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Gonzalo Garcia, 78, athletics coach, educator and civic philanthropist, died on May 1, 2006, in Brownsville, TX. A Brownsville native, he had been living in Albuquerque, NM since 2001. Gonzalo Garcia was born on Christmas Day 1927, the third of five sons and one daughter of JoseManuel and Santos Zamora Garcia. He was educated in the Brownsville Public Schools, graduating in 1946. He was an all-around athlete in his high school years, participating in basketball, boxing, track, and shot-put, as well as distinguishing himself as regional champion in discus. He was also a light heavyweight golden gloves boxing champion. In football, he earned All-District, All-Valley, and All-South Texas honors as a two-way lineman for the Eagles. In 1946 he was captain of the Citrus Bowl Football Championship Team, and was also selected to the First Team, All District, and All Valley Teams. Upon graduation from Brownsville High School, he received a four-year athletic scholarship to Southwest Texas State Teachers College in San Marcos. As an undergraduate, he lettered four years, three years in the First Team All Lone Star Conference, including the 1947 Championship, received Honorable Mention in football in 1948 and was honored as the best lineman in the Lone Star Conference. In 1949 he was First Team selection on the Williamson's Little All American Team. Graduating from college in 1950, he received professional football offers from the Pittsburg Steelers, New York Giants, and San Francisco Dons. He chose instead to join the U.S. Army, 40th Infantry Division as a Non-Commissioned Officer as an honor guard in the Defensive Platoon, serving in Japan and Korea. In December of 1950, he was granted a brief Christmas furlough to return to Brownsville. On Christmas Day, he was married to Hinelda Alicia Alcala, his wife of 51 years, deceased in 2002. After being honorably discharged from the United States Army in 1952, he joined the coaching staff of the Brownsville Independent School District. In the years that followed, he taught at Canales Elementary School and coached the Brownsville High School's freshman football team. He was appointed head coach at Cummings Intermediate School, where the teams he coached enjoyed several successful seasons in football, basketball, track, and softball. He became Assistant Principal in 1960 at Cummings Jr. High, instead of accepting an assistant coaching offer from the UNM lobo football program. During these years he also organized and coached the first competitive Brownsville Swimming Team and worked in Cameron County's Summer Youth Program, for which he served as Supervisor in 1969 and 1970. Mr. Garcia was Pace High School's first Head Coach and Athletic Coordinator from 1975 to 1978. At the old Brownsville High School and Hanna High, he taught business courses and was also an offensive and defensive line coach for the Brownsville High School Eagles under Coach Joe Rodriguez. He was also a member of the coaching staff for two Brownsville High School District and Regional Championships. He was a member of many athletic teachers' associations, among them the Texas State High School Coaches Association, the Texas High School Administrative Council, and the Texas High School Classroom Teacher's Association. In 1976, he retired from coaching and devoted himself to administrative duties at Pace High School. He retired from these duties in 1993, having served the Brownsville Independent School District for 41 years. He continued teaching another two years until 1995 achieving a total of 43 years with the district. In 1999, he was named to the Valley Freedom Newspapers' All-Millennium team sponsored by several papers in the Rio Grande Valley and inducted into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame (Edinburg, TX). He was active in numerous philanthropic endeavors, including eight terms as president of the Good Neighbor Settlement House, membership in the West Brownsville Lions Club, the Brownsville Optimist International Club (Distinguished President and Lieutenant Governor for the South Texas District), and Esperanza Home for Boys of Brownsville (Board member and president). At the First United Methodist Church of Brownsville he wore many hats. He was an Adult Usher, sponsor for the Youth Group, Superintendent of its Sunday School and a member of its Administrative Council. He also served as interpreter missionary for the Dental Group of the First United Methodist Church of Missouri, and for 16 years at the Missionary clinic for La Bartolina in Matamoros. From 1968 to 1996 he was listed in the following publications: Who's Who in the Methodist Church, Personalities of the South, Men of Achievement, International Hall of Fame (Laredo, TX), Southwest Texas Teachers State University Alumni Association, and as Distinguished President of the Brownsville International Club of the South Central Texas District. Summarizing "My Philosophy" in 1974, he wrote: "Helping others gain something for themselves is greater . . . than personal gain . . . I believe I can do more by being a part of the activity, than by standing on the outside criticizing . . . I would like to think . . . that I have had a part in making Brownsville a better place to live." He is survived by his children, Elda and husband, Richard Pinsonneault of Albuquerque, NM, Grady Garcia and Sarah Garcia of Austin, TX, Nathan Garcia of Naas County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Naomi Garcia (Janice Murray) of Grand Rapids, MI; and three grandchildren, Phillip, Alicia, and Jonathan Pinsonneault of Albuquerque; as well as his uncle, Manuel Zamora of Brownsville, TX; sisters-in-law, Raquel Garcia of Mercedes, TX and Maria Luisa Garcia, of Brownsville, TX, Iris and husband, Albert Castro; brothers-in-law, Hazael (Chalo) and wife, Oralia Alcala of San Antonio, TX, and Robert J. Alcala of New York, NY; along with numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins. Funeral Services were held in Brownsville, TX at First United Methodist Church, 1225 Boca Chica Boulevard on Saturday, May 13, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. The Committal Service and interment with Full Military Honors were conducted by the American Legion Post #43 Honor Guard at Rose Lawn Memorial Gardens. A Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. at St. John's United Methodist, 2626 Arizona NE, Albuquerque (505) 883-9717. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to: St. John's United Methodist Church, Organ Fund, 2626 Arizona NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110.
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