The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 95, No. 4, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 24, 2007 Page: 2 of 16
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Mercedes Area Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.
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Page 2 — The Mercedes Enterprise
Mercedes, Texas 78570 Wednesday, January 24, 2007
rom my Perspective
Fhe Prairie Yanui
I I 1 I I II Iv IALleo
BY E.D. ‘DUKE’ MARTELL
BY G.G. GARCIA
The Silent Piano
Although it isn’t often, nonethe-
less, I have been asked by friends and
loyal readers of this column why some
people prefer to remain anonymous.
And my reply is very simple: Inas-
much as I would like to mention the
names of persons in my column, I
have got to respect their wishes.
And so, with this in mind, I would
like to say that what you are about to
read is another good example of
people who wish to remain anony-
mous; with all .due respect, I agree.
The radio station I was working
for was new and the entire staff had
come from out oftown, except for two
people, Blair Dear from Harlingen and
yours truly.
Even though I had never worked
in radio before, I was given a chance
based on a great recommendation
from a true friend who happened to
know the owners. My friend Eddy
Baker set up the interview, and when
I met with therri, they saw the ambi-
tion and desire that I had, not to men-
tion the public relation skills, which
had been already established.
I was hired as an account execu-
tive, a fancy title for a person who
sold advertisements, I always
thought. Whenever I approached the
businesses, I merely introduced my-
self as a representative of the radio
station selling advertisements.
To this day many people still
don’t know it, but the radio station
with the low wattage and a big sound
was once located right here in the
Queen City; so much for a good thing.
I used to work late hours, writing my
own commercials and helping to pro-
duce them.
Management often said that
Sonny Laguna and I practically lived
at the station; 'we both believed in the
product we promoted.
One day while doing cold calls, I
went into a new business, which had
been open for about a month or so.
As usual, I did my famous introduc-
tion, which I was noted for, and
quickly made friends with the man-
ager. She wasn’t the one who made
the decisions on their advertising, so
I set up an appointment with the
owner.
The next week, I was back there alt
the clothing store to meet with the
owner, as agreed, but she wasn’t in. I
managed to convince the manager to
call the owner, so I could speak to
her, even if only by phone.
The lady was very apologetic as
she explained to me why she had for-
gotten our business appointment.
And to show her true sincerity, she
asked me, if it wouldn’t be an incon-
venience to drive over to her home,
to discuss the advertisement, and I
agreed.
When I pulled up to the driveway,
it was apparent that they were a fam-
ily of means; their home looked very
expensive. As I walked towards the
house, I could hear someone playing
the piano. As I got to the front door,
I noticed that the piano sounded sort
of like those old rinky dink pianos,
like the ones we see in the old cow-
boy movies, usually playing in bars.
I rang the door bell and then the
piano stopped playing, and soon a
very young lady came to the front
door. I introduced myself and asked
for the owner of the clothing store,
and to my surprise, she replied it was
she. She then asked me, “Are you
Mr. Martell?” and very politely, I re-
plied, “Yes ma’am, I am.” And so she
invited me in; she was quite friendly
and very hospitable.
She motioned me to a chair, then
asked me if I would like some coffee.
It was winter time and this salesman
needed his caffeine if he was going
to do some talking. I told her that I
would like a cup, but only if it wasn’t
a bother. She said, “My husband is a
coffee drinker, I just made him some
before he left for work, so it’s still
fresh.”
As we got acquainted, I talked
mostly about the station and its good
qualities, but I never did a sales pitch,
then I let her do the talking.
When she started telling me who
her family was, I knew why she was
financially well off. She asked me if I
knew her father and I told her that I
knew of him, but didn’t know him per-
sonally. She then started telling me
about her education and of the vari-
ous degrees she had.
I stood up and went to see what
the diplomas were for, and after look-
ing at them, I can honestly say she
was very well educated. I sat down
then, I told her, “Forgive me for pry-
ing, but at this point in time, I am a bit
confused. With those diplomas, and
all that knowledge that I know you
possess, how does that tie irf with
your clothing store?”
She had a somber look as she
slowly started telling me. “You see,
that is the reason why I had asked
you if you knew my father. He wanted
me to be well educated, so he could
be proud and tell all his friends what
an educated daughter he had. He told
me that he wasn’t interested about
what I really wanted to do after I fin-
ished high school.”
I asked her, “Did you ever discuss
your plans with your father?” She
said, “I told him about the clothing
store, and I knew he had the means to
make it possible, and he agreed to get
it for me, only under one condition.
So, I went to the university full time,
just to satisfy him. When I got the
last degree that he wanted, I came
home and now I’ve got my store.”
The young lady was sad, and I
had to change the subject, so I told
. her, “I didn’t mean to pry like I said
before, and I have another appoint-
ment, so what I’d like to do is maybe
get together again, if it’s all right with
you.”
She agreed and slowly walked me
outside, and as I walked onto the
porch, I remembered the piano. I said
“Besides being educated and a very
good host, I’ve got to compliment you
on your musical ability. You play very
beautifully.”
She smiled and that made me feel
good. She said, “I don’t play. It’s one
of those pianos that play by them-
selves. My dad bought it for me, be-
cause I didn’t continue with my pi-
ano lessons, even after he had bought
me a very expensive piano. So later,
he traded it for this type, one that
plays from paper piano rolls.
“Everyone in the neighborhood
also thinks that I play. My father
wants people to think that his daugh-
ter plays the piano. That was part of
the deal; the piano has to play when I
am at home, and as long as he lives, it
will be that way.”
We said good bye, and later that
week, I met with her and I sold her
some ads and we also became good
friends. After I left the radio station, I
didn’t see her until about ten years
later. It was good to see my old friend.
She no longer had the store, and she
was now a housewife, caring for her
little kids.
She told me that her daddy had
passed away, and I told her how sorry
I was. She was sad but somehow dif-
ferent. i
Then she said, “The piano is now
silent. It’s still at the house but it no
longer plays.”
I guess that I’ll never really un-
derstand what it is that drives par-
ents to push and shove their children
into a direction which they are not in
favor of . . . but then again not all
parents see things in the same
perspective.
God Bless; Dios los Bendiga
Un Servidor ‘DUKE’ MARTELL
Amazing People I Wish
I Had Known...
Do you ever find yourself won-
dering what kind of person you would
have turned out to be had you mod-
eled yourself after someone in your
past, as a child maybe?
I often think of Sr. Juventino de
Leon, Sr. He was my barber when I
was a kid. I learned just by listening
to his conversations with clients.
When he wasn’t cutting hair at his
little shop on North Missouri Avenue
in el barrio, he was reading newspa-
pers. He was an avowed newspaper
reader, the best-informed person I
knew growing up.
I swept the barbershop briefly as
a part-time job when I was still in el-
ementary school. He was my first
employer.
I admired the crisp white shirts
and the fact that he wore a tie, un-
heard of in my neighborhood. Every-
one I knew was poor. There were no
“Sunday” clothes, only work clothes.
The only thing different on Sun-
days was we took a bath on Satur-
days to prepare for church the fol-
lowing day. Mom subscribed to the
adage about cleanliness being next
to godliness. We always wore humble
but clean clothes to school and
church.
After I discovered politics as a
vocation and an avocation, El Senor
Salinas, father of the Hon. Judge
Homer Salinas and his brother
Roberto, I would have liked to know
better.
Those were the days of the “poll
tax.” We had to pay to have a say in
our government.
On the face of it, it appears unfair,
antiquated, anti-democratic, and all
that. I can’t help but wonder if we still
had to pay for the privilege of voting,
if we might perhaps show more re-
spect for our leaders, or whether there
might be more interest in casting our
vote dutifully, responsibly in all elec-
tions.
I knew a poet, Penitas, who would
go neighborhood by neighborhood
peddling his poems written in Span-
ish, printed in newsprint, which was
common to the discount print shops
in Mexico.
He was eccentric. Kids used to
make fun of him. I wish I had had the
courage of my convictions and talked
to him. Maybe I would have learned beyond the greetings and peremptory
what it takes to be non-conformists, comment stage. He is kind enough to
an island in a sea of ignorance, a man ask my daughter, Ileana, for me every
of good taste and proper grammar in time he runs into her. She is flattered
my native tongue. that he remembers her.
I had little “rozo social,” social
contact, that is, with non-mexicanos.
My father worked at a vegetable-
packing company of which there was
more than one. I used to take coffee
to him late at night.
I met Buddy Watson, a future
mayor of Mercedes, in the shed by
the Azteca, a dance hall at the corner
of Texas Avenue and First Street.
There were many colorful stories
about him, all of which said he was
good to the workers and friendly to
our people.
I wish I had known Rafael
Verduzco better. He was an orator, a
leader. I was thrilled when I heard him
speak.
It reminds me of the distinction
between two well-known speakers in
Rome’s heyday. “When
Demosthenes spoke, people would
say ‘How well he speaks’; but when
Cicero spoke, people would say ‘Let
us march.’”
El Sr. Verduzco was among the
group that founded PASSO, the for-
bearer of La Raza Unida Party. Ruben
Yanez, a classmate of mine, Carlos
Leal, and Fernando Becerra, the edi-
tor of Ya Basta newspaper, were some
of the best -known members of
PASSO who indeed marched with
him.
Uncharacteristically, they were the
first ones to help John Tower in his
run for the U.S. Senate in the Valley
when everyone was a Democrat, and
I mean everyone. Republicans had
horns then. . ... . . .
Garcia in Corpus Christi and lock
For that matter, I wish I had been horns with two other liberal Hispanic
closer to Fernando. I had but a tanta- State Representatives. The Reagan-
lizing glimpse of this writer-thinker, Bush ticket carried Nueces County by
political observer. He wrote of me 52 per cent.
when I ran for the Texas State Senate Dr. Garcia, no relation, left a legacy
that I was President Nixon’s best cam- of outstanding service to the His-
paign manager in the Valley. He panic veteran, wisdom and pride in
moved to Pharr or Alamo. ourselves, and involvement in the
I was always fond of Congress- political arena, a tribute to the power
man Eligio “Kika” de la Garza. When I of his will and intellect.
was going to school at Georgetown We stand on the shoulders of gi-
University, I was on Joe Kilgore’s ants. I thought it appropriate, this new
patronage. Kilgore was Chairman De year of 2007, the year of the celebra-
La Garza’s predecessor in the 15th .tion of the 100th anniversary of the
Congressional District. I knew
Kilgore’s family and staff.
I was in the office the night Con-
gressman De La Garza first came in to
become acquainted with Celia Hare
Martin and the office.
I never really got to know him -
I was sorry that the farmers in the
country never gave him the respect
that was his due as W.R. Poage (D-
TX)’s successor as Chairman of the
House Agriculture Committee, one of
the most important committees in
Congress.
He was my candidate for Ambas-
sador to Mexico. Now that the Demo-
crats are in, I hope they correct the
omission.
He and Dr. Henry Kissinger are the
only two holders I know of La Orden
Mexicana del Aguila Azteca, the high-
est and most important recognition
the Mexican Government awards to
foreign citizens, in connection to their
extraordinary contributions and ser-
vices to Mexico, and for their efforts
to create new paths of understand-
ing and friendship with other nations.
He deserves a sculpture in
Mercedes. He honors our city. The
least we can do is honor him in re-
turn.
Another amazing person who
comes to mind is Dr. Hector Garcia,
founder of the American G.I Forum,
civil rights leader before Martin
Luther King, Ambassador to the UN,
and holder of the Presidential Medal
awarded to him by President Ronald
Reagan.
I met him on the campaign trail,
ironically, in 1980 during the campaign
for President, the same aforemen-
tioned Ronald Reagan. Dr. Garcia was
against.
I had the honor to debate Dr.
incorporation of Mercedes, to talk
about some of the amazing people
from Mercedes whose contributions
were not limited to our beloved city,
but contributed to the United States,
the State of Texas, and the Rio Grande
Valley.
These are, of course, but just a
few to tantalize your interest. I am
certain Herb Solis and other local his-
tory buffs will be interested in adding
their favorites.
The perfect gift to give this year
of the Mercedes Centennial!
Recuerdos De Ayer
By G.G. Garcia
The Prairieyaqui
With the experience in government - federal,
state and local - free-lance writing and as an editor
for an independent agency of government, G.G.
Garcia, alias The Prairieyaqui, a native of Mercedes,
brings the love of a hometown boy for old Mercedes
from 1937 to 1955 - and that is the subject of this
book, a collection of columns written in and published
by The Mercedes Enterprise.
G.G. represents the hearts of all who love this
city. He explains and reveals life among the very
poor, the migrant and seasonal farm workers; he
talks about his childhood and his passion for history,
politics and government, with the insight brought
only by one who has been there, one who has
experienced life along the border in a bi-cultural
setting.
Limited Edition
For Delivery in January, allowing 20 days for production
Pre-Sale: $14.95 (First 350 only)
Retail: $19.95
To order now, write to G.G. Garcia, 1011 Emerald Lane,
Machesney Park, IL 61115, email prairieyaquie@yahoo.com or
call 815/282-1712
Photo Credit: Sam Bell
Order now - it's a
perfect gift for the
coming 100th
Anniversary of
Mercedes.
Atencion Sra. Jhoana
Consejera Espiritual
LECTURA DE TAROT Y CAFE
[Veala Hoy Mismo!
Si tu has intentado buscar tu cura, alivio,
paz, suerte y amor y has ido con muchas
curanderas, hechiceras, parasicologos, y
te han dicho que ya estas curado, que vas
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amor y no has obtenido resultados y en
vez de prosperar has fracasado, es por
que no te hallaron la cura o solucion.
Ven y visita a la Sra. Jhoana y entra en su
mundo astral espiritual. Tan solo en la
primera visita notaras el cambio.
EMPEZARAS A VER LA SOLUCION A TU VIDA
Y A TODOS TUSPROBLEMAS
% IE /
Ven por una consulta del TAROT,
las arenas ylos caracoles.
La Sra. Jhoana le dara solution a
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ai Jhoana, el poder del Tarot y el
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Vic Ven con ella, no te arrepentiras,
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t.Vik,
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The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 95, No. 4, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 24, 2007, newspaper, January 24, 2007; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1655649/m1/2/?q=denton+history: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.