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A Chapter in Education: 1975-1988
Brownsville Independent School District (Tex.)
Promotional calendar highlighting the history of BISD from 1975-1988. Includes a brief history of elementaries, middle schools and high schools as well as individuals who left a lasting legacy.
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A Chapter in Education: The First Twenty Years
Brownsville Independent School District (Tex.)
Promotional calendar highlighting the history of BISD from 1920-1998. Includes a brief history of elementaries, middle schools and high schools as well as individuals who left a lasting legacy.
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Bands of the World - Brownsville High School Band snippet
Al G. Wright and Stanley Newcomb
Brief history of the Brownsville High School Band.
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Bicentennial Calendar of Brownsville, Texas: 1976
A calendar containing photographs taken by Robert Runyon with brief accompanying histories.
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Foul Balls across the Rio Grande
Rene Torres
The history of Laredo baseball reflects a vibrant and evolving cultural phenomenon spanning from the early 20th century to the mid-1950s. Ramon Garces chronicles this journey by dividing it into distinct phases, beginning with the city's involvement in the Southwest Texas League in 1910, where it stood out for its inclusion of Latino players. Despite a promising start, financial challenges ended the league by 1911. The 1920s saw the emergence of the iconic "Milmo Team," composed of celebrated Latino players whose achievements were overlooked by contemporary media.
The 1930s and 1940s marked a transition from sandlot baseball to a more organized structure, highlighted by the founding of the Laredo Baseball Park. During World War II, women's fastpitch softball, led by the Laredo Lionettes, captivated audiences, sustaining the region's passion for the sport. Post-war baseball saw the revival of professional teams, including the Apaches in the Rio Grande League and later the Gulf Coast League. Despite initial enthusiasm and local talent, financial and operational struggles led to fluctuating success.
Garces concludes his account in 1952, leaving later developments to other historians. The legacy of Laredo baseball, enriched by cross-border unity and a commitment to diversity, remains a testament to its unique cultural and historical significance. The story continues in archives, oral histories, and works like Alan M. Klein's Baseball on the Border: A Tale of Two Laredos.
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Frank Yturria Joins Gene Autry Rodeo
Rene Torres
The article reports on joining of the Gene Autry Flying "A" Rodeo show by rodeos Frank Yturria and Rex Rossi for performing trick riding and roping. Topics discussed include change in the American circus due to the acts of John Ringling, replacement of Gene Autry by cowboy Roy Rogers and education of Yturria with Veterinary degree from Texas A & M University.
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Harlingen Golden Anniversary Celebration, April 24-30, 1960 Official Program
City of Harlingen and Verna Jackson McKenna
Booklet highlighting important historical events that occurred in Harlingen and the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Included are histories of local brands, stores, organizations, government, and attractions.
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John Lomax's Southern States Recording Expedition: Brownsville, Texas, 1939
Albert Rodriguez and Rene Torres
In the spring of 1939, Texas folklorist John Avery Lomax began his Southern States Recording Expedition, focusing primarily on rural Texas and Louisiana. One of the main goals of this and other recording forays into the South and Southwest by Lomax during the 1930s was to document the musical landscape of the nation as it rapidly transformed from a mostly rural-agrarian society to an increasingly urban-industrial one. In part, Lomax wanted to preserve examples of regional folk music before they were "lost" to the growing commercialization of American music. However, Lomax also had another important goal in mind, and that was to prove that American folk music was distinct from the folk music found in Europe and elsewhere.
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Mario “Mike” de la Fuente: Died a Longhorn Legend
Rene Torres
Mario de la Fuente was born in 1909 in Mexico, the twelfth child of a prosperous rancher and merchant. His early life was disrupted by the Mexican Revolution, forcing his family to flee to Mexico City and later to the United States, where they faced poverty and racism. Despite these challenges, Mario excelled in academics and sports, particularly baseball, at Del Rio High School and later at the University of Texas. He became the first Mexican to earn a baseball scholarship at UT and led his team to multiple championships. After a brief professional baseball career, he returned to Mexico, where he achieved significant success in business, notably in cable television, earning him the title "Father of Cable Television in Latin America." Mario's contributions extended beyond business, as he revitalized the economy of Nogales and brought professional baseball to Mexico. He was celebrated for his community service and as a pioneer for Mexican students in the U.S. Mario de la Fuente passed away in 2005, leaving a legacy as a Longhorn Legend and a bridge between Mexican and American cultures.
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McAllen Nine Invade Mexico City
Rene Torres and Kevin Knoch
The article explores popularity of baseball in the U.S. during 1934 when the country was struggling to recuperate from a near economic collapse sparked by the stock market crash nearly five years earlier. It reports that in August 1934 baseball team McAllen Lions were traveling to Mexico City to take on the Aztecas billed as the championships of the republic during hard economic times when drought plaguing some parts of the county.
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![Newspaper clipping - Brownsville and Valley are in [National Geographic] story](https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/renetorrespub/1020/thumbnail.jpg "Newspaper clipping - Brownsville and Valley are in [National Geographic] story")
Newspaper clipping - Brownsville and Valley are in [National Geographic] story
Newspaper clipping describing Frederick Simpich's "So Big Texas" article in the National Geographic magazine.
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![Newspaper clipping - Valley Story in [Nature Magazine]](https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/renetorrespub/1021/thumbnail.jpg "Newspaper clipping - Valley Story in [Nature Magazine]")
Newspaper clipping - Valley Story in [Nature Magazine]
"Land of the Golden Fruit: The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Where Texas Becomes Sub-Tropical" by Harry Foehner.
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Palm Bowl: NAIA National Championship Football 1979
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
Promotional brochure of the 1979 Palm Bowl. It was the NAIA National Football Championship played at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas on December 15, 1979.
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Palm Bowl: NCAA Division II Football Championship 1981
National Collegiate Athletic Association
Promotional brochure of the 1981 Palm Bowl. It was the NCAA Division II Football Championship played at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas on December 12, 1981.
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Palm Bowl: NCAA Division II Football Championship 1982
National Collegiate Athletic Association
Promotional brochure of the 1982 Palm Bowl. It was the NCAA Division II Football Championship played at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas on December 11, 1982.
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Palm Bowl: NCAA Division II Football Championship 1985
National Collegiate Athletic Association
Promotional brochure of the 1985 Palm Bowl. It was the NCAA Division II Football Championship played at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, Texas on December 14, 1985.
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Pan American College 2nd Annual Inter-Collegiate Rodeo, April 23-25, 1964 Official Program
Pan American College and National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association
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The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas
Missouri Pacific Railroad Company
This booklet contains advertisement for the Rio Grande Valley that highlights the various commercial, agricultural, and recreational prospects available. It chronicles the impact of the railroad's arrival and how it stimulated progress in areas such as irrigation, fishing, hunting, beaches, lodging, cities, residences, farming, and crops like cotton. Additionally, it touches on the importance of religion and high-quality education, and the expansion of the railroad network to enhance accessibility.
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The Texas delta of an American Nile: Orchards and gardens replace thorny jungle in the southmost tip of the Lone Star State / Rio Grande Cornucopia Under a Winter Sun
McFall Kerbey, B. Anthony Stewart, and National Geographic Magazine
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Yearbook of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Northern Mexico, 1961
Mabel Collier Eppright and Gladys Collier Hooper
A Welcome from the Governor of Texas / Price Daniel -- "The Valley-A Metropolitan Area," / Jack H. Drake -- Highlights of 1960-Facts, Figures and Events -- Letters to the Editors -- Did You Know? Unusual Facts in the Valley -- "Agriculture," / Stanley B. Crockett -- "Marrs Early Orange," / Mabel C. Eppright -- Agriculture-Citrus, Vegetables, Cotton -- Let's Go to Mexico -- Fascinating Phases of Valley Life -- "Valley Variety," / Bill Watts -- "Cotton," / W. R. Cowley -- "Cotton's Problems in a Changing Agricultural Economy," / R. D. Lewis.
