Austin's higher-education world has lost one of its quiet giants. Exalton Alfonso Delco Jr., a pillar of the city's college community and a widely respected science educator, has died at 96. For decades he blended laboratory research with campus leadership and program building, and he was widely credited with expanding college access for East Austin students. He and his wife, Wilhelmina Delco, formed a civic partnership long linked with education and public service in the city.
Delco “transitioned into his heavenly home” on December 3, 2025, at age 96, according to an obituary posted by his family on Legacy. The notice lists visitation, funeral liturgies at Holy Cross Catholic Church in East Austin, and interment at Assumption Cemetery. The family's memorial page asks that donations be directed to a Delco Scholarship Fund at Huston‑Tillotson University and includes service dates and times. Friends and former colleagues left remembrances on the site through mid-December.
A Campus Leader And Program Builder
Before arriving in Austin, Delco taught biology at Texas Southern University. He later joined Huston‑Tillotson, where he spent roughly 25 years and moved into academic administration. He launched the university's first Upward Bound program and went on to serve as vice president for academic affairs until his retirement in 1985, a tenure that helped broaden the college pipeline for East Austin students, according to the Austin American‑Statesman. After leaving Huston‑Tillotson he took on leadership roles at Austin Community College and later worked with higher-education partners across the region.
A Scholar Of Fish And Fieldwork
Delco earned a master's degree from the University of Michigan and completed his doctorate in ichthyology at the University of Texas. In his UT research, he used sound-recording methods in field studies to analyze mating-call interference in shiner fishes. A UT College of Natural Sciences feature on early Black graduate degree-holders notes that he began his doctoral work in 1957 and finished in 1962, and that his research received recognition from the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. University records also show that he later served on UT's Commission of 125, a panel charged with envisioning the institution's future.
Boards, Faith And Local Service
Off campus, Delco lent his time and expertise to a long list of local nonprofits and civic bodies, including the American Cancer Society, the Austin Urban League, Salvation Army advisory groups and mental-health organizations. He remained active in Holy Cross Catholic Church and in fraternal and civic groups. His life and work drew renewed public attention this week in a retrospective published by the Austin American‑Statesman, where peers described him as an exacting organizer and a steady mentor to students and younger administrators.
Services, Memorials And Family
Visitation, a funeral Mass and a celebration of life were held at Holy Cross Catholic Church, with interment at Assumption Cemetery, according to the family's obituary. He is survived by his wife, Wilhelmina Delco, who served on the Austin school board and represented parts of Austin in the Texas House, along with four children, 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, according to the family's memorial on Legacy and related biographical sources. The family asked that gifts in his honor be directed to the Delco Scholarship Fund at Huston‑Tillotson University, with contact details available on the obituary page.
