Tejanos made significant contributions to Duval County

 Changing Political Ideas Through Eras in Texas

Alfredo E. Cárdenas

Part 4 of a Series

Tejanos made significant contributions to Duval County’s history and progress in fields beyond politics. While Tejano businesses multiplied during the Parr era from 1912 to 1975, they had always been part of the commercial establishment, operating mom-and-pop stores in the barrios. By the 1930s, they managed dealerships for some of the most prominent corporate brands in the country, such as Chevrolet, Ford, and Texaco.

During the Great Depression (1929–1939), Tejanos held professional positions, including four doctors, three pharmacists, five school administrators, and a lawyer. They also held trade jobs, including 42 barbers, 21 mechanics, 20 butchers, eight bakers, and two printers. With 95 Tejano employees, they made up 94 percent of the county’s workforce.

During the Archie Parr era, Tejanos also made their mark in education. In 1932, for example, every member of the San Diego school board was a Tejano. The school staff consisted of 24 teachers, the majority of whom were Tejanos. The 1940 Census indicated that the county had 112 teachers, 62 of whom were Tejanos and Tejanas, accounting for 55 percent of the total. In March 1932, the San Diego school board selected María García as superintendent. From that point forward, except for a brief period in the mid-1960s, every San Diego school district superintendent was a Tejano or Tejana. By comparison, no area school district employed a Tejano superintendent until the last quarter of the century.

In 1937, Tejano Civil Rights leader Alonso S. Perales recognized that Tejanos from the Trans Nueces played a constructive role in the politics of South Texas. Indeed, they could serve as an exemplary model for fellow Tejanos across the state. “As Mexican Americans from San Antonio and other places, we rejoice and feel pride upon seeing our fellow Mexican American citizens from Duval, Webb, Zapata, and Starr guide their communities towards the future,” Perales astutely noted. Tejanos in “the entire world, feel at home” in those counties that are totally “devoid of racial prejudice and symbolize the ideal circumstance that no doubt existed in the minds, souls, and hearts of Antonio Navarro and Francisco Ruiz, signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence.”