Alfonso "Al" Ramirez

ALFONSO “AL” RAMIREZ

EDINBURG — Former Edinburg Mayor Alfonso René Ramírez died Wednesday
afternoon following a precipitous decline in his health. He was born in
Edinburg and lived 86 years full of adventure and service above self. He
was born into the wide web of the Vela family and strengthened it by
mixing love with his talents as humorist, writer, publisher, historian and
all around good guy.
The four boys are fortunate to have a father who set a very high standard.
Dad was blessed with a brilliant purposeful mother who set the bar for
him. Dad said Mama Emilia never wasted thirty-eight seconds in her life,
and noted one day finding her standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes,
with a book on the German language sitting propped up and open on the
windowsill. She was studying in preparation for an upcoming summer trip
to Europe.
To gain an insight in the values of this family, Mama advised daughter
Edna on what to study at university, profoundly counseling “choose a
career where you can serve others, not where you will be served.” Tía
Edna chose to study nutrition at UT20Austin and returned to the Valley
where for a while she was the only registered dietician.
Surely dad got some of the same advice from his mother, or perhaps he just
watched and followed the example. He also got regular lessons in how to
correctly speak English and Spanish. He said she had mastered both, and
whichever language he chose, he was certain to make mistakes and be
corrected.
Dad attended schools in Edinburg, Rio Grande City and Hidalgo. He is an
Aggie who earned a Masters in Education at UT Austin. His career in
education included posts as a teacher, principal, Edinburg ISD Director of
Instruction and Director of Curriculum at newly established Region One ESC
back in the late 60’s through the late 70’s when he retired.
He used the word “euphoria” to describe the years at Region One, because
he supervised a team which created teaching materials which helped
Spanish-only speaking children become literate in their native tongue.
The program exceeded expectations and students, who would have been solid
candidates to drop out, advanced rapidly and by fifth grade, could read
English at or above grade level.
During the war (after graduating A&M), he co-piloted a B-24 on bombing
missions over Europe, earning the Air Medal and a Purple Heart. On one
mission, the plane in front of him took a direct hit, and dad was bent
over getting a camera out of his boot when debris came through the
win
dshield, wounding both he and the pilot. He later estimated that he
survived by 1/50th of a second, which was the time-distance gap between
his B-24 and the plane in front of them.
He led by example, and although an officer was not expected to help wash
their plane, he willingly joined enlisted crewmembers on the flight line
to finish that job. In the booklet he said “Jodey”, their plane, was like
another member of the crew. That gesture earned him the crew’s deep
respect. Of the ten men aboard “Jodey” only two remain, and both were
crushed to learn their co-pilot was gone.
In the early 60’s Dad decided to run for mayor of his hometown. At that
time, very few Mexican-Americans served as elected officials. He could
have been elected city commissioner in the late 50’s because the ruling
elite in Edinburg asked him to run and guaranteed victory. Their
representative told him not to worry about lack of money, or political
savvy, his election was assured. Dad was nobody’s lackey and declined the
disgusting offer, choosing instead a few years later to do it his way,
winning the mayor’s race by 14 votes. He easily won re-election two years
later.
In late November 1963, mom and dad headed to Austin for a reception for
President Kennedy. On the way, they heard the terrible news. He
confirmed it at a radio station on the side of the highway, then sadly
turned the car around and headed back for Edinburg.
In recent months, as we cleaned up house and went through a less than
perfect filing system, we gained a deeper appreciation for the depth and
breadth of his thinking.
He explained that he did not find peace or spiritual renewal in an empty
church, “but now Sequoia, Acapulco, the Atlantic or La Migaja—that’s
something else.” He loved the earth and especially the native brush land
of his little slice of heaven north of town.
He wrote a letter to someone explaining these views, and pointed out that
we are unwillingly forced to leave the womb and the world, and how we
behave in between is the subject of all faiths, creeds and religions. To
him it was simple: “we are here to make existence on this earth better
for ourselves and better for others.” He did.
He believed “the only measure of a person’s worth is the extent to which
he succeeded in the constant battle to improve.” He measured XXXL on that
scale, perfectly fit his own description of the “greatest among us” as
those who “leave a trail of deeds that raised the level of happiness for
everyone whose lives were touched.” He did. So many will miss him
dearly.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Rafael and Emilia Ramirez; and a
granddaughter, Melanie A. Ramirez.
Mr. Ramirez is survived by his wife, Betty R. Ramirez of Edinburg; four
sons, David (Gracie) Ramirez of Buda, Texas, Robert (Elvia) Ramirez of
McAllen, Steven (Valerie) Ramirez and Dan (Maria) Ramirez both of
Edinburg; 11 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and two sisters,
Edna Ramon of Rio Grande City and Delia Gleber of Dallas, Texas.
Funeral service will be at 9 am today, April 27, 2009, at Sacred Heart
Catholic Church in Edinburg. Interment will follow at Rio Grande Valley
State Veterans Cemetery in Mission. Pallbearers will be his
grandchildren, Alex, Cristina, Danny, Emilia, Gaby, Jorge, Maryam and
Neda. Military honors will be conducted by VFW Post 8788 of McAllen.
Funeral services are under the direction of Memorial Funeral Home in
Edinburg.