Florentino Subia, LSC Board Member, Dies on 75th Birthday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Florentino "Lico" Subia, a member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation since 2003, died March 5 in El Paso, Texas, where he made his home. It was his 75th birthday.

Appointed to the LSC board by President George W. Bush, Subia was known for his dedication to motorcycles and good deeds. In 1978, he combined the two by founding the Iron Horses Motorcycle Club. It raised money for local charities such as the Reach for the Stars Foundation, which helps individuals with cystic fibrosis and their families.

Subia started riding motorcycles at 14, when he began working at Western Union as a messenger to support his 10 siblings and ailing father. At 21, he volunteered to fight for his country in the Korean War, where he was captured and sent to a POW camp, from which he escaped. He returned to the United States and his job at Western Union in 1953.

Motorcycles brought Subia and President Bush together. After Subia's 21-year old son and namesake died in an accident, he memorialized him with a mural that depicted two Harleys in the back of a pickup truck, heading toward the beach. The local attraction eventually caught the attention of then-Texas First Lady Laura Bush and ultimately Governor George W. Bush.

LSC President Helaine M. Barnett said, "Lico's heart was as big as the open roads he loved to travel on his motorcycles. He had an abundance of common sense as well. I know that I speak for the entire legal services community when I say he will be missed."

Subia is survived by his wife, Mickie Subia, and four children: Cheryl, Alex, Theresa and Ricardo. He was also a grandfather and great-grandfather. Subia will be buried at the Fort Bliss Cemetery in El Paso, Texas.