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SAN ANGELO, TX – Arnold Garcia, born and raised in San Angelo, died of pancreatic cancer on Thursday, August 12th. Garcia hasn’t been to San Angelo in a long time, but many here remember him as it was yesterday. Del Velasquez said the two had been friends since he was six.
Garcia, who began his career in journalism as a college student covering the police operation for the San Angelo Standard-Times in the late 1960s, was best known for his retired position as editor for Austin American-Statesman opinion pages. He worked there as an editor for 38 years until he retired in 2013. He was the longest-serving editor for editorial pages in Texas, giving him great influence on Austin and Texas politics.
According to an oral tradition that Garcia attended for the University of Texas in 2011, he said his father requested that he get an education. He attended Sacred Heart Elementary School in San Angelo, where Garcia said: “[T]he nuns instilled standards in me that would resonate my entire life. “
After serving in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971, Garcia re-enrolled and graduated from Angelo State University. When he graduated, he moved to Austin.
Garcia initially worked as a court reporter in the capital and through his reporting developed a thorough understanding of the centers of power in Texas. That eventually earned him ownership of the editorial page and thus the leverage to do something good.
As an illustration, Garcia knew about the history of the Travis County Courthouse, where the Supreme Court Justice was supposed to be, but then only attorney Thurgood Marshall argued the 1949 Sweatt v Painter lawsuit in a Travis County District Court to the Supreme Court and was important because it was one of the decisions in the 1950s that ended the “separate but equal” doctrine of racial segregation nationwide. Plaintiff, Heman Marion Sweatt, qualified but refused admission to the University of Texas School of Law because he was black and also because the District Court was home to Houston’s All-Back College, now Texas State University, for a school of law as a separate but equal program to prevent Sweatt from enrolling at the UT. The Supreme Court overturned the State Court’s decision in violation of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees equal legal protection.
On his editorial page in the Statesman, Garcia briefed his readers about the story that took place in the courthouse, where there was no plaque or marker. After all, Thurgood Marshall argued a case there! As a result, Travis County renamed the courthouse the Heman Marion Sweatt Travis County Courthouse in 2005.
It takes a man of charisma to gradually transform institutions, and Garcia had the charm. He would gregariously complain that the statesman would “print glowing 100-inch tributes to Anglo musicians who, as he put it,” sell a hundred records, “but ignore Grammy-winning Latino musicians, he wrote current editor of Statesman’s editorial page, Juan Castillo.
But Garcia’s passion wasn’t limited to social justice. He is a problem solver, explained Thomas Graham, whose company Garcia joined as a consultant after Statesman left. Graham runs an Austin-based public relations firm called Crosswind Media and Public Relations.
“In particular, the head of communications insisted on an aggressive reprimand from the latest criticism. Arnold stood firm. “I would strongly advise dropping references to the critics and focusing on the better days that lie ahead. Every bad experience should be a lesson on what to avoid next time, ‘”Garcia told him, Graham recalled. “And he was right!”
Republican Donna Bahorich, known by her critics as a far-right arsonist, served on the Texas State Board of Education from 2013 to 2019. When she was named chairman of the board by Governor Greg Abbott in 2015, it became controversial.
“I used to teach my children at home, and when I was named chairman, they thought I was going to destroy the Texas public school system,” Bahorich said. She reached out to Graham and Garcia, who helped her weather the media storm that followed. Garcia shared his connections and worked to change the public’s perception of her appointment in time for Bahorich to prove himself, including the Wall Street Journal, which endorsed her appointment.
“Arnold was a very patriotic guy and really proud to be from Texas,” said Bahorich. To do this, he used his talent to bring the right people together to help Bahorich succeed. “Arnold has always loved doing things like that,” she said.
For her work, Bahorich was awarded the Leadership Medal from the State Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens.
“It feels like a different world without Arnold,” said Bahorich.
Graham recalled texting Garcia during a sales call in Mexico City with a very wealthy customer. “Do you know the guy?” Graham asked him via text message.
Garcia replied, “Not personal, but interesting cat. Two questions, how long was dinner and who paid for? ”The point was, if it was over an hour and he bought, we had the deal, Graham said.
“Four hours and the new customer has bought,” wrote Graham back.
San Angelo raised a good man who influenced Texan politics in many ways and all Texans can share their respect for his life.
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