Tuesday, May 1, 2018

1948: LOOKING BACK AT A PAGE IN LOCAL HISTORY, DAGO



(Ed.'s Note: One of our eight readers sent us the photo above of the 1948 Brownsville High School Freshmen Favorites Dana Dew and Dagoberto Barrera.

Barrera has since passed and we suspect his companion has as well, but we have no knowledge in fact. Barrera was known as a die-hard conservative who was quite a boxer in his day and was often seen waving the American flag by the expressway on Price Road on the Fourth of July and other patriotic holidays. 

He was also a frequent speaker at City Hall and the Cameron County Commissioners Court, mainly against higher taxes. Whether you agreed with him or not, he will remain in our memories as a sincere defender of his country and his city. Thanks for sharing the memories of this remarkable man.)

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dago was a great, no B.S. guy who could back up everything he stood for. Nobody loved their country and flag more then him. He was a role model and I have nothing but admiration and respect for him.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful person, aka "Polaco". He will be missed.

Anonymous said...

He was outspoken when expressing the love for his country. .
A true patriot that died without proper recognition

Anonymous said...

I agree....The Brownsville Herald (on their own) should have had a page of recognition for this man. He is the ONLY person in Brownsville that honestly and truly cared for his country, the American flag and America. And he had no bones about speaking out for what is right....yet, the majority of public servants who are there in office for US TAXPAYERS do not have the morals, dignity and human conviction that this man had. Just read the paper...always about the crooks among us.

Two cents Worth said...

Fellow staff member at TSTI (now TSTC) a few years ago. What a guy . . Don't you dare badmouth the USA. Admired by staff and students alike.

Anonymous said...

Shiit, he was more Mejicano than a nopal, yet he badmouthed mejicanos every chance he had. Don't whitewash him, he was what he was.

Anonymous said...

Looking at the early pic reminded me of better times in Brownsville. The BHS Freshman Favorites was an Anglo from a prominate family and a Latino. The young people of Brownsville paid not mind to ethnic heritage when selecting friends and favorites. It was still that way when I was at BHS (1956 - 1960).

I read stories about how Latinos and Latinas felt shut out because of their ethnic heritage and it just was not so.

The "brown victim" was an invention of later generations. Popularity in school was matter of personality and not skin color. There were white and brown people that were popular and white and brown people that were unpopular.

Anonymous said...

Yep... a proud American born in the United States from a mexican descent. His mother was from Mexico and his father was from Port Isabel Texas. He never denied it. But the difference is he worked all his life for what he had. Did not rely on the government as majority of Mexicans do in Brownsville.

Anonymous said...

White vs brown black vs white came about by public officials to divide. Votes were the end game. In this day and time, a man with a Mexican name who waves the american flag must be from Mars. He must be done away with before he infects the political brain washing of the county party.

Anonymous said...

He would probably support Donald Trump if he were alive.

Anonymous said...

I heard he did vote for trump.

Anonymous said...

Probably so - he voted for Trump from the grave! What's new in Cameron County. I remember when he was a counselor for BISD and he would speak with such vulgar words to the students that even the students reported his foul language. He was a counselor that was not much of a role model. He may have loved this country, but the love should have been expressed with the way he treated the Mexican kids. Oh, and was he not married for the 2nd time to his maid from Matamores? Sorry, Dago, but you asked for it. You were always better than all of us Mexicans or so you believed. He loaned money to the poor janitors and paras and charged them 50% interest.

Anonymous said...

Ya salio el peine. Whitewash over.

Anonymous said...

Dago was set in his beliefs and no one could turn him around. I marched with him in numerous Memorial day marches and debated left vs. right ideology. All in all, he wanted to help out the young" chicano "break out of the barrio and make something out of himself. Rest in Peace Dagoberto. You made a difference, good, bad, or indifferent.

rita