Reminiscing about Choche Parr and Nago Alaniz

POSTED BY: CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM JANUARY 8, 2019

Photo courtesy of Duval County Museum.

I hope I won’t disappoint all you history buffs, but this week’s column is not really historical, other than it mentions the individual who, perhaps, contributed the most to Duval County’s modern history. It is an anecdotal reminiscence of the author.

Last week I noticed a post on Facebook that brought back a memory that I would like to share. It featured a photo of George Parr’s house in San Diego. Since it was not a public post I cannot share it with you.

About 55 to 60 years ago a group of us friends got together to form a club to have something to do. We were all classmates and about 12-years-old at the time. I won’t mention names because a.) I don’t remember them all and 2.) I don’t want to embarrass anyone about how dorky we were at that age. In any case, we called our club “The Adventurers”. And now you began to see how dorky we were.

So in those days, the comedian Jerry Lewis held an annual telethon to help kids with muscular dystrophy. As our first project, and perhaps our only project, The Adventurers, chose to go about town to collect contributions and send them to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. We got the idea that if we could get the big shots in town to donate, others would also jump the bandwagon and give money to the cause.

So we decided we would start with the big banana in town, George B. Parr or Choche Parr as everyone knew him. Furthermore, we thought we needed to get someone Parr respected to contribute first and then we would approach Choche and tell him how so an so had already given. We chose Parr’s lawyer and neighbor Nago Alaniz.

So there we went a group of ragtag kids from the barrio on the wrong side of town. But, who am I kidding, everyone lived in the wrong side of town except for Parr and his neighbors who all lived “en el barrio del Clavelito”. We knocked on Nago’s door and he answered it himself. We explained to him why we were there and he graciously gave us a $20 bill and send us away with a smile; we too were smiling from ear to ear as we crossed Highway 359 to Parr’s house.

I don’t remember why but we knocked on his back door and to our surprise Choche, himself opened the door. We again explained what we were doing and informed Mr. Parr that even Nago Alaniz had contributed $20!

Parr reached for his wallet as he bellowed “Que cabron tan pinche” and handed us a $100 bill.

That was my one and only encounter with the famed Boss of Duval County.

But while on the subject of reminiscing and not history, I do have a couple of Nago Alaniz stories that I would like to share. I did get to know Nago Alaniz in his later years, while he was still active in the practice of law. I saw him practice his trade at a couple of trials while I was publishing the Duval County Picture.

One day I was visiting him in his office and he got into a reminiscing mood and began telling me stories. Two, in particular, stayed with me. The first involved his first trial, which took place in Kleberg County. In those years discrimination against Mexican Americans was still going strong in Kleberg County. The young attorney was representing a Mexican American on a petty criminal case. Not surprising to him the jury was made up of all Anglos for the exception of one Mexican American. Nago decided to hang his client’s fate on the one Mexican American.

As the jury began walking to go to the jury room to deliberate the verdict, Nago nestled up to the jury box railing and whispered to the Mexican American “cuelgate en cinco” meaning for him to insist on no more than a five-year sentence.

When the jury returned they found his client guilty and, to Nago’s relief, sentenced him to five years. After the trial, Nago walked over to the Mexican American juror and thanked him.

“Que bueno que me dijiste,” he told Nago, “estos pendejos lo querian dejar ir libre!”

The other Nago story that comes to mind involved George Parr and himself. One day the two were walking up to the Duval County Courthouse on the sidewalk when someone in a car passing by on Highway 44, yelled out at them “¿Quiúbole ratas?”

Parr turned to Nago and asked, “Do you know them Nago?”

To which Nago responded, “No, but they seem to know us.”

To read a more complete account of my conversation with Nago, click here to read his obituary that I wrote for the Duval County Picture,

19 COMMENTSON "REMINISCING ABOUT CHOCHE PARR AND NAGO ALANIZ"

Anna L Johnston | September 6, 2021 at 2:35 pm | Reply
I always wanted to see the inside of the Parr house. Especially, when I used to live next to it. My family built the pink house next door to the Parr house.
Eloy Ashton Heras | January 12, 2019 at 12:04 am | Reply
Did I tell you the story about when the Hispanic X-ray man that came to Benavides? Just in case I will tell it again. In the 1950s there was a lot of Tuberculosis in Texas, so the government had agents going to towns with their mobile Xray trailers going to town to town. The man in charge and tech was a well dressed suited Hispanic man by the name of Roger Ponce (unknown in those days a Hispanic of hi-caliber). He stopped in Benavides and asked who was in charge. The Mexican man said “George Parr”. “And where can I find him? ‘In Spanish, he said, “over there in the Cantina”. Roger enters the Cantina and everything stopped -George Parr turned around and seen this well dressed Hispanic. Roger said are you, Gorge Parr, I presume? George stunned said “Yes! And who in the hell are you?” Roger said that the state sent him and it was mandatory to x-ray all the citizens and he wanted to sent up a station to do so. Parr said, “these Mexicans do not need X-rays, they need more beer”. Roger stood his ground and told him the ramifications if he did not cooperate. With that, Parr said where to set up and that all of Benavides would be there. The next day there were long lines. Note Roger & Elva Ponce live in Austin. Elva passed away in 2012, Roger Ponce do not know.
Gloria Rivera | January 10, 2019 at 5:28 pm | Reply
Really enjoy your stories. Wonder if you would write about the time a person found lost treasure in his home while doing repairs. I vaguely remember reading about it and have wondered what ever happened to that person/treasure. I believe it was silver or gold coins.
Norma Garza | January 10, 2019 at 1:10 pm | Reply
Thanks for sharing this stories from the passed from our hometown. I heard the one of the “Ratas” my late husband Alvaro Garza told me that story I laughed so much I thought it was hilarious!!
Jo Nell Huff | January 9, 2019 at 4:15 pm | Reply
Still good stories from the past. History buffs should not be disappointed!
Amando Gonzalez | January 9, 2019 at 9:40 am | Reply
Thanks. Heck of man.
Norma Alicua Labbe' | January 9, 2019 at 7:34 am | Reply
Thanks for these stories. Eventhough we lived next to George Parr until I was 12. I never met him. He killed our dog when she got into the horse field which boardered our house. And whem my Mom, Alicia Labbe, worked for someone who dared to run agsinst his party my Dad, Ernest (Neto) Labbe, Sr., was fired as well from Mr. King”s Chevrolet Co. They both worked in Alice for many years after that. I was good friends with BettyJo Alaniz and have many fond memories of visiting Nago and hus lovely wife’s home.

Duffy Ramirez | January 9, 2019 at 10:09 pm | Reply
Hi Norma, my dad was in the opposition and he was fired from the Regis, he bar tended at the VFW and finally got a job at the base in Corpus. I also remember when he and his friends would only frequent bars on the Jim Well side of San Diego. Melo’s drive-in was their hangout. I don’t know if you remember Melo, head was somehow always down you like when you lower your chin. I think it was an injury, not sure. He was a nice man I remember that, my dad sometimes took me in the bar and sometimes I sat in the car and drank a root beer. Those are childhood memories.
Duffy Ramirez | January 9, 2019 at 10:19 pm | Reply
I forgot to mention why they only frequented bars on the Jim Wells side. It was because of the Parr supporters and the deputy’s under Parr who would harasses them in Duval county. Of course sometimes that would still get it on the way home.

Robert J. Garcia | January 9, 2019 at 4:49 am | Reply
Wonderful stories. The one and only time I met Mr. Parr was at my grandfather’s funeral. He made it a point to do that.
LAURO SALAZAR | January 8, 2019 at 11:18 pm | Reply
Love your stories….Thanks for sharing.
Eloy Ashton Heras | January 8, 2019 at 11:02 pm | Reply
Thank you, sir, for this post about Nago Alaniz. I believe he had a conscience, case in point was when Jake Floyd & Judge Reams attempted murder by Parr’s hired guns from Mexico. Nago found out about the plot and called Jake asap to warn him. By the time Jake returned home his son, Buddy was killed. Dr. Wyche pronounced Buddy dead. Dr. Wyche was my baby doctor. On Dec 13, 1943, he came to my house on 312 w, 2nd st. and delivered me. Remind me to tell you about George Parr when the states Hispanic x-ray tech came to Benavides.

Duffy Ramirez | January 8, 2019 at 11:45 pm | Reply
Eloy, it’s funny that you mentioned Dr, Wyche, he took out my appendix when I was 10, back in 56′. He gave me my ruptured appendix, in a clear jar,which I kept in the kitchen to show my friends. Being from San Diego I knew about all about the politic and the killing of Buddy Floyd, my dad was part of the Freedom Party that went against Parr. Nago handled my first divorce back in 70′. I also knew his daughter from high school. I have a few more stories but another time. Duffy