud “Rio Grande Valley Girl” was gifted a respect for education by her parents. “I was fascinated by my civics class, and I also loved serving on the student council and playing drums in the marching band,” she said. Alemán graduated at the top of her high school class in Falfurrias, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education at The University of Texas at Austin, enjoyed a successful teaching career, and then enrolled at Texas Law.
That ultimate decision connected her love of civics with her desire to become an administrator in higher education. “During my final year of law school, they announced that the school’s assistant dean for student affairs was planning to retire, and I knew I wanted that position,” Alemán said in 2023.
She got the job—and then a nickname: the Sunflower Lady. During her 22 years as an assistant dean, Alemán took to the Texas fields to gather sunflowers for the law school’s Sunflower Ceremony, a tradition in which a sunflower is pinned to the lapels of graduates.
Several years ago, Texas Law shared that Alemán told the Daily Texan in 1995 how she had become “obsessed” with sunflowers. “My office is full of sunflower stuff that students bring me,” Alemán said. “I’ve read a book about them. I look for fields everywhere. I drive everyone who rides with me crazy because I have to stop if I see even a yellow flower.”
Giving Back
Each sunflower produces hundreds of seeds, spreading beauty into future generations. Alemán was no different.
“To whom much is given, much is expected,” Alemán urged lawyers during an appearance on the Austin Bar Association’s “Council of Firsts” podcast. “And frankly, to me, it’s almost a moral obligation to give back somehow, someway.”
Alemán found many avenues for giving back. During her two decades at Texas Law, Alemán counseled thousands of law students and helped organize school events, including Parents’ Day and the Sunflower Ceremony.
Through the Texas Exes, Alemán created the Alemán-Wilson Challenge Grant Scholarship, named in honor of her mother, father, sister, and uncle. She also allocated a gift in her estate to create the Dean Alemán Sunflower Lawhorn Scholarship—an investment in future generations of law students.
‘Law School Mom’
Her efforts are recalled warmly by Texas Law alumni. “Susana was a wonderful law school mom to me and other Latino students while I was there,” says Omar Ochoa ’11, of the Omar Ochoa Law Firm in McAllen. “She will be missed.”
“She was always so dear to me and I’m sure to everyone else. I fondly recall watching her dancing at an event and she looked so happy. May she rest in peace,” says Veronica Gonzales ’91, senior vice president of governmental and community relations for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg and McAllen.
A Longhorn for life, a mentor to countless students, an inspiration to all those who need support, and a genuine friend.
Professor John Dzienkowski
“Dean Susana Alemán was a mentor and an inspiration. She helped me, and the law school, in many ways and was our sunflower,” says Pat Barrera ’90, managing partner of Barrera & Associates in El Segundo, California.
Her colleagues also reflected on the loss of Alemán. “A Longhorn for life, a mentor to countless students, an inspiration to all those who need support, and a genuine friend,” says Professor John Dzienkowski, Dean John F. Sutton, Jr. Chair in Lawyering and the Legal Process.
“Susana held large birthday parties during the milestone years of 60, 65, and 70 and these parties would attract her law school classmates, her former students, her work colleagues, her South Texas friends, and her religious community,” Dzienkowski says. “Susana was a big supporter of athletics and at her 65th birthday, the Silver Spurs brought Bevo to celebrate with the guests.”
“We will miss her terribly,” he says.
Ongoing Legacy
Alemán’s legacy continues to blossom. In the wake of her passing, Rene Gonzalez ’90, executive counsel for Exxon Mobil Corp. in Spring, Texas, committed to a full-tuition Pipeline Program scholarship named for Alemán, who was an ambassador for the program since its inception. (Gonzalez, who originally met Alemán when he worked for her as an undergraduate, is also on the board of trustees for the Law School Foundation.) The program prepares aspirants from low-income families or first-generation backgrounds to become successful law school candidates.
“I’m a dreamer. Don Quixote is my hero,” Alemán said in her podcast interview with host Amanda Arriaga ’04, former president of the Austin Bar Association. “The impossible dream is possible, and if it’s not, you know—shoot for the stars. You may not hit them, but you can at least hit the ceiling,” Alemán said. “That’s been my philosophy.”
Friends of Susana Alemán can donate to her scholarship.