Many years ago, when Matamoros' El Bravo (under the Carretero girls Chris and Nancy) ran an English-language El Valle section, the editor took Tony Gray under his wing to show him the ropes.
Gray was exposed to the vicissitudes of border newspaper coverage, from the initial foray into politics of former state rep Jim Solis who eventually was convicted in the judicial corruption trials, to Pat Ahumada becoming the mayor of Brownsville.
"I thought we were friends," Gray told his editor that Solis - decked out in a fedora pulled over his eyes - had harshly whispered to him in a dark corner of the Jacob Brown auditorium one day after a story under his byline was published questioning Solis' candidacy for state rep. Events many years later would prove Gray right.
Gray, whose forte lay in the ability to remember the orders of as many as a dozen diners without the benefit of notes in upscale restaurants on South Padre Island, had a strong command of the language and spoke better Spanish than most native residents in Brownsville. He adapted easily to newspaper writing and used his blue eyes and natural charm to ingratiate himself to the Carretero girls.
One day he approached his editor and said that he had heard some disturbing news coming from the Gladys Porter Zoo, a sacred cow for coverage in Brownsville if ever there was one.
"A source who works at the zoo told me that curator Jeremy Stones was beating and abusing Martha, a baby gorilla," he said. When that was met with skepticism by the editor, Gray said he would probe a bit deeper and actually visit the zoo to witness the treatment first hand.
Sure enough, he came back later and said he had personally seen Stones slap around and push Martha in a rough manner.
El Valle ran the story with a photo of poor Martha wistfully looking at the camera. The push back was immediate, with Stones and the zoo defending the treatment of Martha at the Hands of Stone Jeremy and another story explaining that mother gorillas did that all the time and since Martha did not have her mom Stones had to step in and dish out the rough maternal affections critical to the baby's development.
Well, since then, Martha has been a virtual baby factory and gave birth to another healthy baby gorilla on Sunday, June 9th. Media outlets reported that she had delivered yet another offspring to the gorilla contingent there.
The staff reported that Mother and baby are bonding behind the scenes but may be out for the public this weekend.
But last month the first baby gorilla of 2019 was born on May 5. He made his debut to the public on May 15.
That was Martha's baby girl Margaret and her ape mate Mbundi's first baby. Margaret was born at the Gladys Porter Zoo on December 18, 2007 to Martha and Moja.
El Valle ran the story with a photo of poor Martha wistfully looking at the camera. The push back was immediate, with Stones and the zoo defending the treatment of Martha at the Hands of Stone Jeremy and another story explaining that mother gorillas did that all the time and since Martha did not have her mom Stones had to step in and dish out the rough maternal affections critical to the baby's development.
Well, since then, Martha has been a virtual baby factory and gave birth to another healthy baby gorilla on Sunday, June 9th. Media outlets reported that she had delivered yet another offspring to the gorilla contingent there.
The staff reported that Mother and baby are bonding behind the scenes but may be out for the public this weekend.
But last month the first baby gorilla of 2019 was born on May 5. He made his debut to the public on May 15.
That was Martha's baby girl Margaret and her ape mate Mbundi's first baby. Margaret was born at the Gladys Porter Zoo on December 18, 2007 to Martha and Moja.
To celebrate this Cinco de Mayo baby, Zoo staff held a gender reveal on Wednesday, May 15th at 10:30 a.m., complete with a piñata and bolis. The public cheered, when Mbundi, pulled out blue paper from the piñata to reveal his newborn is a boy!
Gray went on to become editor of El Valle and then a staff reporter at the Brownsville Herald. He ended up going to Austin as admin assistant to District 37 State Rep. Rene Oliveira. He is now retired from public service.
Congratulations to Gray on his grandsimio!
Gray went on to become editor of El Valle and then a staff reporter at the Brownsville Herald. He ended up going to Austin as admin assistant to District 37 State Rep. Rene Oliveira. He is now retired from public service.
Congratulations to Gray on his grandsimio!
2 comments:
Tony Gray never did do shit. Just another hand out looking for easy pay.
el dedo sma
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