Danny Gunn Sr., an active member and volunteer of the nonprofit Río Grande International Study Center, is the organization’s nominee for the 2017 Jefferson Award for Public Service.
He and other nominees will be honored at a Laredo Area Community Foundation dinner on Thursday, March 23 at 6 p.m. at the IBC-Jacaman Annex.
This year, he completes 21 years in service to RGISC and 18 years on its board. He is the one board member who shows up to, well, everything.
Born and raised on a farm in Santa Maria, Texas, on July 31, 1936, he said, “Day after I was born, I was laying on a blanket in the garden so my mama could pick veggies. It was part of survival on a farm — everyone worked the garden and the fields.”
A certified Master Gardener and Master Naturalist, Danny shines most when he’s outdoors helping RGISC to build community gardens, conduct cleanups at various creeks and nature trails, and give presentations to people of all ages on how to garden organically, and how to get the most from their native trees.
You would never believe Danny is 80 years old.
Courtesy Photo
Danny Gunn
Last month, armed with his trusty drill, saw, measuring tape, and stapler, Danny took the lead in building from scratch, RGISC’s first-ever float for the WBCA parade.
He remains involved and active with RGISC projects and shows up to any City Council meeting, Commissioners Court meeting, or any of the numerous year-round events that we organize to set-up, participate, and break down.
He is also the one board member who is available and eager to represent RGISC at any other activity where we’re invited – such as the annual Recycle Fair Day, Fun Fest, and Laredo Environmental Summit, among others.
Without fail, each year he can be counted on to participate in a dizzying array of RGISC community events: Laredo Birding Festival, golf tournament, water sampling for our annual student Rio Research Roundup, EcoFest, BioBlitz, Earth Day, cleanups at all the major trails and creeks, Dia del Rio (working the native tree nursery after helping with registration), talks with experts, and town hall events.
Danny also has a way with children and conducts presentations at the annual Dia del los Niños in Mirando City or at Alexander High School where his daughter teaches.
In the early 2000s, he helped teach dozens of Mary Help of Christians students how to measure tree caliper. They visited an old growth mesquite forest owned by the Leyendecker family that has since been cleared out via eminent domain for the Springfield Ave. extension.
Danny is beyond punctual. He is the first one to arrive, always, and you can depend on him to show up before the scheduled start time or meet time of any event or meeting.
He is also the one board member that we can call on at any time to come in weekly to sign checks for the organization or carry out errands for our small but busy nonprofit.
Elected to the RGISC Board in May 1999, Danny has a near perfect attendance record.
A former sailor, he joined the U.S. Navy in June 1954 shortly after the Korean Conflict came to a close. He served on three destroyers as a machinery repairman from 1955-58, visiting 27 different countries and islands in the Pacific.
He joined Central Power & Light in 1958 in San Benito before being transferred to Corpus Christi and then Laredo in 1969. He retired from CP&L in 1994 as a maintenance foreman for the Laredo power station and Eagle Pass hydro.
His involvement with RGISC soon began in 1996 and it quickly engulfed much of his time and thoughts.
He was taking a Master Gardener class taught by Dr. Jim Earhart (RGISC co-founder and biologist) and was soon recruited for a heavy, long-term project – establishing the Paso del Indio Nature Trail and developing the plant list for the soon to be Environmental Science Center at the community college campus.
Danny was a member of the Native Plant Society of Texas and his expertise was in native plants. He visited surrounding ranches to help collect native plants, cacti and succulents. He then planted and placed these plants around the Environmental Science Center. When the Center opened in April 1999, it was a RGISC-operated project. Ownership transferred from RGISC to the college a few years later.
With his 6’3” stocky build, Danny was a workhorse and key participant in establishing and cleaning many of Laredo’s current trails.
Soon after finishing out the key components of the Paso del Indio Nature Trail, he helped RGISC lay out and build Las Palmas Nature Trail (underneath Bridge II), as well as the adjoining Quest trail (on the other side of Zacate Creek).
He also assisted city crews lay out the Chacon Creek Nature Trail in two phases: from the Meadow Street Bridge to river, then from the Meadow Street Bridge back to Benavides Park and eventually what is now Loop 20.
“We saw all the polluting on the (Chacon) creek,” he recalled, remembering the large-scale cleanup of Chacon Creek that RGISC undertook with the Texas Army National Guard.
In March 2011, Danny took the lead in designing, building and planting 4 RGISC demonstration community gardens for Webb County at the Laredo Regional Food Bank, Sacred Heart Children’s Home, Hillside Community Center, andTexas A&M Colonias Center on Hwy 359.
The following year, Danny helped a Catholic group of ladies design and build a series of home gardens for a project called Los Jardines de María.
That year, he became an active RGISC member in the growing discussions and meetings that led to the downtown Farmers Market, now in its fifth year.
Danny has manned a booth with his fresh fruit and vegetables almost every month since the Farmers Market began.
When RGISC underwent an internal crisis in 2010 with the executive director and half the Board resigning, Danny Gunn stepped up and assumed the role of board president from July 2010 to July 2011.
Organizations like ours are extremely lucky to have board members like Danny who give so selflessly of their time, and who are available at a moment’s notice when needed.
We appreciate how he remains committed and so physically involved despite having had two hip replacements and more than five surgeries for his hip and kneecaps.
Last March, he lost his wife of 54 years, Georgie Ann, and is still mourning her loss. He has since devoted more time to RGISC activities, and to his wonderful woodworking skill of scrolling and fretwork.
With his large, callused hands, Danny can skillfully mold and transform a piece of maple, oak, walnut, mesquite or guayacan into a stunning bird or memorable commemorative plaque for RGISC.
“I’ve always wanted to preserve the environment for people along the Rio Grande,” Danny said, “so that they and my children and grandchildren can have a place to come and enjoy the outdoors as I have done all my life.”
