-: These people out here don't want anything,
and you can't get close to them.
And I tell people that they didn't go to contests,
and the bands people talked about,
but I said within two years after I got there,
he told me that we were winning first divisions at UIL.
And four years, we were on our way to Europe.
The jazz band, tour of Europe.
Yeah.
James: Sounds like you started to turn things around?
So you're doing a good job, in other words,
when you got there.
-: Oh, yes. -: Yeah.
Interviewer: What was I gonna talk about?
I had something.
Interviewer: Can I ask something?
Interviewer: Yeah, go ahead.
Jump on in.
Interviewer: What was the name of the president
at Prairie View who kind of had tension with the students?
Because as I understand it, he worked
he wasn't the same president of Prairie View
who didn't worry about the economic ramifications
because he was property owner,
but I believe he was the later sixties.
-: Yeah, well the president was Dr. Evans.
Interviewer: Yes. -: And then,
we got another president, Dr. Solomon.
Yeah.
Evan was the...
Old school.
You know.
Yeah. Who...
He was a...
See, they used to put light skin blacks
in positions.
When they first integrated in the first school I taught,
the teachers that they sent
to the white school were the light skin teachers.
Interviewer: Why do you think they did that?
-: You blend in.
You wouldn't ( laughs) stick out as much.
Yeah.
You'd blend in.
Interviewer: And Dr. Sullivan, he was,
was he the one who just gave his full support
to the students to be part of walkouts?
Or am I thinking of someone else?
-: He was the one that...
you know, that things started to happen.
Kids started to being...
more aware.
You know, it was a movement.
Yeah.
James: When you were there was there a
solidarity march with students from TSU?
-: Not..
I don't recall that happening.
Interviewer: It might been a little later, after.
-: Yeah.
Interviewer: Okay, so...
-: See, I left in 64.
James: Oh, okay. Right.
I wanted ask a little, going further back.
Calvert is not too, too far from Dallas Fort worth.
-: It's about 120-
Interviewer: About two hours-
-: miles, yes- Interviewer: give or take-
Interviewer: Maybe now it's two hours
maybe it got little bit longer.
Do you recall wanting to craft?
What she was doing
with the NAACP youth council out there to protest?
Was it the Texas state fair?
She wanted it to be desegregated, like for both, you know,
the entirety of the fair.
Before she came in
and started training some of the NAACP youth,
they had what was called Negro achievement day.
And it only allowed...
African Americans in once a once a week
or once a year or something.
-: Yeah.
One day.
Interviewer: One day, right.
-: I remember attending when we were in school,
we'd go to the fair.
Go and march in the parade
in high school, one day,
and then same at Prairie View.
My first
year
going up there and marching.
You know,
it was one day.
and
out of the whole
festival...
Time...
Fair.
They had one day
for the Negros as we were called.
So they asked me, what am I?
You know, name Portis?
You know, they, and I asked, said, well, what are you?
They asked if I'm a...
I'm asking, am I a Puerto Rican?
Am I...
Guano?
Am I Dominican?
(laughs)
And I tell him, Moses might have,
I don't know if he, he has heard me say this,
that, that, the name Portis,
when I wanna be black it's Portis.
If I wanna be French it's Portie.
if I wanna be Hispanic,
it's Portis. (Interviewer laughs).
And when I'm colored it's Potus,
and that's the way they pronounce it at home,
they leave the R out of it.
Like the Bonilla's, they were,
at home they were the Bonilla's,
They, you know, they weren't Bonilla's
until they came to Corpus Christi.
Interviewer: Uh-huh (affirmative).
-: Yeah. Interviewer: Yeah.
-: For the longest, when I'd go back home,
they'd ask, "how those vanilla boys doing".
-: (Interviewer Laughs) -: Yeah,
because the Mexican, the black, you know
we played together, played football ...
together, you know?
Interviewer: Yeah.
-: Even though they went to school ...
at the white, white school,
but ...
it didn't live in, in the neighborhood.
We lived in the same neighborhood.
You know...
So...
Interviewer: I was gonna ask about,
when you guys, Corpus Christi,
who ran the town,
what type of people ran the town,
but I've heard a lot about the Bonilla's.
What do people think about the Bonilla's,
when you got to town?
Interviewer: Sounds like a conflicted -
you know, sort of...
-: Well,
William...
was one of the first...
Mexican attorneys.
You know...
One of the first...
and, there was a strong presence...
TV.
See, if you're part of the media,
you know, Dominga Pena had a show.
And when you...
media exposure,
or control,
that's power.
When you, when you have a show that ...
you dictate...
Who's gonna be on, you know,
and...
and you gotta be...
a little crazy,
you know?
Of which some people said he was,
but we were real good friends.
He's the one that helped us go to Europe,
raised the money to go ...
... with the, the band, Jazz band.
Interviewer: And this is William?
-: Huh? Interviewer: William Bonet?
-: No, Dominga Pena.
he had the Domingo Show.
Interviewer: Oh, right, right.
-: Yeah. He, when we were going to Europe,
the governor came down,
proclaimed us good will ambassadors.
He had ...
He could raise money.
He'd call, get on the phone, and,
and talk to anybody.
The lady from Whataburger,
I mean that's...
that's...
made a great contribution,
to the band...
for us to go to Europe.
Matter of fact, the biggest day in,
in the history,
was we played, we opened a,
a new store for Whataburger
and they gave us that day's receipts to go to Europe.
The lady, Ms. Dodson, she would see me on,
after that we would be going to,
Mexico, or city,
or wherever. Acapulco or wherever.
Raise the money to go to New Orleans.
She would call and she was still doing the fundraising
and she'd call, and...
to tell my wife,
"well you tell him, tell him to call me".
"I appreciate what he does for those kids".
And she would have a check.
Yeah...
Ms. Driscoll.
She had written a song called,
"Corpus Christi Wins".
I arranged that tune,
for a band, and,
and we played it for her.
Same way Whataburger...
we arranged them. I arranged the,
the theme, that they were using for the commercials,
for Big Band.
And we played it, and my kids got to
do the commercials.
Interviewer: Wow. -: Yeah.
Interviewer: So they were pretty excited about that?
-: Oh yeah, they,
they were all doing commercials on TV
when they were in high school.
Interviewer: Wow. -: Yeah.
Yeah, so kids ...
Yeah.
When my bands traveled to Mexico city,
Acapulco...
we played The World's Fair.
Probably one of the few high school bands that...
Jazz bands that, we played The Worlds Fair.
We played the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival.
Interviewer: Yeah. -: Yeah.
Traveled all over.
Interviewer: Yeah. -: Yeah.
Played for the politicians when they,
when they would come to town.
Reagan...
Humphrey back then.
You know, like I said, the governor came down,
we played...
and he proclaimed all of those kids that went,
they have a good will ambassador...
certificate.
Interviewer: Was that Connolly at the time?
-: Yeah. Interviewer: Yeah ...
... John Connoly -: Yeah.
Interviewer: Yeah ...
... so it's not, it's- -: No. It, when that, not,
not at West Oso. Interviewer: Oh-
-: Connolly came to Purview when I was there.
Interviewer: Yeah- -: No, this was ...
... Brisco.
Yeah. I, I have a picture with him,
governor, when he came down.
Interviewer: Gotcha. -: Yeah.
We brought in Stan Kenton.
We played on a concert with him.
You heard of Stan Kenton?
The big band, Stan Kenton?
Interviewer: No, sir.
-: One of the Premium big bands, he came down and,
we brought him down,
and we played a concert with him,
and...
he was so impressed with the band,
that we owed him a, we had sent a deposit,
and we got ready to give him the balance of the,
of his money, and he turned around and gave it back to me.
He said, "Maurice, go to Europe".
"Take this and go to Europe".
"You're gonna kill them over there".
And we, and we did.
Interviewer: Wow. Yeah.
Interviewer: So, it seems like ...
... within a few years, you're already ensconced,
in the community...
in Corpus Christi.
At what point did you start to think
maybe you get into the political game?
Or...
Interviewer: Did you get involved
with the NAACP when you first got here?
-: Yeah, I've always, you know,
my thing is as a teacher, when I stopped teaching,
I ...
I thought I could make a difference in,
by running for city council,
and serving on boards ...
Right now there's no black...
on any of the major boards.
Especially the executive boards,
the boards that make, make decisions.
There's no black in the CCISD,
and...
in High school, and...
not any central office positions...
in the county.
You know, we have an assistant manager, black.
She's been...
She's been interim...
city managers several times.
Interviewer: Do you remember her name,
The assistant manager?
Interviewer: For the County.
-: No, for the city.
Interviewer: Oh, for the city. Sorry.
-: Forgive me.
Interviewer: No, go. Take your time.
-: Yeah...
and...
Yeah, she's been,
good enough to serve as interim...
and she's been assistant for several years.
Yeah.
But you can,
you can, document that.
Interviewer: Yeah. Well, we'll track it down.
I mean, because-
-: You might, you might want to interview her.
Interviewer: Oh, for sure. That's what I was thinking.
because the assistant,
or the main city manager just resigned, right?
-: Yes.
Yeah, he resigned.
Yeah.
Interviewer: And so Chanel, she's interim?
For now? -: Yes.
You can...
do that on you.
Interviewer: Yeah. -: Yeah.
Interviewer: So when did you first
start on the city council?
Or when did you first run?
-: I ran in 2009.
And I,
I've only...
Interviewer: It's relatively recent that you-
-: Huh? Interviewer: jumped in?
-: Well, I, I was considering,
you know,
one of the city council...
the lady,
resigned, took another position.
So that was an opening on the city council,
and then I, I had interest,
because the council was gonna appoint someone,
and...
I...
went to see the process,
and then the process,
of seeing, and I saw who, who had,
who else was interested in...
in...
in the position.
And after seeing,
I chose, I'd said,
well, I'm not going through the process
because I already know,
who they are gonna appoint.
And that's, that's what happened.
You know,
I, when I saw...
who was...
applying,
for the position.
And that, not based on experience,
you know.
Like they said, they would, they would do.
I, I thought I had a good shot at it,
based on my...
experience,
having been an educator,
and been an administrator,
a business person,
you know, been active.
So it served on boards,
that I might have a shot,
and that because I felt I would be good...
for the city.