Red McCombs, generous donor to The Paisano Educational Trust, passes away at 95

By Gauri Raje News Editor

Earlier this month, State Representative Carrie Isaac, a Republican representing Texas’ 73rd district, introduced House Bill 2390 (HB 2390) in the Texas House of Representatives. The bill proposes banning college campuses from serving as polling sites for elections.

As a polling site and location for early voting, UTSA is one of the universities targeted under this new bill.

“It seemed like it was targeting college students directly and trying to suppress their power at the ballot box,” Bella Nieto, a senior political science major at UTSA, said.

Nieto is a part of Texas Rising, a nonpartisan grassroots organization “empowering young people through issue advocacy and voter registration.”

At UTSA, the organization tables during election season to get students registered to vote, provides students with infor- mation about the elections and reminds them to vote.

“People are turning 18 every day, so it’s important that organizations like Texas Rising, like Move Texas, like Jolt, that they’re reaching these people,” Nieto said. “I think that young people have a lot of power when it comes to elections.”

Having a polling site on campus is a convenient way for college students to vote despite their hectic schedules. Furthermore, Nieto discussed the convenience of early voting at UTSA as a student.

“It’s really easy, especially during early voting, because there’s not much of a line,” Nieto said. “So you can just take 15 minutes to go vote and then go to class. It’s especially good if you live on campus or if you don’t have a car because you can just go and do it. And during early voting, it takes like maybe 15 minutes and you’ll be good to go.”

See Voting on Page 2

By Gauri Raje News Editor

San Antonio businessman and philanthropist Billy Joe “Red” McCombs, a generous donor to The Paisano Educational Trust, passed away at the age of 95, according to a statement from his family.

“The entire McCombs Family is heartbroken to announce that our father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Red McCombs, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023. As he drew his last breath peacefully at home, he was surrounded by family that loved and adored him,” the statement read.

As a businessman, McCombs owned 50 car dealerships under the Red McCombs Automotive Group at one point, the Texas Tribune reports. He also owned the NFL team Minnesota Vikings and the NBA team Denver Nuggets. Furthermore, he owned the Spurs basketball team at two different times and is credited with bringing the franchise to San Antonio. He also founded Clear Chan- nel Communications, now known as iHeartMedia and headquartered in San Antonio, with Lowry Mays in 1972. McCombs was also known for his philanthropic efforts. He donated $50 million to UT Austin in 2000, prompting the university to name its business school after him. In 2005, McCombs and his foundation donated $30 million to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

McCombs was a supporter of college journalism. He was one of the early major donors to the capital campaign to build The Paisano Media Arts Center, the 3,000-square-foot building where The Paisano is produced. He cut the ribbon to open the building in 2014 and made an additional four-year donation to support The Paisano’s mission to educate future professional writers and entrepreneurs. The Paisano’s newsroom is named in honor of the Red and Charline McCombs Family Foundation.