COMMENTARY: Olympian, heroine, hero memorialized

Joe Martinez, Ed.D., is a Doctor of Curriculum & Technology, a U.S. Military Veteran, and a native of San Benito.

To recap what I wrote last week, our local Olympian, heroine, and hero, Bobby Morrow, was raised on the outskirts of San Benito, attended San Benito High, and won three state championships as a Greyhound. He then went on to win three gold medals for our nation.

He is a local Olympian who deserves recognition and memorialization by our city for his achievements.

This brings us to another local heroine, Dolly Vinsant, a native of San Benito, Vinsant graduated from SBHS, attended Brownsville Junior College (later renamed Texas Southmost College), and earned a nursing degree.

She qualified for the Air Evacuation Nurse Corps and graduated from the first flight nurse class at Bowman Field, Kentucky.

She was then stationed in England with the 806th Medical Air Evacuation Squadron. After completing her mandatory two years of evacuating the wounded, she volunteered for one final mission and was killed in the line of duty over Germany in 1945.

Dolly also needs to be recognized and memorialized by our city for her extraordinary, selfless service during WWII.

She was the only woman from Texas and one of 17 flight nurses who died on active duty in Europe during the war.

This brings us to our hometown hero, Freddy Fender, for whom San Benito is best known. Our city has two identities: we are known as Resaca City and Freddy Fender Town.

Freddy, born Baldemar Huerta, lived in the El Jardin neighborhood of our city. He grew up in poverty and worked as a farm worker alongside his family.

He began singing at age 10 and later won three Grammy Awards, along with numerous other honors.

His musical hits include: Before the Next Teardrop Falls, Wasted Days and Wasted Nights, Secret Love, You’ll Lose a Good Thing, and many others. He also has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Fender also deserves to be recognized and memorialized by our city for his musical achievements.

He is the only musical entertainer in the Valley to make it big on an international scale, and that is what also gives our city its recognition.

I propose we name our trail the Bobby Morrow Run/Walk Memorial Trail, with a statue of him wearing three gold medals. This way, visitors can show enthusiasm for our run/walk and take photos with the Bobby Morrow Memorial statue.

Let’s face it, tourists love taking pictures of themselves next to famous monuments to have something to talk about when they get back home.

I also propose installing a monument or statue honoring Dolly Vinsant, a nurse, in our San Benito Veterans Park.

This way, it will give recognition to an almost forgotten heroine, memorializing her achievements and sacrifice in her selfless duty to our nation during WWII, and also recognizing her as the only woman from Texas to die during that horrible war.

This brings us to our local hero, Freddy Fender, known for his artistry in musical history.

I propose naming the park next to El Jardin, where he grew up and frequently visited, Freddy Fender Memorial Park, with a statue of him smiling, seated on a stool with a guitar in hand.

All of these suggestions will raise the city’s profile, boost tourism, and generate many tax dollars for city improvements, education, and essential city repairs.

It takes all of us to get us out of this poverty-stricken city. We all need to participate to achieve a higher quality of life, including our past citizens like Bobby Morrow, Dolly Vinsant, and Freddy Fender.

By memorializing these extraordinary citizens, we will also help reap the rewards of their work by increasing tourism, which eventually leads to a higher standard of living for all our citizens through increased tax dollars.

Let’s all pitch in to make San Benito the best little city in the Valley and in all of Texas.