A month of milestones

Another month filled with the stuff of life, glad and sad.

Our beloved Canadian cousin Ruth McDowell began to fail, and we agreed we should not wait until her 91st birthday in September, so daughter Vickie and I made reservations. She died before we could get there, but we decided to make the trip anyhow, as the airline rules are set in granite. We made it our last farewell, and we were glad we did. We visited the places she loved in her little hometown of Neepawa and gained more insight into her early life there. Six inches of snow had fallen the week before we left, and although the sun was shining brightly when we arrived, the weather was nippy and snow still lined the road to Neepawa.

The little cemetery where we took Ruth to visit her parents' and infant sister's graves on our last visit was peaceful as workers prepared some of the sites for the perpetual care plan. The sites will be completely planted in petunias, which will bloom until first frost. We decided to do this for Ruth, as our final farewell. It will please us to know she lies beneath a carpet of pink flowers.

We lost some dear Laredoans while we were gone. Anita Martin, Aurora Alexander, and Sam Haber, husband of Anita, our co-worker with the Kidney Foundation. Nachin Montemayor also passed away.

On a happy note, our granddaughter Stephanie Reed graduated with honors from Alexander High School , and Greater Laredo publisher Raul Gutierrez's son graduated from United High the same day, but earlier. The ceremonies were held at the Laredo Entertainment Center . How did we exist without this new addition to our community? The audience of proud relatives and friends was cool and comfortable and the big screen highlighted the honorees for all to see. A most happy occasion for all!

Meg Guerra is a grandma! Little Emily Altgelt was born to her son George and his wife Rosa Elia two weeks ago! George's graduation from law school made it a double celebration! Our copy of LareDOS just arrived and we have just finished reading Meg's tribute to her late father. What a tender story of love. Our admiration for her skill as a writer continues to grow. What a talented lady. We are honored that she wants to run our column in her paper. Thanks, Meg, for being you.

We missed the wedding of Danny Treviño and Lizette Muñoz but saw his mom and she gave us some photos. His parents are Lucila “Chila” and Vidal Treviño. The wedding took place at Blessed Sacrament Church. Danny works for UISD in the transportation department and Lizette teaches at Nixon High School . They are settling into the new home they built.

Our neighbor Bea Allen has had family visitors. Her great granddaughter Legacy Bargo Lowenberg is the daughter of Heather and Scott Lowenberg. Bea's daughter Gayle is Heather's mom. Sallie Bargo is also a neighbor of ours and shares great grandma honors, as her son Steve is the baby's grandfather. Also visiting are Brandon and Greg Bargo.

Junior Achievement of Laredo presented the 2004 Business Hall of Fame Laureates on May 13th at the Laredo Country Club. Honored were the late Juvencio de Anda and his widow Nancy, Dr. Ray M. Keck III, and J. Jorge Verduzco. We were unable to attend but do congratulate the very worthy recipients.

The Webb County Heritage Foundation held its 22nd Annual Heritage Awards and Membership Celebration at the San Agustin Ballroom of La Posada Hotel on May 15th. The ceremony was lovely and we met up with so many friends, old and new. Sanjuanita Martinez Hunter and her husband Bence Maurice, better known as Reece. He was the football coach at St. Joseph 's Academy for years. They are retired now and divide their time between Austin and Laredo . Their interests include the Villa San Agustin de Laredo Geneology Society and Webb County Archeological Society. Sanjuanita teaches swimming lessons at the pool in their Laredo home during the summer months. Sanjuanita earned her Ph.D. and she is a former UT dance instructor.

The Meritorious Service Award went to La Posada Hotel. Robert Stanfield is general manager and D. J. Utterback is assistant general manager. The award gives recognition for significant contributions of time, talent, or treasure to the preservation of Webb County heritage.

The Contemporary Architectural Design Incorporating Traditional Elements Award recognizes the design and construction of new building incorporating traditional design elements and/or methods. This award went to Laredo Community College Board of Trustees and Dr. Ramon Dovalina, president, for the architectural design of the newly constructed Laredo Community College South Campus, which reflects a harmonious blend of historically relevant architectural design elements of the region.

George Farias was awarded the Good Neighbor Award that recognizes individuals, institutions, organizations, foundations, or associations located outside of Webb County , including Mexico , which have made significant contributions in the field of historic preservation and cultural awareness in Webb County . Mr. Farias was honored for his personal commitment and contribution to the promotion and dissemination of new and traditional published materials whose subject is the history and cultural heritage of South Texas . George is the brother of Marie Rollin of Laredo and owns Borderlands Book Store in San Antonio . We purchased several wonderful books from him recently.

Brother Robert D. Wood, S.M., and Felix D. Almaraz were awarded the Jim Parish Award for Documentation and Publication of Local and Regional History. This award is presented to recognize and encourage research and documentation of regional history through publication of original material which preserves, records, or recounts local or regional history.

Brother Wood was recognized for his publication, Life in Laredo . The book provides insight into the daily activities of Laredo life during the first 100 years of the city's history, drawn from documents in the Laredo Archives.

Mr. Almaraz was honored for his publication, Tragic Cavalier, which recounts the story of Governor Manuel Maria de Salcedo and the struggle for Mexican independence from a Spanish perspective.

Mrs. Ofelia de Lachica garnered the Residential Historic Preservation Award for the preservation of her historic home at 1805 Matamoros St. in the St. Peter's Historic District. This award recognizes those individuals, organizations, foundations, or associations making significant contributions toward preserving the heritage of Webb County.

Luis Lidsky was honored for the personal care and commitment exhibited in preserving one of Laredo's most significant historic commercial buildings, the old Laredo National Bank at 419 Flores Avenue. This award recognizes those individuals, organizations, foundations, or associations making significant contributions toward the adaptive reuse of historic commercial structures within Webb County.

The Luciano Guajardo Historical Awareness Award went to Beatriz de la Garza for her book, A Law for the Lion, A Tale of Crime and Injustice in the Borderlands. This is an account of the 1912 double murder of two Laredo ranchers and the social tensions revealed through its aftermath. This award recognizes efforts to promote awareness of the history, architecture, and folklore of the region.

The Archival Donor Award was presented to Jennie Reed, Dr. Jerry D. Thompson, and Rodolfo Ramirez for patronage of the Webb County Heritage Foundation archives by the donation of gifts of historical photos, documents, records, published materials, or artifacts that recount or reflect the history and heritage of Webb County and are made available to the public.

Jennie donated, among other items, the historical postcard collection of Christmas cards created by the late Ann Shanks. Dr. Thompson donated a historical photo collection dated circa 1953 featuring the old Laredo Air Force Base and other sites. Mr. Ramirez donated a historical newspaper clipping collection from World War II and other items.

Preservation of Folklore Customs and Traditions Award in recognition of the perpetuation of folklore, customs, and traditions which adds to the quality of community life in Laredo and Webb County went to Bede Leyendecker, Asst. Professor at Texas A&M International University Fine and Performing Arts department for her dedicated contribution to the education, observance, and participation of her students in traditional regional cultural dance celebrations and the Cri Cri program.

Carlos D. Saucedo, Jr., was awarded the Volunteer Service Award, given in recognition of contributions of time, talent, or expertise in the promotion of the programs and services of the Webb County Heritage Foundation and the Republic of the Rio Grande Museum. Mr. Saucedo was honored for his dedicated personal service as musical accompanist for the WCHF's annual historical reenactment program featuring significant events in Laredo's history.

Maria de la Luz Cardenas received the Special Lifetime Achievement Award for her lifetime dedication to the historical education of our community through her work as an educator and her commitment to the goal of historic preservation.

Altogether a wonderful and interesting evening filled with the awareness that many of us care about our community and are so grateful to the volunteers and staff of the Webb County Heritage Foundation for preserving our history. Job well done!

While visiting with Connie Kazen, we met her daughter Cathy, who has moved back to Laredo after teaching in San Antonio. She has built an apartment in her mom's back yard, next to the doll house that Connie's father, the late Judge Raymond, had built for his daughters many years ago. Welcome back home to Cathy, who inherited her parents' good looks.

The Keck family had a wonderful part in San Antonio's Fiesta Week. John and Ceci Keck's daughter, Her Grace, Katherine Randal of the House of Keck, represented the Duchess of “Regal Golden Cloth” in the Court of the Lion and the Dragon - the Splendors of the Silk Road. Her escort was Duke Edward Dwight “Ned” Hodge IV of Dallas. Her grandmother is Joyce L. Keck of Laredo. Her sponsors were Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Steves, Jr., of San Antonio.

The week was filled with parties, rehearsals, and more parties. Guests of the Keck family from Laredo included Valerie Leyendecker and Chito Padilla, Frances and Gerry Salinas, Sherry and John Adams, Libby and Poncho Casso, Lizzie Casso, Gloria and Quico Canseco, Jane and Gary Unzeitig, Liz and Jaime Arechiga, J. O. and Christina Alvarez. Other guests included Sally and Bill McKenzie of Dallas, Bob and Ruth Brown of Devine, Martha and Frank Covert of Austin, Patty and Steve Bruce of San Marino, CA, Margara and Mario Kontny of Denver, Lydia and Tom Barton of Austin, Thomas Bruce of Dallas, Rosa and Freddy Longoria of San Antonio, Cristina and Joaquin Garza of Monterrey, Mexico. Also Chelo and Chema Hernandez of Queretero, Mexico, as well as Mary Frances and Chito Churchill, Carrol and John Churchill, Amber and Jorge Canseco of San Antonio. Laurie and David Joseph of San Antonio also joined the group, as did Kim Canseco of Del Rio.

We were pleased that an impromptu gathering of “the girls” happened this month. Darla Deats, now of California, started it and we were joined by Joyce Early of Euless and Wanda Deliganis of Houston. We centered around visiting Lorraine Hopson, who is doing great. Included in several informal gatherings were Terry Palacios Smith, None Gonzalez, Dora Wolfe, Linda Deutsch, Ana Ochoa, Maruka Kahn, Raquel Senties, Josette Palacios, and your reporter. A lot of laughing, singing, and eating! The best kind of fun.

As we look forward to another sweltering hot summer, we appreciate every minute that we have, and continue to pray for peace.