Richard V. Francaviglia  was a speaker at two of the Mayor Lori DeLuca Administration Open Space Symposiums offered to local residents and other communities across the State, U.S. and Mexico.  He is a cultural geographer who has long studied the Western landscape and Western development.  Francaviglia became professor emeritus of history and geography at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2008. He is especially interested in the way cultures and places change through time and how that change is depicted in maps, literature, art and film. 

          He now represents Geo-Graphic Designs in Salem, Ore., where he conducts private research and helps organizations develop proposals and secure outside funding for innovative projects. He recently began teaching courses in religious studies at Willamette University in Oregon.  As an author, Fracaviglia has penned ten books.