The Brownsville Herald
Aug. 6, 2000
Tens of thousands of people have walked through the terminal at Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport over the years.
Most were ordinary people en route to business appointments. Others were tourists.
Others werent so ordinary: visiting top government officials, intelligence agents on assignment, drug traffickers off to enjoy their wealth, fugitives running from the law.
But the ones that most people familiar with the airport remember are the celebrities.
But the ones that most people familiar with the airport remember are the celebrities.
American hero Charles Lindbergh landed at the airport in 1929 carrying 500 pounds of letters during a historic first flight of airmail from Mexico City. He landed at the time of the airports grand opening and was greeted by Amelia Earhart, who received her commercial license in Brownsville.
It was estimated that some 20,000 people were at the airport, and when the plane landed they broke through the restraining ropes and encircled the plane, long-time resident Carl Chilton Jr. said in his recently released book 70 Years of Airport History in Brownsville.
City officials threw a banquet for Lindbergh at the El Jardin Hotel. He stayed the night with a friend and returned to Mexico the following day.
Texas billionaire Howard Hughes kept a suite on the top floor of the El Jardin for many years for when he came through Brownsville.
He was supposed to be in and out of here several times, Chilton said, adding that Gladys Porter once got Jimmy Stewart to come to Brownsville to help promote her zoo.
Ladybird Johnson also came here to see the zoo once, he added. More recently, Prince Phillip of England passed through the terminal, and President Clinton gave a speech at the Confederate Air Force hangar. Former pilot Willis Wilson, 80, has plenty of pictures of Air Force One sitting on the taxiway of the airport. He has photographs of Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy.
In 1984, President Reagan arrived in Brownsville and Secret Service agents shut down Southmost Aviation for three days. They didnt want anyone to know they were keeping the presidential limousine there.
It was estimated that some 20,000 people were at the airport, and when the plane landed they broke through the restraining ropes and encircled the plane, long-time resident Carl Chilton Jr. said in his recently released book 70 Years of Airport History in Brownsville.
City officials threw a banquet for Lindbergh at the El Jardin Hotel. He stayed the night with a friend and returned to Mexico the following day.
Texas billionaire Howard Hughes kept a suite on the top floor of the El Jardin for many years for when he came through Brownsville.He was supposed to be in and out of here several times, Chilton said, adding that Gladys Porter once got Jimmy Stewart to come to Brownsville to help promote her zoo.
Ladybird Johnson also came here to see the zoo once, he added. More recently, Prince Phillip of England passed through the terminal, and President Clinton gave a speech at the Confederate Air Force hangar. Former pilot Willis Wilson, 80, has plenty of pictures of Air Force One sitting on the taxiway of the airport. He has photographs of Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy.
In 1984, President Reagan arrived in Brownsville and Secret Service agents shut down Southmost Aviation for three days. They didnt want anyone to know they were keeping the presidential limousine there.
Southmost Aviation Manager Ben Douglas said not many people are aware that Secret Service agents arrive in town as much as a month before a presidential visit to ensure the safety of the commander-in-chief. They canvass the city, some of them posing as students, he said.
While the politicians get all the public attention, other celebrities who have passed through the airport preferred anonymity.
Hollywood luminaries that slipped by the airport undetected by fans include Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Redford, Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone, Douglas said.
Comedians Tom and Roseanne Arnold, once one of Hollywoods hottest couples, once came to Brownsville to hide from news cameras that had detected them in Mexico, Douglas said.
The pair left all of their clothes and belongings in Acapulco in their haste to avoid the press, he said.
While hes seen plenty of celebrities at the airport, Douglas said he'll never forget the day Michele Pfeiffer came to look at the airplanes in his hangar. Seeing the actress took my breath away, he said.
Working at the airport, you also briefly get to rub shoulders with important people.
Douglas said he found Gov. George W. Bush a really down to earth guy. Whip-wielding Harrison Ford also came through, vacationing with his family, while actress Grace Jones stopped by in the mid-1980s after wrapping up James Bonds A View to a Kill, Douglas said. Singer Mariah Carey got a glimpse at Brownsville just three months ago, he added.
While the politicians get all the public attention, other celebrities who have passed through the airport preferred anonymity.
Hollywood luminaries that slipped by the airport undetected by fans include Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Redford, Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone, Douglas said.
Comedians Tom and Roseanne Arnold, once one of Hollywoods hottest couples, once came to Brownsville to hide from news cameras that had detected them in Mexico, Douglas said.
The pair left all of their clothes and belongings in Acapulco in their haste to avoid the press, he said.
While hes seen plenty of celebrities at the airport, Douglas said he'll never forget the day Michele Pfeiffer came to look at the airplanes in his hangar. Seeing the actress took my breath away, he said.
Working at the airport, you also briefly get to rub shoulders with important people.
Douglas said he found Gov. George W. Bush a really down to earth guy. Whip-wielding Harrison Ford also came through, vacationing with his family, while actress Grace Jones stopped by in the mid-1980s after wrapping up James Bonds A View to a Kill, Douglas said. Singer Mariah Carey got a glimpse at Brownsville just three months ago, he added.
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1 comment:
Bunch of pinche Gringos, who cares? Tell us about the Mexican drug lords who come through.
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