By DAWN HOBBS
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Esther Bueno Taboada never made it to her graduation in February 1992.

The 26-year-old mother of two was killed the night before.
Now, 10 years later, Geronima Bueno will finally receive her daughter's diploma.

The story of Esther's death was featured in a three-day News-Press series on unsolved homicides last week. Her husband, Mario Soto Taboada, is wanted for the murder. Santa Barbara detectives believe he is hiding out in Santa Teresa, Guerrero, in Mexico.

The article told how Mrs. Bueno was still upset because she hadn't yet received her daughter's diploma. However, Mrs. Bueno mistakenly thought she attended Westmont College, instead of Santa Barbara Business College.

After reading about the misunderstanding, business college officials decided to do something about the diploma. In two weeks, they will present it to Esther's mother at a regularly scheduled graduation ceremony.

Mrs. Bueno also learned that the business college showed a memorial video about Esther at the 1992 graduation and that college officials started the Esther Bueno Taboada Award the same year.

Esther's mother is touched that her daughter has been remembered.

"I thought her diploma was lost," Mrs. Bueno said. "Her daughters are very excited that they will be able to keep it with the rest of her stuff and remember her."

Vanessa Bueno, 15, added "I wish my mom was here to see how Angelica and I are growing up. We miss her a lot."

The award is given to students like Esther.

"The award is a recognition for students who have overcome tremendous obstacles and managed to graduate," said Judith Herrick, an instructor and registrar. "Esther entered our school as an 'Ability to Benefit' student because she had no high school diploma or GED."

Esther studied for weeks to prepare for the college's entrance exam.

"She passed, began taking classes and was able to finish them despite a lack of support from her husband," said Ms. Herrick. "In fact, he didn't even want her to attend school."

Ms. Herrick described Esther was a conscientious student: "She was eager to learn despite the difficulties she faced."

Esther had taken her girls, who were 3 and 9 then, and moved out of the home they shared with her reportedly abusive husband two weeks before she was killed.

After graduation, she planned to take her diploma and look for a job that would pay better than what she received as a Sears credit clerk.

Instead, when she got off work that night, she momentarily got into her husband's truck and, police said, he stabbed her in the neck. Esther stumbled across the parking lot to the automotive bay where she cried out: "My husband did this to me!" She collapsed and died only minutes later.