Juan Maldonado, RIP; pioneer who blazed a trail
SAN JUAN — The death of Juan Maldonado, 78, two weeks ago, July 5, leaves a big hole in Hidalgo County, both past and present. A friend and longtime supporter of this newspaper, he will be sorely missed by those who knew him and loved him. He was one of those guys who never met a stranger. He’d walk into a room and hug everyone. Colorful and charismatic, that was what you got when you met Juan.
The Early Days
Going back to the founding of The Advance in March 1978, Maldonado was the mayor of San Juan at the time, and looking at old newspaper copy now, the old newspaper stories, still archived in print, not yet digitized, shows him at the top of his game.
Originally, my stepdad, Gene Wendorf, flew down to the RGV in early January of 1978, looking to buy the old Pharr Press, which was up for sale at the time. He and the newspaper’s publisher, Lloyd Glover, agreed on a price, shook hands, and that should have been the end to the story.
A week or so later, however, Glover called my dad, who was shoveling snow in southern Wisconsin at the time, to tell him that the deal was no longer in play. Another out-of-town group had showed up, offered him more money for the Pharr Press, so he was going to sell it to them instead.
“Upset” would be an understatement. Not only did my stepdad hold contempt for someone who would back out of a deal before the contract was signed — a deal was still a deal even if it was only a handshake until a contract could be drafted and signed — but after only one trip to the Valley, he had fallen in love with the place.
Southern Wisconsin in January was cold and brutal. In contrast, the Valley, 70 degrees with palm trees and citrus orchards, a delight.
Determined to move to the RGV, Gene told my mom, we’re moving.
“We’ll go to San Juan and start a newspaper there.”
The idea of starting a newspaper next door to the Pharr Press only keened his interest.
So they packed up and moved to San Juan, which is why the early editions of The Advance News Journal actually carried the banner, “The San Juan Advance.” They rented an office across from the old San Juan post office, and Juan Maldonado couldn’t have been more welcoming.
Within approximately seven years, the Pharr Press was no longer in print, but 46 years later, The Advance is still publishing a weekly edition, and hasn’t missed a single issue in all that time, thanks in large part to its earliest supporters, which included Juan Maldonado and his two compadres, Arturo Guajardo, Sr., who would succeed Juan as San Juan mayor, and Jesus “Chuy” Ramirez, who was SJ city manager when Maldonado was mayor.
Humble Beginnings/Politics
All three of los politicos, La Raza Unida, came from humble beginnings, but through hard work and perseverance, each obtained their own level of success. Ramirez would later attend law school, entering into a legal practice with former McAllen Mayor Leo Montalvo, and Guajardo would go on to become a PSJA administrator and later, superintendent.
At the time, there was an ethnic division/divide in the cities and towns across Hidalgo County. The Anglo establishment held the majority in the elected bodies, school boards and cities, including San Juan, until “Lalo” Arcaute ran on a ticket with Maldonado and Tony Garcia in 1971.
That election win brought San Juan its first Hispanic-majority city commission, which was a first for Hidalgo County in a city the size of San Juan, which had a population of approximately 5,000 at the time, vs. its current number, approximately 36,000.
In 1954, the five-seat commission in Pharr had two Hispanics in elected office, including my old buddy Tony Villegas, RIP, but it took another 17 years for the Hispanic population, which outnumbered the Anglos, to gain a political majority, with San Juan serving as the center point of change.
Two years later, the former Anglo establishment, backed by guys like Bill Bormann, Attorney Bill Lemon, and Banker Travis Neeley, regained the majority.
Fast forward two more years, 1975, and Arturo Guajardo replaced Tony Garcia, and along with Juan Maldonado, Arcaute was once again elected mayor, and the majority changed hands once again.
In 1977, Maldonado became mayor, followed by Guajardo in 1981, because by then, the two-year terms in office were replaced by three-year terms.
Six years prior, the major gripe, and the reason that the young guns like Maldonado, Guajardo, and Ramirez got into politics, with Arcaute in the lead, was the valid claim that the north side of the railroad tracks in San Juan, where most Hispanics called home, weren’t enjoying the same quality infrastructure as the Anglo side of the tracks. Things were missing, like adequate sidewalks, streetlights, sewer and water.
That changed with the changing of the guard, so to speak.
“Losing Juan is a real loss,” said Guajardo recently. “We went to school together, graduated high school together, went to Michigan together, came back here and got into politics together. He was the kind of guy everybody liked. It’s a tough loss.”
A Success Story
A success story in his own right, Juan Maldonado would earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree, become an educator, coach, and finally a counselor at his alma mater, PSJA ISD, before later starting his own insurance agency and bail bond company.
(Look for Juan’s full obit in the June 10 issue of The Advance, available online, for his long list of accomplishments and achievements.)
One thing Maldonado never let go of was his love of politics, serving as chair of the Hidalgo County Democrat Party, along with his longtime involvement with the local Tejano Democrats, and a wide host of other committees at both the local, county, and state levels.
Speaking about Juan Maldonado, former Hidalgo County Republican Chairman Hollis Rutledge said, “He was very much steadfast in his political beliefs, very much a Democrat. Nevertheless, I think he was very sincere and honest in trying to improve his community. We would agree to disagree. He was very civil in that respect.”
Unlike today, when so much political discourse has been drained of civility.
“He and I did not agree on a lot of political issues,” said Rutledge, “but we were able to visit and talk.”
Maldonado was like that. He could disagree with someone, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be done with a smile and a handshake, unless his opponent was a complete bigot, and then Juan would show that he’d stand up to anyone when something of a serious nature — like street lights north of the tracks, added infrastructure — was on the line, and he thought the old SJ guard was dragging its heels on implementing needed improvements.
Then it was time to take off the gloves and get serious.
The political tide/majority would have eventually shifted anyway in South Texas, due to the sheer numbers of voters once the Texas poll tax was outlawed in 1966, but still, guys like Juan Maldonado, “Lalo” Arcaute, Arturo Guajardo, “Chuy” Ramirez, and many others like them, can certainly be given credit for speeding along the process quicker than some other neighboring cities.
A colorful guy with charisma, charm, political savvy, Juan Maldonado will indeed be missed by those who knew him and loved him.
RIP, amigo, and thanks for your early and ongoing support of this newspaper.
You will be missed.