DAN REYNA DEAD AT 80

By Juan Montoya
This Saturday, at about 2:30 p.m., Daniel Solis Reyna, 80, breathed his last surrounded by his wife and family at Brownsville Medical Center, the victim of a massive stroke a week ago.
To those of us who knew him, Dan could be irascible, a scamp, and perhaps even slightly criminal. But just as anyone can have his human frailties, he was a friend through thick and thin. Until the local daily limited local editorials, his opinions filled the columns on everything from Port of Brownsville issues to Texas history and hardships facing local veterans.
Left an orphan at 11 when his dad was killed in the war, he was raised by his grandmother in Willacy County when his mother's new husband protested that his mother keep him with them.
When Dan was born in Brownsville on May 11, 1930, Israel as a state did not yet exist. The atomic bomb was a science fiction nightmare, and “The War to End All Wars” had ended just 13 years before.
Six months before, in October, 1929, Black Friday had caused the Wall Street Crash, and its repercussions were just being felt in the United States and throughout the world. Dan might not have known it at the time, but he and his generation were children of the Great Depression.
In the next few years, when Dan was just five, more than 25 percent of the working-age males in the United States were unemployed. Hunger was widespread, and the Dust Bowl forced thousands of Okies west to California where they endured humiliation and poverty in the fields of the Golden State.
In South Texas, the government moved to deport Mexican laborers who just years before had been encouraged to come work in agriculture. Hundreds of men and women – entire families – were herded aboard open trucks and dumped at the border ports of entry, no longer welcome in the country which first enticed them to exploit them for their cheap labor in agriculture.
It is noteworthy that in that same year, the planet Pluto – later downsized to a large asteroid – was discovered and photographed. Or that later, in August, Neil Armstrong was born in Ohio.
But the stars and planets were far from the mind of Reyna as he grew up in poverty stricken Brownsville, and later, Willacy County.
He and his generation of Mexican-Americans not only suffered the economic woes other Americans did, but also the ignominy of the prevalent racism from their Anglo countrymen. It is a testament to their resilience and the strength of their self-image inherent in their culture that this generation was able to overcome this adversity to achieve what they have. Truly, the generations that followed have stood on their shoulders as they set about to achieve great things.
The road to achievement for Dan started out in ranch country in rural Raymondville, in Willacy County. He was able to attend St. Joseph Academy in Brownsville on a charity scholarship and later graduated from Raymondville High School. He was the first Hispanic to receive a track scholarship at the University of Texas, but another conflict put that on hold.
He was too young to serve in World War II, but when the Korean War erupted, he served there as a B-27 flight engineer. He retired from the service with the rank of Second Lt. Col., in the United States Air Force. Later, he went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree from Pan American University in Edinburg, Texas, his Master’s , and later an honorary PhD. from the London (England) School of Humanities.
Not content, he entered the hurly-burly world of South Texas politics and was elected as Willacy County’s Tax Assessor-Collector. From there on, public service became his passion.
As Chief Executive Officer of Cameron-Willacy Counties Community Projects, Inc., he led the efforts to bring a myriad of services to its neglected, poverty-stricken population. Among these “firsts” was the provision of Texas Legal Rural Aid services for the poor, family planning, a Head Start program for needy children, and accessibility to federal food assistance programs. His mark as a “Great Society” warrior came when he was named CEO of a five-county program with a $69 million budget with a staff of 2,500.
President Richard Nixon appointed Dan to serve on the National Commission on Aging. And three Texas governors called upon Dan to serve on commissions that addressed the needs of Texans over the years. Gov. Dolph Briscoe appointed him to the Texas Urban and Rural Development Commission. Gov. Alan Shriver appointed him as an Admiral in the Texas Navy, and Gov. Connolly also called upon to serve as an Admiral in the Texas navy which oversaw the Museum of the Battleship Texas.
For 30 years, Dan served as a teacher for children with Special Needs, culminating in his selection as the Special Ed Teacher of the Year with the Brownsville Independent School District by the local Rotary (Kiwanis) Club. He was a member of the Texas Teacher’s Association and helped to establish the Brownsville Teacher’s Credit Union.
His community involvement did not end there. He was a member of the Lion’s Club, was active in the Masonic Lodge, Temple #3, where he attained a 32-degree Scottish Rite rank. Active with the Shriners, he supported the St. Jude Children Hospital to aid children free of charge, and remained active in Brownsville’s St. Mary’s Church.
He ran for office and was elected as a commissioner for the Brownsville Navigation District in 1996. During his term of office, he and his fellow commissioners on the board built Brownsville first (and only) Hazardous Materials capable fire station, a new Harbor Master’s building, began construction of anew docks, lowered the tax rate, raised the bond rating of the port from C to A, and capped a 40-year effort by former boards to attain a presidential permit for the construction of a port bridge.
As a veteran, he never forgot the needs of his fellow service men and women. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and served in many capacities, including commander of Post 6719, District 18 Commander, Dept. of Texas Inspector General, Sept. of Texas Surgeon General, Dept. of Texas Jr. Vice-Commander, and Dept. of Texas Sr. Vice-Commander. He was chosen as VFW Dept. of Texas Member..
A firm believer in the capitalist system and free enterprise, he started several businesses which include Real Improvement Corp. (Pres.), Bal-Rey Construction, Inc. (Pres.), Regina Inc. (Pres.), and Focus Inc., a firm for the rehabilitation of children and young adults (administrator).
He was married to Virginia De Leon in 1955 and had one son, Felix Daniel Reyna. She preceded him in death. Left to cherish his memory is one daughter Jessica Reyna, and two sons, Augustin and Hiram Reyna. Surviving him is his wife Alicia S. Reyna, who shared her love with him and his children.
“I go in peace knowing that I gave my family, my country and my fellow men my all – my love, faith and charity. I have done many things and traveled the world over. I have eaten with kings and presidents, and even shared meals with fellow prisoners. But the most important thing to me was to teach a child to read and write and to help the widow and the orphan.”
Dan is also survived by one brother, Beto Reyna, one sister, Elma Reyna Delgado, and seven grandchildren, Christina, Joselyn, Thomas, Iza, Leslie, Daniel, and Rebecca.
Rest In Peace, Dan.