Del Rio Grande 0617 by Del Rio News Herald

JUNE 2017

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON Four Del Rio sons follow in their fathersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; footsteps

PICTURE PERFECT 4-H photogs give us their best shots

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GRANDE / JUNE 2017

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GRANDE / JUNE 2017

FROM THE EDITOR

THANKS, PAPA

GENERAL MANAGER/ ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Sandra Castillo INTERIM EDITOR Karen Gleason WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Karen Gleason Brian Argabright Bonita Santillan Megan Tackett SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Perry Frost - Rebel Lens Photography ADVERTISING Ashley Lopez Albert Treviño Adriana Fuentes EDITORIAL karen.gleason@delrionewsherald.com 830-775-1551, Ext. 300 ADVERTISING sandra.castillo@delrionewsherald.com 830-775-1551, Ext. 245 STORY IDEAS karen.gleason@delrionewsherald.com

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Del Rio Grande is published by the Del Rio News-Herald. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without written permission of the publisher. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher of this magazine. Editorial and advertising does not constitute advice but is considered informative.

early everything I know, I learned from my father. He introduced me to nearly everything I love and cherish: art, music, words, words, words. My father, Dr. Hans Otto Oscar Zenner, Papa, to me, was a librarian by profession, and some of the happiest memories of my childhood are of those Saturday mornings when I was allowed to accompany him to the college library where he worked. He would find an empty student carrel or teacher conference room and leave me with a ream of blank paper and an old Underwood typewriter or a fistful of pens and pencils. I had hours to roam the dim, silent stacks, where, it seemed, all the accumulated knowledge of the world sat in neat rows on gray metal shelves. At the end of the day, I would leave the library with an armload of books I’d selected, possibly the only 10-yearold in Greenville, Pa., with a student library card for the college there. My father was also a gifted linguist and historian and a brilliant musician and as his child, I reaped the benefit of his near-encyclopedic knowledge in all those fields. But perhaps the most important gift I received from my father was the love of stories, of hearing them told, in telling my own. It is one of the great and unalloyed joys of my adult life that my father took great pride in the fact that I was a journalist. Fathers are the focus of this month’s issue, and we’d like you to meet four who inspired their sons so much that they went into the same professions as their dads. We also take a peek into the life and likes of Del Rio’s Leroy Briones in this month’s “Closet Confidential” and find out some surprising things about former Del Rio Mayor and current Val Verde County Judge Efrain Valdez in “20 Things.” Brian Argabright talks to Ric Smith, a real-life “Mister Mom,” and we bring you the stunning, creative work of the young people in the Val Verde County 4-H Photography Program. Happy Father’s Day! Please enjoy!

Karen Gleason Grande Interim Editor

GRANDE / JUNE 2017

CONTENTS

JUNE 2017

CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL

Bill Cauthorn, Sid Cauthorn

4-H photographers capture the world

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

Leroy Briones’ style inspires confidence

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

Bobby Hernandez, Estevan Hernandez

David Harrison, Robert Harrison

10 LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON Bobby Hernandez, Estevan Hernandez

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON Filemon Ortiz, F. David Ortiz

28 AT HOME WITH...

PICTURE PERFECT

40 MISTER MOM Ric Smith on raising his two daughters

44 20 THINGS

Russell Stidham

Surprising facts about Val Verde County Judge Efrain Valdez

ON OUR COVER

FACES OF DEL RIO

Sean St. Germain on Doin’ the Dad Thing

Father’s Day 2017

ON THE COVER: Sean St. Germain, father, contract security officer and fitness fanatic, poses in Del Rio’s Buena Vista Park with his daughter, Kayden, 8. St. Germain said keeping fit began as a natural outgrowth of his work as a military and civilian police officer and have continued as he enters the world of fitness modeling. Photo by Karen Gleason.

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CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL Story and photos by MEGAN TACKETT

“I wear a suit every day and am very meticulous about how I wear it.”

Sunset Memorial Oaks Funeral Director Leroy Briones says attention to detail is the stamp to his signature style. The Del Rio native never wears red and prefers a more subtle approach to his daily attire.

Leroy Briones Leroy Briones, Del Rio native and Dallas Institute of Funeral Service graduate, works as funeral director at Sunset Memorial Oaks funeral home. His position requires sincerity, care and attention to detail, which are the same principles he applies to his wardrobe every day. The father of five maintains an impeccable professional appearance whether he’s assisting with funeral arrangements or running errands around town.

GRANDE / JUNE 2017

Briones and his wife Nelly welcomed Laylee Isabella into the world last year.

Ray Bans The Ray Bans are vintage. I bought them at a pawn shop--I think it was in San Antonio.

Shoes These Aldos I found on Instagram. The other pair is a rare purchase. I bought them at an upscale shoe place in Houston. They had been at the store forever, they used them on mannequins so they’re kind of vintage.

Pen I have a Mont Blanc Starwalker pen and a fountain pen. These are my daily tools I use for work.

Cufflinks My cufflinks are Tommy Hilfiger. I bought them in Dallas. I own 15 pairs of cufflinks and these are my favorites.

Fashion Philosophy Overall presentation is very important in the funeral business. I put a lot of thought into what I wear. I never wear anything that’s loud, and I never wear anything that might distract them from why they’re here. What we try to do is show the utmost respect and professionalism for every person we have and the way for me to do that is to clean myself up and dress as best as I can. When you see me it’s not because you have to. You’re not coming in voluntarily but because you have to make these arrangements. Attention to Detail I am always very cautious of my hands because people tend to look at my hands when I’m making arrangements and the last thing anyone wants to see is dirty fingernails. I wear a suit every day and

am very meticulous about how I wear it. I will get to tailored two or three times. I’ll buy it and get it tailored initially and then I’ll take it back for adjustments. Favorite Designers I do Kenneth Cole, Ralph Lauren and custom suits. I do everything in a suit. I’ll wash a a car in a suit. I’ll dig a hole in a suit. If I have to go to the cemetery and move dirt around, I’m in a suit. Style Icons I like Andy Garcia, every movie he comes out in he’s dressed very clean. Marc Anthony and Antonio Banderas. I like the suits they wear, their look is clean cut. And Pitbull. I like Pitbull’s color combinations and style and the thought that goes into his suits.

Briones pictured with his and Nelly’s six year old twins Lea Bella and Leroy Jr.

Best Place to Bargain Shop There’s a place in San Antonio called Too Good To Be Threw. It’s an upscale consignment store. Fashion Faux Pas You’re not going to see me wearing a Rolex and diamond earrings. You’ll never see me wearing anything flashy. Our industry calls for a certain level of presentation. Anything above that people think, Oh my goodness I’m making arrangements and he has, a Rolex, how am I going to be able to afford this?” When I go out to a community function I can’t go in flip flops. This is a small town, there’s no room for error. We are always scrutinized by the way we look. It doesn’t apply just being on the clock.

•

GRANDE / JUNE 2017

Del Rio Fire Department Deputy Chief David Harrison, left, and his son, DRFD Firefighter Robert Harrison pose with one of the fire department engines at the Northside Fire Station on Amistad Boulevard, where Robert is stationed. David has been a member of the DRFD for 25 years, and Robert has been with the department for 10 years.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

Contributed photo/David Harrison Del Rio Fire Department Firefighter Robert Harrison on the day of his entrance examination, an ordeal every firefighter for the city goes through. The exam includes both academics and a strenuous physical challenge.

GRANDE / JUNE 2017

INTO THE FIRE Story and by KAREN GLEASON photos by KAREN GLEASON, THE HARRISON FAMILY

Contributed photo/David Harrison Del Rio Fire Department Deputy Chief David Harrison as a lieutenant in the department in the late 1990s.

ome people know what they want to do with their lives early on, while others come to their careers almost . . . accidentally. Neither David Harrison, the soft-spoken deputy chief of the Del Rio Fire Department, nor his son Robert, who has spent the last 10 years as a rank-and-file firefighter, knew at the start of their working lives that they would land at the DRFD. David Harrison, born and raised in Del Rio, has been with the DRFD a little more than 25 years. “I had traveled a little bit; my mom remarried someone in the Air Force, and we traveled because of that, but I came back to Del Rio to graduate,” Harrison said, adding he didn’t have a clear idea of what he wanted to do after he’d earned his high school diploma. He joined the Army, where he served for two years. “I did some odds and ends, I guess you’d call them, then started doing seismic exploration for oilfields, and – although I couldn’t tell you right now how long I did that because I worked for quite a few different companies – during that time, I got married and had a family and started wanting to get back home to Del Rio,” he said. David married Connie Copple, and the two have three children, Robert, 33; Michael, 30; and Justin, 27. “I was making pretty good money in the oilfields, but I was tired of never being home and being around my family. When I came back to Del Rio in 1991, the first application I picked up was for the fire department, but it was a six-month-long process before I was actually hired. I left a job making $50,000 a year, in ’91, and started here at the fire department at $15,000 a year. I got my last unemployment check two weeks before I got my first paycheck from the city,” David said. Even today, Harrison said he isn’t exactly sure why he picked the fire department: its strenuous physical qualifications, academic testing, a job that calls on its members to risk their lives for the lives and property of strangers. “I don’t think there was an appeal. It happened, and I got on, and I enjoyed the work and decided to stay,” Harrison said. But you don’t stay in a job you don’t love for a quarter of a century. “I like that it’s different every day. You never have two days the same,” he said. “I was a little older than most when I started. I was 33 years old. I still miss going out to fires. There are some aspects of being a firefighter I don’t miss, like getting up at three o’clock in the morning to go unlock somebody’s car, but the firefighting, yeah, that was fun. I almost hate to say that, because it sounds like you’re enjoying yourself at someone else’s expense, but I don’t know how to put it any other way,” he said. Robert is the second of the Harrisons’ three children. Like David, he was born and raised in Del Rio.

“When I was 19, I re-enrolled myself at the high school because I had been homeschooled and was going to transfer my credits, but they didn’t recognize any of my schooling that had been done at home, so I would have had to start over almost from zero, so I left the school again, but I continued working,” Robert said. Robert, who said he had been working since he was 16, decided to forego the return to school and focus on work, though he said he had no real idea at the time in what direction that decision might take him. “My first job was installing fire prevention systems, working with John Atnipp. I enjoyed playing music. I had been working at Sonic and did a seven-day stint at Applebee’s. I worked at Blockbuster and whenever John needed help installing a fire system, I’d do that. I worked for security at Walmart, and I also worked for three years as a corrections officer at GEO (detention center),” Robert said. When he went to work for GEO, Robert said, he had already filled out an application and completed the entry examination requirements to become a firefighter. When GEO staff asked where he saw himself in five years, “I told them, ‘At the fire department’,” Robert said. But the list of qualified candidates expired before a position at the department opened, so Robert re-tested and eventually received his notice to go to work for the DRFD. He said at the time much of the decision to apply for the fire department dealt with pay. “I wasn’t married, didn’t have kids, and it was something different, something that paid a little bit more, because I enjoyed working corrections. I still miss that sometimes,” Robert said. Robert has been a member of the DRFD since 2007 and serves in the position of firefighter. Robert said he enjoys the work for the same reasons given by his father. “It’s always different. I dislike the same things, getting up in the middle of the night, but there is a lot of job security. I like the amount of time we work. Even working a 24-hour shift, you get the 48 hours off, so that’s always been nice. It’s your Monday every time you go to work, but it’s also your Friday,” he said. Robert is engaged to Vanessa Ramirez, and he has four children, Zoe, 9; Molly, 6; Alice, 3; and Arya, six months. The younger Harrison said much of the work at the fire department revolves around maintaining readiness. “Even when you’re asleep here at night, you don’t fully get to sleep. You’ll wake up, and you’re exhausted because you train yourself not to get into that deep sleep, because you’re expecting and waiting for that phone to ring, and you’ll go home – even if you didn’t have a call that entire shift – you’ll go home and you’re dragging because you don’t rest while you’re here,” he said. •

GRANDE / JUNE 2017

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

THE BOYS IN BLUE Story and photos by KAREN GLEASON

ometimes you have to laugh so you don’t cry. Del Rio Police Department Lt. Robert “Bobby” Hernandez said smiling often and treating everyone he meets with respect have been his philosophies for more than two decades as a police officer, and he has passed that same worldview to his son Estevan, who joined the DRPD less than two years ago. Lt. Robert “Bobby” Hernandez was born and raised in Del Rio, graduated from Del Rio High School and joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served three years. Hernandez said the poor living conditions he found in the Corps factored in his decision to leave and return to Del Rio after a three-year hitch. “I felt everybody should serve, one way or another,” he said. After returning to Del Rio,

Hernandez worked a series of jobs, including accounting and working at Laughlin Air Force Base. “I caught my boss, a contractor there at the time, stealing money, filing bogus invoices, and I reported it to his boss in San Antonio, and I’m the one who got fired,” Hernandez said. In 1995, he applied for a job with the police department. He was hired and successfully completed the Del Rio Police Department Academy. Asked why he decided to apply for the police department, the elder Hernandez laughed, “I needed a job. I applied with the DPS (Texas Department of Public

Photos contributed by Bobby Hernandez DRPD Lt. Bobby Hernandez pins a peace officer shield to the uniform of his son, Estevan Hernandez, when after the younger Hernandez graduated from the police academy.

GRANDE / JUNE 2017

Safety), but they wanted experience. I’ve always liked the thought of being in law enforcement,” Hernandez said. “I always tell my son, treat everyone with respect. You have a gun and a badge, and you have the authority to deprive someone of their liberty, but treat people with respect, let them vent, and you’ll be surprised. Every day try to help people,” he said. Hernandez said he has been on the DRPD now for 21 years and his experience has been that, the majority of the time, treating people with respect pays off. “That, and I’m always laughing. I’d rather try to

DRPD Sgt. Bobby Hernandez salutes a U.S. flag held by held by his son Estevan during a 9/11 tribute at the start of a Del Rio High School Rams football game on Friday, Sept. 11, 2009. The flag was carried in a jet that flew a combat mission over Iraq and donated to the DRPD by Del Rioan Michael Gleason, who was working in Kirkuk, Iraq, at the time.

defuse the situation than try and escalate it. Yeah, there’s times when you’ve got to take charge and say, ‘Enough or stop that or drop that, put the shovel down.’ Yes, there’s times you have to do that, but for the most part, I like talking to people,” Hernandez said. But the job is difficult, especially interviews in sexual assaults and in the deaths of children. Hernandez said one of the cases that stays with him is the interview he did with a mother accused of killing her infant son. “She confessed, she bonded out, and she went to Mexico,” Hernandez said. Another case he remembers is the case of a four-year-old girl who died after falling out of a second story window of a residence off North Main Street. “On my first shift there was a

Brothers in blue: Apolonio Hernandez, Estevan Hernandez and Robert “Bobby” Hernandez all serve their community behind the DRPD badge.

Photo by Karen Gleason Del Rio Police Department Lt. Robert “Bobby” Hernandez, right, and his son, DRPD Officer Estevan Hernandez, pose in front of the U.S. flag in the training room at the police station. The elder Hernandez has been a member of the DRPD for 25 years. His son Estevan joined the department less than two years ago.

drowning in the park. That there really affected me. Brand new on the job. That really stayed with me,” Hernandez said. But despite the difficulties, he said the career has been rewarding and fulfilling. “If you can go home at the end of the day, scraped up, whatever. If you can go home, it’s a good day,” he said. Estevan Hernandez, also a native Del Rioan, graduated from high school in 2010. He said he had played football in high school and thought hard about joining the military after graduation. “Then in February of 2010, I got a phone call from Texas

Lutheran University. ‘Hey, we want you to come play football over here.’ And I said, ‘You know what? I think I’m going to go play.’ I had a couple of other offers, too. . . I went over there, liked the campus and Seguin, the feel was a lot like Del Rio, so I decided to go to school there,” Estevan said. The younger Hernandez earned a degree in sociology, with minors in criminal justice and psychology. “Watching my dad as I grew up, being around his coworkers, I always thought law enforcement was a profession I’d like to do, probably ever since middle school,” he said.

“As a kid, he told me, ‘I want to be a police officer’,” Bobby said, adding, “But I told him not to. It’s dangerous.” “He has no faith in me,” Estevan joked. “No, I didn’t want you to go through some of the things that I went through. As a parent, you always want better for your child,” Bobby said. Estevan said his desire to become a police officer, at its core, was a desire to help other people and to be of service. “You know that every day, you’re going to be dealing with people on their worst day. . . So hear them out, sometimes they just want to vent,” he said.

Robert admits to worrying about his son. “My first day, we had an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon arrest, up there on Kennedy, and on my second day, there was a chase, a stolen vehicle out of Uvalde,” Estevan grinned. Bobby said he did not give his son advice while Estevan was going through the academy, though he said people believed he did. “Now, he’ll come and ask me,” Bobby said. “He helps me look at it in a different way. He says take a step back and look at the whole picture,” Estevan said. •

GRANDE / JUNE 2017

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LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

LEGAL EAGLES Story and photos by BONITA SANTILLAN

GRANDE / JUNE 2017

ather and son, Filemon and F. David Ortiz, have been working side by side at their law firm, Ortiz & Ortiz PC, for more than 19 years. For Filemon, his interest in law began while he was teaching San Felipe High School and noticed that a legal seminar was being offered for minorities who might be interested in going to law school. “Before, I think we had very little knowledge about what law school would be like,” Filemon said. After graduating from Texas Southern University School of Law in 1974, Filemon began practicing law in Houston for three years before he moved to Del Rio and became the city attorney in 1977 for five years. Although many assume that Filemon influenced David’s choice of career, that wasn’t the case. “It’s kind of strange how things work when you look back

and see how God places opportunities in your life,” David said. While in college at The University of Texas, David was undecided on his career path. His national merit scholar college roommate was a pre-law student who convinced him to take the LSAT and attend classes with him. “I went to law school, and the subject matter, the topics, the thought process, it really excited me,” David said. David graduated in 1995 from Texas Southern University School of Law. After working in San Antonio for a year, he gets a call from Filemon asking him what he thought about working in Del Rio. “I saw it as a great opportunity, always wanted to come back to Del Rio,” David said. As father and son, the aspect of family makes discussing financial related issues easier. “You’re close and you know each other, and you have confidence to ask the other person about situations you’re confronted with,” Filemon said. Filemon takes most of the responsibility for the financial matters.

“The bottom line is we’re a business,” David said. “If there’s an issue, we talk about it and straighten it out. But the main thing is when you have someone who has much more experience in any situation, it’s always nice to be able to lean on them.” Despite the challenges that come with being a lawyer, Filemon and David have reaped the benefits from their partnership. They have a continual exchange in ideas and experience. “What one person’s lacking, the other one can help and vice versa,” David said. As father and son, their mutual passion for the subject has driven their business as they take on each challenge effectively and efficiently. “It’s kind of strange how things work when you look back on it and see how God places opportunities in your life,” David said. “Sometimes other people see a talent in you that you don’t see yourself.” •

GRANDE / JUNE 2017

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

MONEY MOGULS Story by KAREN GLEASON

Contributed photo/Sid Cauthorn Bill Cauthorn, left, gives his son some words of encouragement during Del Rio High School football practice in 1980. Love of sports is a recurring theme in the Cauthorn family.

Contributed photo/Sid Cauthorn Bill Cauthorn and his sons, Sid and Guy, on a hunting trip in 1988.

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he names of Bill Cauthorn and Sid Cauthorn have been synonymous with The Bank and Trust for decades. William “Bill” Cauthorn, the son of an old Val Verde County ranching family, was born and raised in Del Rio. “I was born in Del Rio, and we lived on a ranch in Juno,” Bill said of his early years. Cauthorn attended and graduated from Texas A&M University, where he played football for gridiron legend Bear Bryant. “That’s going to be the most interesting part of this story for people,” Sid joked. “I practiced for Coach Bryant,” Bill said drily. Bill said after he graduated from A&M, he and his wife Kay moved to Milwaukee, Wisc., where he worked for Ingersoll Rand. Sid was born there, and the Cauthorns returned to Del Rio in 1965, after the birth of their second son, Guy. After he’d returned to Del Rio, Bill said, a friend approached him and asked him if he’d like to go to work at a bank. “I went to work at the old Del Rio National. I guess this was in about ’64, ’65, and I worked there for three years,” Bill said. He says today it was a career field he’d never considered as a younger man. “I just wanted to figure out a way to earn a reasonable living, so I worked for the Del Rio National Bank, and after three years, I got an opportunity to move across the street to the Bank and Trust, and I’ve been here ever since,” the elder Cauthorn said. At that time, the Bank and Trust was located in the building on South Main Street that currently houses the Falcon Bank. “If you go in the vault down there, it says Del Rio Bank and Trust Company. There’s a safe in there that says Del Rio Bank and Trust Company on it,” Sid said.

At the bank, Bill said he worked “in the front office.” “There was a line of offices, and I was in the last one, and I gradually worked my way up the line. I started out as a loan officer,” Bill said. Bill began work at the Del Rio National Bank as a loan officer, but was offered the position of bank president when he moved to the Bank and Trust. “Shannon Hospital out of San Angelo owned the Bank and Trust at the time,” Sid said. “Since then the government changed the rules and said since it was charitable organization, it couldn’t own a financial institution,” he added. In the early 1970s, a group of investors led by Jack Crosby, a Del Rioan living in Austin at the time and which also included Bill Cauthorn, bought the Bank and Trust from Shannon Hospital. “They were all local investors, a lot of names you’d recognize: Jim Bob Altizer, Jack Moore, Will F. Whitehead,” Sid said. Bill said he decided to become part of the group that bought the bank because he had grown to enjoy the banking business. “I’ve liked being able to help people that needed help, to treat people with courtesy and to be able to show them that you cared about them,” Bill said. “Being in this business and helping organizations like Loaves and Fishes. I’ve never been on the chamber of commerce board, but I’ve tried to help people take care of themselves and to make friends,” Bill said. Sid was born in 1962 and said he learned about the banking business mostly through osmosis. “This is no secret, and I’ve told people for years, I learned to be banker at dinner every night,” Sid said with a laugh. “Dad would come home, and we’d all sit down to dinner, my mom, my brother, my dad and me, really every night unless we had

a sporting event, Mom would cook dinner, and Guy and I really weren’t engaged in the conversation, but we’d be sitting there, and Dad would say, ‘This and that and the other,’ and I kind of absorbed it all that way.” Sid also remembers one of his first experiences with the business of banking. “I wanted a bicycle, and Dad said, ‘You can have a bicycle, but you have to work for it,’ so I took a job at the bank downtown, probably in ’71 or ’72, in the vault, rolling coins. Wanda Mayfield and Janice Campbell took me in there, and I rolled pennies and nickels and dimes . . . That was a fun job, back when a penny meant something,” Sid said. Sid recalls the coin-rolling gig as his first job and said it helped teach him early that you need to work for what you want. “It taught me I wasn’t going to get handed anything,” he said. When did he know he would follow in his father’s footsteps? “I don’t know if there was ever a day that I really said, ‘This is for me.’ After I graduated from A&M, I went to work for the Texas Department of Banking as a bank examiner in Houston and loved living in Houston and loved working as a bank examiner, but I knew I didn’t want to do that forever,” Sid said. He met his future wife Kim while attending A&M. “I was ready to pop the question, but I knew I didn’t want to raise my kids in Houston. I love Houston, and I have a lot of great friends in Houston, but I’m from Del Rio, and so when Kim and I started thinking about getting married, when I started thinking about asking her to marry me, I called Dad and said, ‘You need a banker.’ He said, ‘I think we can make it work,’ and I moved home.” “The day I moved home, in August of ’93, I asked Kim to marry me,” Sid said. Sid said the same ethos he learned at the dinner table has informed his career in the field. “I grew up at the dinner table hearing about banking and learning about banking and learning about people and how you can help them, help people accomplish their goals and back then, even in ’93, ’94, there were more small businesses in Del Rio than there are today, and that’s one of the biggest regrets I have about where the economy has gone, is that there are just not as many

Photo by Karen Gleason Sid Cauthorn, seated, CEO of The Bank and Trust and president of Westex Bancorp, Inc., the company that owns the bank, and his father, Bill Cauthorn, an advisory director of the bank and a director of Westex, in the elder Cauthorn’s office at the bank.

small businesses as there used to be, but that’s the part. I think anyone who is in a community bank loves taking care of the small businessperson, and that’s why they do it,” Sid said. “We love taking care of the small businesspeople, and that’s what we’ve done. Being part of the community has always been important to us, and contributing time, energy and money to the community that we

live in. Dad was born and raised here. His parents were born and raised here. I wasn’t born here, but I was raised here. My kids were born and raised here. There’s just a lot of roots in the ground, I guess you’d say, and being in the position to help and lead and do things that help Del Rio and the other communities that we’re in grow and prosper and all that’s very rewarding to us,” Sid said.

•

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SHEPHERD’S PIE

FAMILY TRADITION

DATE NIGHT DINNER

Love of classic cars survives tragedy

Wow your love with an Italian feast

SEMINOLE CANYON

Lasting Love

A New Year’s walk into prehistory

JANUARY 2017

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CLARISSA’S ANTHEM

FEBRUARY 2017

Del Rio songstress battles deadly disease

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Six Del Rio couples share their secrets to happy marriages

MARCH 2017

UNIQUE ANTIQUE Couple transforms vintage furniture into modern art

World champ bull rider called Del Rio home

GEORGE PAUL MEMORIAL BULL RIDING SUPERBULL City’s most popular event turns 40

Big bucks for big fish on Lake Amistad

SUNRISE TRAIL

Organic farmer continues family traditions

GEORGE PAUL LIVES ON

BUILDING BONDS

BORDER BASS BATTLE

Riding in style with Wesley Wilson

GRANJA LA NEGRA

Del Rio bull rider named Cowboy of the Year

A simple and hearty Irish meal

Riding in style with Danny Cardenas

CADILLAC COWBOY

BFCU’s President/CEO wins national award

Riding To Win

Del Rio Gypsies plan annual St. Patrick’s Day event

Woman shows 50 can be fit and fabulous

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APRIL 2017

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Empowering Women

MAY 2017

Walk on the wild side at Amistad National Recreation Area GRANDE / FEBRUARY 2017

MAY 2017

MARIA MARTINEZ

Ready To Rally LULU’S LIFE CHANGE

APRIL 2017

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WE ARE LOOKING FOR MEN AND WOMEN TO MODEL IN FUTURE ISSUES OF THE MAGAZINE. If you are interested, send photos and contact information to Sandra Castillo at the following email: sandra.castillo@delrionewsherald.com or call 830-775-1551. For story and photo ideas, email Karen Gleason at the following: karen.gleason@delrionewsherald.com

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Editor’s Picks

Father’s Day Gift Guide We compiled Del Rio’s best Father’s Day gift ideas into one easy to use guide so you can spend less time searching and more time with dad.

Keep dad’s favorite beverages cold and crisp in this westerninspired Redshed cooler. $99.95 at Tractor Supply.

Because dad deserves an extraordinary BBQ lighter. Another Gibson Original lighter $9.99 at Tractor Supply.

You can’t gift wrap a freshcooked steak. Treat dad to one of Del Rio’s best. Any price at Cripple Creek.

Dad can wish right? 2017 Ford F350 $62,655 at Cecil Atkinson Ford Lincoln

Dad can ditch his bulky 1990s stereo with this 21st century alternative. Jam and JBL Bluetooth speakers $19.99 at Marshalls.

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These “America the Beautiful” inspired toolboxes come in a variety of scenic designs. $19.99 at Tractor Supply.

Stock up on dad’s favorite basics. Carhartt tees available in blue, green, gray and maroon. $19.99 at Tractor Supply.

If salons aren’t dad’s scene, this man-icure kit is a perfect way for him to care for his hands. $12 at Marshalls

Melt dad’s heart with a framed picture of his favorite people: his children. Pictures frames $4 and up and Marshalls.

Contribute to dad’s stash with one of these quality bottles. Buffalo Trace for $27.53 and Tequila Corralejo for $32.89 at Dick Owen’s Liquor

Maybe not the most original gift idea but definitely the coziest. Dockers moccasin slippers $40 at Bealls.

Help dad support his favorite pro teams in style. Fitted caps $34.95 at Lids.

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Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Fishing Trip

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At right, the Hanselman boys: Five-year-old Miles Hanselman, left, and nine-year-old Mason Hanselman take a break in Dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boat, outfitted with Yeti Rambler travel mugs and coolers, all available at Russell True Value Hardware.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just Dad Ray Hanselman and his boys on this fishing expedition to the San Felipe Creek. Here Ray and his oldest son, Mason Hanselman, 9, check out the prospects in cool, comfy Strike King and Shimano fishing duds available from Russell True Value Hardware, 506 E. Gibbs St.

Ray Hanselman, who has been fishing in the Del Rio area since he was a small boy himself, fishing with his own father, Don Hanselman, casts a line in the San Felipe Creek.

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Ray Hanselman and his boys, Mason, 9, and Miles, 4, pick out the best spot along San Felipe Creek. An overlooked fishing destination, the creek boasts perch, largemouth bass and several species of catfish.

Fishing gear at the ready! Ray Hanselman helps his youngest son Miles work a bait while his older son Mason gets ready to make a catch from the San Felipe Creek near the Dr. Alfredo Gutierrez Jr. Amphitheater. Check out Rayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s web site: amistadfishingguide. com or contact him to set up your own fishing adventure at 830-317-9942.

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Nine-year-old Mason Hanselman is expedition-ready in a Power Tackle ball cap and Strike King sunglasses and t-shirt. Check out Masonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dad Ray Hanselmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook page, Ray Hanselman Outdoors, for more outdoor adventures!

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Russell Stidham currently serves as President of Sentry Security Services and Managing Partner of Stidham and Stidham LLC. He graduated from Del Rio High School in 1993 and majored in agricultural business at Texas State University.

AT HOME WITH...

RUSSELL STIDHAM Story and photos by MEGAN TACKETT

avigating Russell Stidham’s neighborhood, drivers turn on several streets named for women like Mary Lou, Margaret and Debbie. While these names might appear arbitrary to those passing by, Stidham’s neighborhood is a metaphorical road map to his family tree, and the history lesson doesn’t end at the driveway. Wandering through the home Stidham’s great-grandfather, Philemon Foster, built in 1960, guests will notice artifacts at every turn: an antique Schwab safe, a vintage oak bench pulled from Del Rio’s old train depot and a hand-painted portrait of Mary Foster, Stidham’s great-great grandmother. “I love that my family has lived here for a

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long time. Six generations, I like that aspect of it,” Stidham, a father of three, said. “I wonder what my great-grandparents would think about it now if they could see what I’ve done with it.” The house sat empty for 10 years and required major renovations before Stidham purchased it from his great-grandparents’ estate in 2002. During the overhaul, he discovered old family documents, including Philemon Foster’s 1975 obituary, Stidham’s great-great-grandfather Judge John J. Foster’s obituary and telegrams sent in 1935 from Dr. John Brinkley to Judge Foster, who was Brinkley’s neighbor, friend and lawyer. Stidham recently completed updates

to his den, which is located off the home’s front entrance. To maintain and enhance the room’s vintage aesthetic, he installed Shiplap wood siding to the walls and kept the original Terrazo tile floors. He also built a sliding barn door from old reclaimed barn wood found at a property he purchased to renovate. “I love this house,” Stidham said. “I never want to sell it. I envision my grandchildren playing here.” Stidham is currently wrapping up renovations on the bathroom attached to the den and will soon begin renovations to his laundry room and bedroom. With every improvement he makes, he’ll have his family legacy, past, present and future, in mind. •

Living room- The home required a major overhaul when Stidham purchased it in 2002. He installed 4,000 square feet of unfinished pine hardwood flooring and hired contractors to raise the ceiling from eight to 13 feet.

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“I love this house, I never want to sell it. I envision my grandchildren playing here.”

Stidham’s uncle, a former railroad employee, pulled this oak bench from Del Rio’s old railroad depot.

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Stidham recently renovated his den with Shiplap wood siding, new shutters, and the addition of a sliding door, which he built from reclaimed barn wood.

Many of Stidhamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home furnishings, like this Schwab safe, were found abandoned in houses he purchased for renovation. The safe is likely 100 years old.

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Our cover model, Sean St. Germain, poses with his four children, from left, Sean Jr., 4; stepdaughter Isabella, 7; AlaĂŻa, four months; and Kayden, 8; on a recent trip to the playground in Buena Vista Park.

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ON OUR COVER

DOIN’ THE DAD THING Story by Karen Gleason, photos by Karen Gleason and Peter Castillo

ransplanted Del Rioan Sean St. Germain says one of his top priorities is spending time Sean St. Germain strikes a pose in this photograph by Peter Castillo. The photo was taken as part of a series to be used in inspirational/motivational posters for Innovation Nutrition. with his kids: eight-year-old Kayden, four-year-old Sean Jr., four-month-old Alaïa and seven-year-old stepdaughter Isabella. to fight back. It gives you a better chance off, there’s something to do around the After graduating from high school, St. of surviving and being able to go home at house or in the yard,” he said. Germain, a native of Atlanta, Ga., joined the end of the day,” he said. St. Germain said his dedication to the United States Air Force in 2006, “After that it became more of a hobby, staying in shape began as a natural where he served for four years and was and then I got into doing the fitness outgrowth of his work as a police officer, trained as a military police officer. modeling side of things, as well After moving to Del Rio, St. as doing a little bit of personal Germain attended the Del Rio training. And it’s something Police Department Academy, Michelle and I have in common. earning his Texas peace officer We met at the gym, and we still license in 2011. He joined the DRPD try to make it a point to go there in 2011 and left the department in together every now and then,” St. October 2016. Germain said. He is currently employed as a St. Germain said one of his contract security officer for the focuses in life is taking care of his U.S. District Courthouse in Del children. Rio. “I want to make it so they don’t “When I’m not at work, I’m have to want for anything, but usually at the gym or spending time you also want to be able to shape Sean St. Germain puts his police motorcycle through its paces as he maneuvers the police department’s motor division training course in with my kids. Our days – mine and them so that they are contributing this photo taken in May 2016. St. Germain joined the DRPD in 2011 my fiancée Michelle Camargo’s members of society later on in and left the department in late 2016. He now works as contract security at the federal courthouse. – usually revolve around the their lives and hopefully not make children,” St. Germain said. the same mistakes you made He and Michelle bought a house in growing up,” said St. Germain, who first in the military setting, then as a Del Rio in August 2016, and he said they added he is very close to his own father. civilian. also are working on renovating their “We’re really close now. We probably “If you’re fit, it gives you a better new digs. talk at least five times a week,” St. chance if you are involved in an “It seems every weekend or day I have Germain said. • altercation with a subject, and they want

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PICTURE PERFECT FEATURE

Story and photos by KAREN GLEASON; photos by KAREN GLEASON and 4-H PHOTOGRAPHERS

housands of motorists drive past the crumbling motel, its whitewashed limestone walls gradually returning to the desert. Although they might glance its way, the vast majority of them see only a wreck, a ruin, a sight to consider for the briefest of moments, then forget. Several people have stopped here though, youngsters with

cans of yellow, blue and orange spray paint, who have tagged the old walls, scribbling their names and vague epithets, which the rain and baking sun of west Texas have faded to the faintest of marks. One, however, drew a man’s profile, a simple, stark portrait executed by the sure hand of an accomplished artist. It was this portrait that caught the eye of 17-year-old Isaac Diaz

The top three photos in this year’s Val Verde County 4-H Photo Program were taken by, from left, Alexa Leon, 13; Isaac Diaz, 16; and Sofia Leon, 9.

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Contributed photo by Isaac Diaz Isaac Diaz’s riveting photograph of a haunting portrait executed in black spray paint on the ruined wall of an abandoned motel near Big Bend National Park in far west Texas caught the eye of the judges and was named Best of Show in this year’s Val Verde County 4-H Photography Program Contest. The photo also earned Diaz honors as Best of Show among photos submitted by senior division photographers.

Contributed photo by Alexa Leon A desert thunderstorm rolls over the stark, enormous landscape of Big Bend National Park in this winning photograph taken by 13-yearold Alexa Leon. Alexa’s photo, which she entered in the nature and landscape category, won Intermediate Best of Show honors in this year’s Val Verde County 4-H Photo Program contest.

Contributed photo by Sofia Leon A long-abandoned adobe house seems to rise organically from the red, orange and tan desert landscape of Big Bend National Park. “I’ve never seen anything like it before,” said photographer Sofia Leon, the nine-year-old who took this photo. The photo won Junior Best of Show honors this year’s Val Verde County 4-H Photo Program contest.

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Contributed photo by Adora Hostetler The twisting flames of a bonfire are expressed in this creatively composed photo by Adora Hostetler. The photo took first place honors in the Val Verde 4-H Photography Program Contest’s night photography category in the junior division.

of Del Rio, who was traveling with his family to Big Bend National Park during the spring break holiday. Isaac stopped and took a photo of the ruined rock wall with its striking line portrait, and this photo earned him honors as the Best of Show in this year’s Val Verde County 4-H Photography Program Contest. “I took this photo over toward Big Bend (National Park) about two or three hours from Del Rio. I was going to Big Bend on spring break, and there was this abandoned motel close to the highway. I’d never really paid attention to the details, but this time we had time to stop. “I love the way the artist perfectly painted this (portrait), the way it’s looking down to the ground and how the artist picked the perfect spot on the ruined wall. I thought, ‘What was this person going through? What were they thinking when they did this?’,” Isaac said about his

“I like how we get to go places and explore new things, I don’t think we’ve ever gone to the same place twice.” - Sydney Ballard

Contributed photo by Cassidy Kusenberger Cassidy Kusenberger’s reflections of palm trees, captured in a glass of water, won first prize in the reflections category of the Val Verde 4-H Photography Program Contest’s senior division.

Contributed photo by James Mendez This soulful portrait of man’s best friend was captured by James Mendez and captured first place in the domestic animal category of the Val Verde County 4-H Photography Program Contest in the intermediate division.

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winning photo. The spectacular scenery of the Big Bend also inspired two other young Del Rio photographers, nine-year-old Sofia Leon and her 13-year-old sister Alexa Leon. Alexa’s stunning photo of a desert thunderstorm sweeping across the Big Bend landscape earned her the Intermediate Best of Show award in the 4-H

photo competition, and Sofia’s almost-equally evocative shot of an abandoned adobe homestead garnered the Junior Best of Show award in the contest. “It was spring break, and I was camping. I was taking photos, and I thought they were really pretty, so my mom decided that we should have a photography competition, and then a little later after that, my mom noticed

that there was a photography with 4-H, and she thought it would be cool if we could do it with the photos that we have,” said Sofia. “I thought it was cool because I haven’t seen anything like that before,” said Sofia, who added that she plans to keep taking pictures. Alexa said she has been taking photos for some time, but only recently developed a real interest in photography, an interest driven by the immense landscape of far west Texas. “It’s really the places that we’ve gone, like when we went to Big Bend, there were so many good views for photos, and I think it’s a really great place to take photos. You could see the storm clouds and the mountains,” Alexa said. Like her younger sister, Alexa said she plans to keep honing her photographic talents. The efforts of all three of the youngsters, along with a group of others, have been shepherded by Del Rioan Michelle Ballard, who has served as the project leader for the 4H photography program for the past three years. “At first I was worried about taking this project on since I had no official photography training, but I soon realized the most important thing about teaching these kids is just getting the basics down then building from there, because they take care of the rest with their imagination and curiosity,” Ballard said. She added, “I love seeing how different each child is when it comes to what they take pictures of. For example, we found a big lizard, and I thought most of my photographers would run in the opposite direction, but I was wrong. These kids are not afraid to get dirty, especially when it comes to close-ups.” We visited with some of the young photographers during a recent meeting. Zuylma Cardenas, 12, said she got into photography because she wants to be a detective someday. “I was introduced to it from a book. I’ve always been interested in it. You have to know about photography to take pictures at crime scenes,” she said. For now, Zuylma said, she enjoys taking photos of people. Sydney Ballard, 13, has been taking photos for about three years.

Contributed photo by Sydney Ballard. A tiny spider waits for its next meal on the petals of a brilliant yellow flower in this shot by Sydney Ballard. Sydney’s photo won first place in the wildlife category of the Val Verde County 4-H Photography Program Contest in the intermediate division.

Contributed photo by Ben Hyslop Ben Hyslop’s precise timing caught a swimmer’s immersion into the water of a pool. The photo earned Ben first place in the marine/aquatic category of the Val Verde County 4-H Photography Program Contest in the intermediate division.

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“I like how we get to go places and explore new things,” she said. “I don’t think we’ve ever gone to the same place twice.” Sydney said she enjoys macro photography the most. “I like taking pictures of flowers, where you can see all the little details and another favorite thing is animals,” she said. Ben Hyslop, 13, said he began taking pictures with a friend’s camera. “I like photography because it makes me find cool things. It forces my mind to take in what’s really cool about everything, and take a picture of it,” he said. Hyslop said he most enjoys taking photos of “flowers, bugs, animals and water.” Morgan Hollingsworth, 16, said she has been taking photos since she was 13 and got her own camera. Morgan said she likes taking photos of people. “They have a lot of character,” she said, adding she plans to keep taking photos. Morgan said she also enjoys editing her photos once they have Contributed photo by Abby Doyle The ethereal symmetry of dandelion seeds is captured in this photo by Abby Doyle, which won first place honors in the details and macro category of the Val Verde County 4-H Photography Program Contest in the intermediate division.

Photo by Karen Gleason Members of the Val Verde County 4-H Photo Program stand with their program leader, Michelle Ballard, far left. This year’s participants in the program included, from left, Cassidy Kusenberger, Zulyma Cardenas, Isaac Diaz, Sofia Leon, Morgan Hollingsworth, Ben Hyslop, Sydney Ballard and Alexa Leon.

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Contributed photo by Adriana Acosta Former members of the Val Verde 4-H Photography Program are keeping their focus sharp. Adriana Acosta, a former member of the local 4-H photo program and now a student at Texas A&M University, took this evocative photo of a bronze statue under an enormous tree while she was in Guanajuato, Mexico, studying abroad. Adriana titled the photo “Under The Tree,” and it won the People’s Choice award during the Texas A&M University Spring Photo Contest.

been downloaded onto a computer. Photography will likely come in handy later in Morgan’s life, as she said she plans on going into communications. Nevae Cardenas, 14, said she likes the idea of photography. “I think it’s fun, and you can look back at it later,” said Nevae, who enjoys taking landscape photos. Nevae, who said she wants to be “an author, a counselor or a journalist,” plans to keep taking pictures. Cassidy Kusenberger, 16, said she has

been taking photos for about three years. “I’ve always like the idea of photos, that you can be creative, but in a different way, and that you can express anything you like to other people. I fell in love with the idea of capturing a certain image,” she said. Cassidy said she also likes that photography challenges her to look at everyday scenes and objects in a new way. She said she most likes taking photos of plants and insects. Isaac, who won the photo contest, said he has been taking pictures for as long as

he can remember. When asked what he loves about photography, Diaz said, “Actually, I can’t answer that. What I can answer is that it’s one of my passions.” Diaz said he enjoys taking photos of moving cars, freezing forever a moment of motion. He said he practices “whenever I can,” adding that photography is something he plans to keep doing his entire life. •

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From left, Lindsey Smith, Ric Smith and Whitley Smith pose for a family portrait on Father’s Day 2016. Ric Smith has been both mother and father to his daughters, a challenge he said has helped him deal with Del Rio’s many student athletes.

RIC SMITH

MISTER MOM Story by BRIAN ARGABRIGHT, photos by RIC SMITH

eing a parent isn’t easy. Being a single parent just adds to the challenge. Being a single father to two small girls? That’s a challenge unto itself. It’s the situation that Ric Smith jokes about finding himself in even to this day. “I continue to be a single parent, so far 24 years and counting,” Smith said. “My daughters were two and four years old when I become a custodial parent through divorce.” Smith, the San Felipe Del Rio

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Consolidated Independent School District athletic director, is no stranger to dealing with children of all ages. He was a coach long before he was the athletic director, and in his current role he’s responsible for hundreds of student athletes at multiple campuses throughout the district. But the whole experience began with two girls – Whitley, who is now 28, and Lindsey, who is now 26. “My initial reaction to realizing I’d be raising two girls on my own was that

nothing was really changing. I embraced the responsibility and looked forward to helping them grow into the great young ladies they have become,” Smith said. Smith admits that he used a general sense of dealing with children when it came to his daughters, ignoring or forgetting it was young girls he was trying to help. “The most difficult moments were when their feelings were hurt by others. My remedy to hurt feelings was ‘get over it” or ‘smile and don’t let them see that

it bothers you.’ Looking back, and because I was dealing with girls, I know I could have been more understanding during those times than I was. They both learned some hard lessons, but those lessons helped mold them into strong, caring, big-hearted young ladies,” Smith said. Of course, youth being youth, some of Smith’s lessons stuck immediately and others took some time to resonate. Even now, Smith said his parenting strategy was built simply out of a desire to keep his two girls safe in an unpredictable and sometimes dangerous world. “Both Whitley and Lindsey were great kids growing up and continue to be great daughters. They did not always agree with

“I embraced the responsibility and looked forward to helping them grow into the great young ladies they have become”

Lindsey Smith, left, at two years old, and her sister Whitley, at four years old, in a photo taken outside the Smith home in May 1993.

Ric Smith, San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District athletic director and single parent, and one of the joys of his life, his granddaughter Charlotte, in a photo taken during Christmas 2016.

my decisions for them, but they usually followed what I asked or at least I thought they did. Now in their 20s, they tell me things they did without me knowing, and I tell them not to tell me these things now … let me believe they followed my decisions,” Smith said with a smile. “Looking back, I was too strict at times, but this was more out of fear of something happening to them, that I could have prevented. As a parent I was trying to protect them from bad decisions that teenage girls sometimes make, that are life-changing events.” It is said that it takes a village to raise a child, and Smith acknowledged he had help from his family, especially his parents. He said while he never sought out any specific advice on how to handle a situation, primarily because he believed their small family could tackle any challenge that arose, he said his parents and a bevy of activities, helped him direct the girls along the way. “I should have been more inviting for my family to help out, instead of being stubborn. I was raised by an amazing mother and a dad that did the best he could. My mom was an outstanding role model of loving her children unconditionally - ‘spare the hand spoil the kid’ – and working multiple

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jobs to help my siblings and me through middle school, high school and college. They both let us learn from our rights and wrongs, and luckily we made good decisions most of the time. They got all of us involved in sports at very young ages, and this helped us develop some of our lifelong values, morals and ethics,” Smith said. “I started my daughters in dance, ballet, tumbling and sports at a young age also, following what my parents did for me. My daughters and I were fortunate to have support from their Nana (my mother) and Papa Charlie, their Aunt Debi and Uncle Benny and Elva Reyes. I also believe St. James Elementary played a vital role in teaching my daughters morals and values they live by today.” In addition to being a single father, Smith is also a single grandfather. Five years ago Whitley gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte. In her, Smith said he sees much of the same traits as his oldest daughter, including her beauty, her loving personality and her witty mannerisms. He also sees the lessons he infused in Whitley being passed along to the next generation of Smith women. “(Charlotte) is the greatest gift that my daughter Whitley could have ever given me. She is smart and caring, like her mom and Aunty Lindsey,” Smith said. “I see Whitley instilling the morals and values in Charlotte that she was raised with. She is being taught to respect all, give help often and freely and reminded that you have to work hard for what you want. I also see the stubbornness in my daughter, by not asking for help when it is needed, but she is doing a great job raising Charlotte.” Smith’s day-to-day job as athletic director keeps him busy. From game days to district meetings to planning budgets, he’s constantly on the go. He admits the lessons he’s learned from being a father have helped him deal more easily with the hundreds of student athletes he oversees. “I have always treated my students and athletes as seriously as my daughters. I have always expected excellence from students and athletes, as I do my

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daughters,” Smith said. “By being a father, I better understand why kids do things, good or bad, and know that most of the time the intent was good. By being a dad, I understand kids need second chances and need to be held accountable for their errors and learn from

Sisters Lindsey Smith, left, and Whitley Smith pose on the basketball court at the Del Rio High School gym in 2007 when both girls wore the uniform of the DRHS Queens. The girls’ father, Ric Smith, said both girls began playing physical activities, including dance, ballet, tumbling and sports, at a young age.

their mistakes. Finally, by being a dad, it has taught me to see the spirit in a kid’s eye, the love in their heart, their compassion to do good and what’s right, and understand hard work brings a lot of success, as I see in my daughters.” Smith’s advice to parents is simple – love and remember to try and be the best parent possible. “The best advice I can give for single dads or moms is to love your kids unconditionally, through the good and bad. Get your kids involved in activities that help teach them to get along with others, to work with others and to help others,” Smith said. “If I had to do it all over again, I would have given Lindsey and Whitley many more hugs, many more ‘I love you’s’, and reminded them more often how important they are to me and our family. I would have been much more patient and understanding during homework sessions and athletic endeavors. Finally, I would have been less strict on following our daily schedule. I am now doing all these things with my granddaughter Charlotte.” •

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20 THINGS You Don’t Know About

EFRAIN

VALDEZ VAL VERDE COUNTY JUDGE

• I am the proud owner of two lap dogs, a Shih Tzu named Victoria and a Yorkshire Terrier named Leyla. I’ve had Victoria since 2015. We bought her from a breeder in San Antonio. I’ve had Leyla since October of 2016, and she was given to Bibi and me because her previous owner was elderly and couldn’t keep up with her. She’s a very active little dog. • I was a single parent who raised two girls, who were 11 and 4 when I got divorced. I raised them without help because my mom had passed away and my sister lived in San Antonio. Those girls made sure I had no dates at all. I call them ‘Guns and Roses.’ The oldest one was ‘Guns.’ She was a track star, and the youngest was ‘Roses.’ She was a nerd, volunteering to do bake sales, things like that. The oldest made me lose all my hair, and the youngest made sure that I didn’t lose it all at one time. • My oldest daughter was going to the state track meet to compete in the 800 meters, and she wanted to go to prom, so she gave me instructions to go get her a prom dress. I picked it out, and she said it was the perfect dress. It was a light blue formal I found in San Antonio. • My daughters have French names Claudine and Nanette. I’ve always loved the French language. I don’t know it, but I think it’s very sexy and expressive. • I was born and raised in San Felipe. My grandfather on my mother’s side, Alfredo Villegas, had a little service station/grocery story, a tiendita, called El Triunfo on Taini and Chapoy streets. I worked for him, starting at about the age of 12, selling tires and batteries and pumping Texaco gas. At that time it was not self-serve, so you had to put gas, clean windshields, that sort of thing. I also worked in the meat market. • My grandfather was a colonel in

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the Mexican army in the Mexican Revolution. His job was to pay soldiers fighting on the battlefront. When he knew they were losing the war, he got ambushed, and he still had the gold to pay the soldiers, so deserted from the army and crossed the river with the gold to start his business here in Del Rio. • When my grandmother died, my grandfather went back to Mexico to look for a woman he had loved before he met my grandmother. That woman was ‘La Adelita,’ Pancho Villa’s girlfriend. My grandfather met her during the Revolution. So he found her and brought her to the United States and married her. She eventually died here in Del Rio and is buried next to my grandfather in the old San Felipe Cemetery. Some people might say she is not the real Adelita, but I have seen the proof.

Del Rio News-Herald photo by Karen Gleason Val Verde County Judge Efrain Valdez and his wife Bibi dressed in bright colors to ride in the 2016 Fiesta Amistad Parade on Oct. 23, 2016. Bibi Valdez is the owner and operator of a successful Del Rio beauty shop, Bibi & Co.

• I became a certified auto mechanic while I was attending college at Texas A&I University. That’s how I would get extra money, by fixing the other students’ cars. I was raised around fixing cars, and then I learned how to do little odds and ends like replacing starters and changing spark plugs. That was also a second career for me while I was a single parent. • My dad, Flavio Valdez, was principal at San Houston School for 37 years. He’s actually a descendant of one of the founders of Del Rio, Doña Paula Losoya Taylor Rivers. My grandmother Rafaelita Losoya Valdez, my father’s mother, was raised by Paulita Losoya. My grandmother’s parents gave to her Doña Paula to raise because they couldn’t afford to raise her themselves. • My dad was a politician. I think that’s where the politics in my life comes from. He would go and drink coffee on Main Street, in a little restaurant near the old Rita Theater, and he would talk politics with the Main Street merchants and people who came into the restaurant. He later became an administrator with the San Felipe School District, so that’s really my background: mechanics,

Del Rio News-Herald photo by Karen Gleason Bibi Valdez congratulates her husband, Efrain Valdez, on Election Night, after the results of the race for Val Verde County Judge are announced in November 2014. Valdez is the only local politician who has served both as mayor of the city of Del Rio and as Val Verde County judge.

Photo contributed by Eloy Padilla Efrain Valdez, seated, far left, joins the fun at the 2001 San Felipe High School Class of 1966 reunion in 2001.

Photo contributed by Eloy Padilla From left, Linda Padilla, Efrain Valdez and Bibi Valdez, pose in Yosemite National Park in the forested valley below the famed El Capitan formation. Valdez and his wife enjoy traveling and have visited a number of national parks, including Yosemite, Big Bend and Sequoia.

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politics, education. • I decided to pursue education because I love coaching and teaching. I never wanted to be an administrator because I believe that most of what you do is dealing with discipline. I love teaching and coaching because I love dealing with kids. I don’t want to deal with negative stuff all day long. I taught math and coached golf for a total of 35 years, most of it in the local public school district. • When I graduated from Texas A&I in 1973 I moved to San Jose, Calif., because I was bilingually certified, and they needed bilingual teachers there. I returned to Del Rio when my mom became ill. We helped my dad pay for her open-heart surgery because there was no insurance, but she died when she was 52. After I moved back here, I got a job with the Del Rio school district. • I have nine grandkids, ages three to 25, five girls and four boys. Photo contributed by Efrain Valdez/San Felipe High School/El Conquistador yearbook 1966 In his senior year at San Felipe High School, Efrain Valdez, wearing #20, played defensive end for the SFHS Mustangs. The “Herd” finished the year with an even season, winning four and losing four.

• I went into politics because I knew there were things going wrong with the city. I noticed the city was in junk bond status, and we’d had the flood and were ordered by the state to build the water treatment plant although we didn’t have any money. I was elected to the council in 1998 and served until 2002. • I decided to run for mayor because I did not feel the city was moving in right direction. I saw city officials approving projects that would encroach on Laughlin Air Force Base, which was the planned SE Ranch development. • I ran for county judge because I wanted to continue using the knowledge I gained I mayor. I believed I could bring it to a higher level.

Photo contributed by Efrain Valdez/San Felipe High School/El Conquistador yearbook 1964 Eloy Padilla, right, and high school buddy – and eventually lifelong friend – Efrain Valdez, left, show off their new “Mohawk” haircuts during their junior year as San Felipe High School Mustangs.

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• I love to travel. My wife Bibi and I loved to go to national parks in the United States and have been Yosemite, Sequoia, Lake Tahoe, Grand Canyon, Big Bend, Kauai, Hawaii; Niagara Falls. We also like to visit museums and historical places. My favorite place was Kauai, Hawaii. There was a rain forest where

an exciting place to visit for all ages!

Photo contributed by Efrain Valdez/San Felipe High School/El Conquistador yearbook 1965 Efrain Valdez shows his competitive spirit as a guard for the San Felipe High School Wildcats. The Wildcats 1965 “cage crew,” which also included Albert Padilla, Eliseo Ortiz, Orlando Polanco, Richard Galindo, Jimmy Hicks, Robert Polanco, Richard Castro, Al Villegas, Howard Roach, Tony Guzman and Jesse Morin, were coached by Jesse Torres and finished the year with an 18-6 record.

they filmed the movie, ‘Blue Hawaii,’ and where they also filmed the original ‘King Kong,’ and I loved it because there is no commercial development there, no street lights at night, everything natural. It’s the most amazing place I’ve ever seen. • I love to dance, to any kind of music: country/western, Mexican, ballroom, whatever. I’ll dance to it. My older sister Betty Muzquiz and I won some dance contests when we were young, a rock ’n’ roll competition in San Antonio. • I play guitar. I don’t read music, so I

Photo contributed by Efrain Valdez/San Felipe High School/El Conquistador yearbook 1964 Sprinting through the finish line tape, Efrain Valdez wins first place in the 880-yard “dash,” becoming the 1964 district champion in the event while a sophomore at San Felipe High School. Valdez’s athletic feat was captured by a photographer for “El Conquistador,” the SFHS yearbook.

Come visit our historical exhibits and artifacts

play it by ear, and I’ve been playing since I was 12 or 13. I like to play mariachi music and in my elementary days, I’d play for my students. I still play for my grandkids whenever we have a family gathering. • Bibi and I are very compatible, and one of the reasons is that she loves to dance and travel as well. It’s been a wonderful marriage. We’ve been together for 29 years: dating for 10 years and married for 19 years. The youngest of our kids actually told us to get married and live together. Our youngest children were 21 when we got married. •

We have hands on activities for kids and are pet friendly

• • • •

Photo contributed by Efrain Valdez/San Felipe High School/El Conquistador yearbook 1964 Early on a leader: Efrain Valdez, third from left, served as the secretary of his sophomore class in 1964 while attending San Felipe High School. Also pictured, from left, are Eloy Padilla, sophomore class president; Armando Villarreal, vice president; Martha Sanchez, treasurer; and Elvia Jimenez, parliamentarian.

The grave of Judge Roy Bean The Cadena Nativity Walk through decommissoned caboose Gift Shop and More!

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Faces of Del Rio Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day 2017

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WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE LOOKING FOR FRESH NEW FACES OF DEL RIO FOR OUR JULY EDITION. SHOW US HOW YOU CELEBRATE SUMMER! Del Rio Grande roland.cardenas@delrionewsherald.com

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