FUNERAL SERVICES ANNOUNCED FOR FRED KOWALSKI SR., LONGTIME BROWNSVILLE FEDERAL COURT TRANSLATOR

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Reporters who worked for the Brownsville Herald in the 1970s and were assigned the federal beat would often see a quiet, conservatively-dressed man accompany Spanish-speaking defendants when they were standing trial and answered the interrogatories of the prosecutors and defense attorneys.

Later, if they were found guilty, he stood besides them and translated for them as either federal judge Reynaldo Garza or Filemon Vela addressed them for sentencing. Respectful, discreet, and circumspect, he stood besides the defendant  before the bench and translated for them as the judges explained their sentence.

After a few times of watching the scene unfold, we learned that the translator of the federal courts was Brownsville resident Fred L. Kowalski. Day in and day out, he would  go in and out of the courtroom when the federal building was on 1001 E. Elizabeth Street which is now occupied by the U.S. Post Office and Brownsville's City Hall. Members of a Brownsville pioneer family, the Kowalskis established themselves on the border and its culture and their house – a historical site – still stands on Elizabeth. 

The Rio Grande Valley Modern Architects state on their website that "The Kowalski-Dennett House is one of Brownsville’s rare surviving Victorian houses. It is also rare because documentation of its design and construction survives. The building contract that Amelia Campbell and Louis Kowalski negotiated with architect-builder S. W. Brooks, dated May 1893, is one of the few contracts filed for record in the archives of Cameron County."

While translating Spanish during the trials, sometimes the slang of the defendant did not fit the legal lingo used in court. Many local attorneys who practiced before the federal bench recall one instance when a defendant claimed his innocence and insisted that "no era mi jale" even though agents had found the bales of the weed in the trunk of the car he was driving. Judge Vela – who spoke Spanish as well as  anyone – listened patiently.

"The stuff, the thing, wasn't mine," Kowalksi tried to translate for the court, "He said the deal, the stuff wasn't his."

"Cual jale, Fred?" cried an exasperated Vela. "La marijuana. Era marijuna," as the courtroom burst into laughter and Kowalksi smiled sheepishly. For years, lawyers would often recall the case and tell each other jokingly "No era mi jale" as they passed each other in the hallway.

Kowalski, a Brownsville native who lived in Rancho Viejo in retirement, outlived Garza and Vela and passed away on Thursday, June 29, at age 90, marking the end of an era. 

His son Fred Jr. and Adela Kowalski Garza, are both attorneys who have often practiced in the same federal court where their father used to be a translator. Adela is now a district judge for the 484th District Court. 

Visitation will be held Thursday, July 6, 2023 from 12:00 PM to 4:30 PM at Funeraria del Angel Buena Vista and Buena Vista Burial Park, 125 Mcdavitt Boulevard. 

A rosary will be held Thursday, July 6, 2023 at 5:00 PM at Our Lady of Guadalupe, 1200 Lincoln St. His daughter Adela invites friend and acquaintances to get together with the family from 6 to 8 p.m. and share stories, love, and laughter at the Guadalupe Parish Hall. 

Continued visitation will occur Friday, July 7, 2023 from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. at Funeraria del Angel, 125 Mcdavitt Blvd. Burial will occur Friday, July 7, 2023 at Buena Vista Burial Park, 5 Mcdavitt Blvd.

R.I.P.