MSGT (USAF Retired) JOSE MARTINEZ • NOVEMBER 14, 1935 -- July 19, 2020
If we truly believe that our country is the land of opportunity for immigrants in search of the American Dream, then Mr. Jose (Joe) Martinez is a perfect example. Although we do not know the particular details, we can envision a young 12-year old Mexican boy in the beautiful city of Acapulco somehow having the opportunity of a lifetime. The opportunity of coming to the United States with an American Couple who took interest in this energetic, enthusiastic young boy. Perhaps he got their attention with his positive can-do attitude, his sparkling dark eyes and beautiful smile; whatever it may have been, he never took this opportunity for granted and never forgot where he came from. Growing up in Connecticut, he graduated from Woodstock Academy and joined the United States Air Force. His career took him all over the world receiving awards and decorations, and retiring with the rank of MSGT. He and his wife Ernestina were the proud parents of five children (his son MSgt Jose Martinez and daughter Marisa Martinez Beal; and sons, Jesus Cerda (USAF Retired), Enrique Cerda (MSgt USAF Retired) and Daniel Cerda. As I was gathering comments for this article from friends and family I would ask “What do you remember about Mr. Martinez?” Sergio Diaz, our DRHCC President, recalled: “He was everywhere, always involved in our community. If there was an event going on, you just knew Joe would be there. Most of the time he would approach you with a Raffle ticket book of some sort, or tickets for a Bar-b-Que.” Always for a fundraiser for his beloved American GI Forum, where he was Commander during the time of his passing. Sergio was right on, and if there was a community event going on, we knew Joe would be there helping in anyway he could. If there was a Veteran’s Parade during Veteran’s, or Memorial Day, we knew that it was Mr. Martinez who was the organizer. The last time I spoke with Mr. Martinez was when I delivered our monthly Del Rio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Newsletter. I always dropped it in their mailbox, but this time, as if planned, he happened to be out in his front yard. So we chatted as I handed him the Newsletter. He said “you know Mrs. Alcala’ I don’t know about you, but I am ready to retire; I mean really retire, so that Tina and I can spend more time traveling and visiting family.” I said “Joe, you have the right idea, because life is short!” We said our usual good-byes with “One for the Road!” Little did I know that indeed life is short and this would be the last time I spoke to our good friend, Jose Martinez. Life has many twists and turns, and we never know what the next day may bring. As we celebrated the New Year 2020, we were looking forward to the beginning of a new decade, instead we were greeted with a deadly virus (COVID-19) that would develop into a world Pandemic. It was this deadly virus that took the life of our friend, but not the memory we have of this proud American who served his country and community with pride. We, the Del Rio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce members are proud to honor his memory. As we raise our glass we toast to his memory and recall his favorite saying: “Here’s One for the Road!”
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Dr. Robert Muñoz, Vice President - Sul Ross State University Middle Rio Grande Campuses By Laura Nelson, Director of Enrollment Marketing Dr. Robert Muñoz officially began his duties as Vice President of the Middle Rio Grande Campuses in Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Uvalde on Monday, June 1. He brings a wide variety of experience in higher education to the position, including more than 30 years of experience in two-year institutions in Texas with multi-campus settings. As a first generation college student, he understands the challenges and the opportunities students face. The native of El Paso is a first generation college student, and grew up with parents who encouraged their six children to pursue degrees. It worked! The Muñoz siblings hold 10 degrees between them—six bachelors, three masters, and one doctorate. Muñoz said he stumbled into education while he was a probation officer in Odessa after graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the Univ. of Texas at El Paso. He started by teaching a management class at Odessa College, took on another class, and also finished an Associate degree in Applied Science. He soon joined OC full-time, serving as an instructor, and guided by a mentor, Vance Gipson, started his administrative career. During this time, he took advantage of a program offered at Sul Ross in Alpine that offered face-to-face classes on weekends and earned a Master’s in Counseling. Meanwhile, he continued to take on more responsibility at OC and completed a doctorate in Educational Administration from New Mexico State Univ. When he left OC, Dr. Muñoz took on a challenge when he joined the administrative team at the Tarrant County College District in Ft. Worth, renovating a property used as a corporate headquarters into the dynamic Trinity River Campus. When Muñoz announced his resignation to come to Sul Ross, the President of the Trinity River Campus, Dr. S. Sean Madison, said, “We will miss his spirit of excellence, his love of community, and his positivity. I look forward to supporting his continued success as he moves into this important leadership role.” Dr. Muñoz has served in volunteer leadership positions across an assortment of platforms such as Girls Inc., a nonprofit in 350 cities nationwide that supports, mentors, and guides girls ages 6-18; the Men of Color Mentoring Program in the Tarrant County College District, an organization that supports male Hispanic and African American college students; and United Way, among others. He has received a number of Hispanic leadership awards from civic organizations in Ft. Worth including the Hispanic Heritage Award in 2014, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Award in 2019, and the Brillo Award from the Hispanic Women’s Network. He plans to become involved in the middle Rio Grande region and enjoys building relationships, discovering people’s passions, and discovering how they can work together. He said he is here to serve and looks forward to bringing his energy and enthusiasm to leading the Sul Ross campuses in Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Uvalde to advocate for students and support communities. REACH OUT & TOUCH SOMEONE We are living in very challenging times and under our current situation of social distancing and sheltering in place, we find ourselves longing to reach out and interact with someone outside our own eco-system circle. With so many of our small businesses having to shut their doors, and others operating with limited capacity and resources, we find ourselves wanting to reach out and help in any way we can. The Del Rio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is considered a non-essential business, so although our doors are closed for normal business, we have maintained our information flow going through our Weekly Blast, Facebook Page, Emails and Newsletters. Our shining light throughout this Pandemic has been non-other than Ms. Pauline Anton, the President and CEO of our parent organization, the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMAAC); on a weekly basis, we connect with her and all other Hispanic Chambers throughout the state via ZOOM and get the latest information on grants, loans and assistance for small businesses. We want to thank Ms. Anton for all her support, encouragement and assistance during these trying times. This too shall Pass! Our doors will be open for business soon and we will be there to support you! The 2020 Census is happening now. You can complete your questionnaire online, by phone, or by mail.
The 2020 Census asks a few simple questions about you and everyone who was living with you on April 1, 2020. Who Should Be Counted and Where? You should be counted where you were living and sleeping most of the time as of April 1, 2020. If you are responding for your home, count everyone who was living and sleeping there most of the time as of April 1, 2020. This includes young children, foster children, roommates, and any family members or friends who are living with you, even temporarily. Please note that if someone was staying with you temporarily on April 1 due to the COVID-19 situation, they should be counted where they usually live. This includes college students, who should still be counted at school, even if they are home early because of the COVID-19 situation. If they live in student housing, the college will count them. If they live off campus, they should complete the census for their off-campus address and include any roommates or other people living there. If someone is staying with you on April 1 who doesn’t have a usual home elsewhere, please include them in your response. People in some living situations—including students, service members, and people in health care facilities—may have questions about how to respond or where they should count themselves. You may also have questions if you recently moved, have multiple residences, or have no permanent address. All Business Contributor By Neil Hare The Paycheck Protection Program authorized by the CARES Act. reduces the amount of the loan needed to be spent on payroll from 75% to 60%, thus increasing the amount of funds available for other expenses from 25% to 40%. These expenses still include rent, mortgage payments, utilities, and interest on loans. The plan outlined in the bill would also offer the following: • Extend the window businesses have to use the funds from eight weeks to 24 weeks • Push back a June 30 deadline to rehire workers to December 31, 2020 • Provide more leeway on loan forgiveness for business owners who show they could not rehire workers or reopen due to safety standards • Extend the time recipients have to repay the loan • Let companies that get loan forgiveness defer payroll taxes The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, granting Women the Right to Vote was passed June 4, 1919 after a long struggle. That was over a century ago! However, it was not ratified until August 18th 1920. Up to that time, women faced tremendous challenges, struggles and hardships because they truly believed in equal rights for women. They endured horrendous uphill battles in every state; at one march that took place in Washington DC, before ratification, women marching along the parade route were ridiculed by men who cursed at them using cruel and foul language; they were spat upon, pushed and shoved , but they marched on with pride and determination. They represented all walks of life and marched attired in their career uniforms, they had already faced so many challenges and long hard days of working together to afford women the right to vote. Which brings me to the question I am asking my peers, my women friends and the public in general: Will you be voting in the next election? It saddens me when I, sometimes get the answer “Why should I go vote, nothing ever changes.” The history accounting for women’s suffrage movement extends six volumes and 6,000 pages of historical data. While I do not recommend you reading these well documented historical facts, I do encourage you to go out and vote!
The Solution 4th Anniversary On June 4th The Solution celebrated the 4th Anniversary giving a special promotion to all the customers. RAMADA of Del Rio 41 years of service
On June 21 RAMADA Del Rio, Texas had it is 41st Anniversary June 21-1979 to June 21-2020 under same ownership of Max and Mac, LLC. Many years of service to our community enduring, expansions, remodeling, demolition happy days as well as sad days, passing thru recession, furlough, COVID19, low Lake, high Lake, Great days and times as Best of the Border in Acuna/Mexico, Alamo Village Movie Capital, fires and flood, tornados and great weather, Horse Races, Rodeos, new businesses, Maquilas opening and closing, Government changes, LAFB and many others but always prevailing thank you to the Great staff over the 41 years some that already RIP and many others still with us or on others fields that cross their path. With the community support of Val Verde, Del Rio and Acuña they are been able to continue in business for 41 years. Thank you for your always support to our community and the Del Rio Hispanic Chamber of commerce. On Wednesday June 3, in partnership with Val Verde County, the Housing Authority of the City of Del Rio has conducted numerous food distribution events, having employees distribute food door to door to all the tenants living at all the properties owned and managed by the Housing Authority. Housing Authority employees always dedicated to serving their tenants. Special thanks to Honorable County Judge Lewis Owens, Commissioner Juan Carlos Vasquez and County employees.
Health & Emotional Resilience during the Global Pandemic
As our community makes lifestyle adjustments in the midst of this global pandemic, many have been feeling emotions of frustration, anger, sadness or anxiety. Processing these thoughts and feelings in a positive manner may be accomplished by using physical activity and exercise. These two options can be an effective strategy in maintaining emotional and mental health during this stressful period. With so many changes to our daily routines, finding time to exercise can be more challenging. Exercise can boost your immune system; therefore, it is more crucial than ever not to give up on your fitness routine due to limited gym access. It is vital that you find physical activities that you enjoy. Each day is a new opportunity to engage your body in activities that can bring short and long-term benefits. The key is consistency and developing new habits that will help you reach and sustain your health and fitness goals. While many things around us may feel beyond our control right now, we are in control of our daily actions and schedule. Let us turn this obstacle around and make it into an opportunity to learn of new ways to build our physical health and emotional resilience. Dr. Elaine Soto Trevino FitGrit Personal Fitness Trainer |
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