The Official Dedication
Dr. Carl and Bunny Jean Raba
Elementary School
November 5, 2000
Engineering
for Success
C arl and Bunny Jean Raba became actively involved in Northside ISD over 30
years ago when their family of five children began attending Thunderbird Hills
Elementary School (now Powell ES), Sul Ross Middle School, and Holmes and
Marshall High Schools. They remain active today, leading the Northside Education
Foundation’s $1 million endowment Development Drive.
Beginning with PTA membership at their children’s elementary school, the Rabas’
participation and interest in the District increased to the point that Dr. Carl Raba was
elected as a Trustee in 1973. He served on the Board for nine years (1973-1982),
serving as secretary in 1973, building committee chairman from 1973 to 1975, and
President of the Board for six years from 1975 to 1981. During that time, voters passed
two of the largest bond issues in NISD history. One of the Raba’s most successful
Northside initiatives was “Right to Read,” a reading curriculum that included extensive
parental involvement in children’s reading at an early age and hiring reading specialists
for all Northside Schools.
In 1968, Carl and Bunny Jean Raba founded Raba-Kistner Consultants, Inc., a major
engineering and environmental firm with offices in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico.
Bunny Jean retired as President and Chief Executive Officer of the firm in January, 2000.
Raba-Kistner Consultants, Inc. has been involved in many of the history-making projects
in San Antonio such as USAA, the Alamodome, the University of Texas at San Antonio,
the South Texas Medical Center, Frost Bank Tower and most of the major high rise
buildings in San Antonio. They are currently working on the SBC Arena, the new home
of the San Antonio Spurs. Because of the Rabas’ interest in and commitment to
education, they have endowed three scholarships and a lecture series in civil
engineering at Texas A & M University, Carl Raba’s alma mater. They also gave 16
math-science teacher training grants fo