McAllen marathon named after him set for Jan. 21

Sad and tragic still. How else to describe the heart attack that caused the death of McAllen City Commissioner Scott Crane, 50, back in December 2014 after he fell ill during his attempt to run the city’s 26.2-mile marathon. Renamed in his honor the following year, the Scott Crane Run, it’s time once again, Jan. 21, to both run and remember the man after whom the Boston-qualifier is named. This year, in fact, is the run’s 10-year anniversary.

We remember many people throughout our lifetimes, but those who are taken from us during the prime years of their life — wham, something no one saw coming, like a heart attack — well, for some reason, their deaths, like a sudden shock, usually stick with us for a good while.

I first met Crane back in the mid-1990s or thereabouts. Can’t remember the exact year. He had just opened up a new business on 10th Street, Carwash/Carwash (reminiscent of Frank Sinatra’s New York/New York song, I figured), and he wanted to advertise the business, so he gave me a call. When I pulled up and met such a relatively young guy — his 31 to my 40 — I thought, this guy comes from a family with some means to be buying up property on N. 10th Street, already blowing and going by then, a few years after Alonzo Cantu bought up the old Waugh’s Nursery property, but you wouldn’t have known it talking to him. Down to earth and humble would be a better description.

Former McAllen Mayor Othal Brand’s top guy at Griffin and Brand Produce, Wayne Showers, used to have a saying about people who put on airs — all tent and no circus. Crane wasn’t like that. What you saw was what you got. And he genuinely seemed to care about people, certainly for the city he called home, and not just when the camera lights were turned on.

In life, one way to tell the true measure of a person is how they treat the less fortunate. So one day, I’m getting my truck washed at Carwash/ Carwash, and I overhear one of the attendants outside, a fairly young woman, telling a customer she’d struck up a conversation with that she was about to go on her week’s vacation. And it was a PAID vacation. By the way she sounded, it was probably the first one she’d ever had in her life. She was so thrilled, she was probably telling anyone and everyone that day.

“Vacation?” the customer asked, who, from the sound of his voice, was obviously thinking the same as me this is not how most low-level carwash attendants are typically treated.

“Yeah,” she said. “Here they treat us good.”

City business

Crane, the city commissioner and businessman, got into a public relations battle, of sorts, over a planned affordable housing development in his district, District 1. It was called the Auburn Village project. The majority of people living in Crane’s district didn’t seem to want a housing project in their midst. Even if the multi-level affordable housing project was going to be gussied up to look like a highclass apartment complex. That wasn’t the point, said Crane. And it was the District 1 homeowners’ interests that the city commissioner seemed to be representing, which made sense, since they were, after all, his constituents.

Those in favor of the housing project tried to paint Crane as an elitist; a guy who cared more for the rich folk than the poor, even though he had also put his stamp of disapproval on a “rich project,” a 22-story condo (expensive units) at the corner of 10th and Dove, two years before, for the same reason, he said — proximity and density.

The tract of land on which the McAllen Housing Authority wanted to build its new multi-level project, the Auburn Village, was designated single-family residence. And as Crane put it, that’s what the neighbors expected would be built there when they invested in property in that area (23rd St. and Auburn).

So I called him up for an interview.

“Thanks for reaching out, Gregg,” he told me, which hardly any politician ever says to a reporter. And then he said, “Homeowners who bought homes in that area had (a certain expectation). People living in single-family residences don’t want to live next to apartments in any form or fashion. They don’t want people looking down into their backyard.”

I wrote the story as a straight news piece and left out my opinions, but I believed what he said. I never saw the guy thinking of himself as an elitist, and home valuations do depend on who’s parked next door, right or wrong. Facts are facts without any emotion.

Over the years since I first met him, I’d run into Scott Crane while running at Bill Schupp Park back before my legs gave out and his kept on pumping. He had a small group of guys he’d run with. And these guys were runners, with the legs and lungs to pull it off.

So, it came as somewhat of a shock, a sad shock, to discover that Sunday more than eight years ago now, that earlier in the day, after attempting to finish a 26.2mile marathon, Scott Crane suffered a massive coronary and died. Sad doesn’t quite cut it, but sad irony might, considering this race was his baby, the same marathon he had pushed to implement in 2013 on the city’s behalf. He had to drop out of the marathon last year. But no doubt had hopes of finishing it this year (hard-core runners never give up).

The city of McAllen named the annual marathon race, a Boston-Marathon qualifier, in Crane’s honor in late 2015, a year after his death, as a lasting and fitting tribute to his dedication toward fitness and health. In fact, around McAllen, he was known as a parks and rec advocate: if there was a place to build another park or a hike-and-bike trail, Crane was there pulling for its development.

Dec. 14th Collapse

In social media circles soon after Crane died Dec. 14, 2014, some anonymous vultures had already swooped low, second-guessing the city commissioner’s decision not to seek medical help at a nearby hospital when he first had to stop and take himself out of the race for a brief period of time.

Apparently, he told the fire guys he was OK. A seasoned runner, including marathons, he got back in the race.

Then, he had to stop a second time. Same thing, after a short rest, he said he was OK, and started running again.

Near the intersection of 2nd Street and Savannah, within earshot of DHR Health (Doctors Hospital at Renaissance), he complained that his heart was racing. According to one source, he collapsed. Some of the city’s fire department personnel were on hand. They took his blood pressure, checked his vitals, and strongly recommended that he go to the nearby hospital, DHR, and get checked out. In the meantime, an ambulance was called. But when it was reportedly less than two minutes away, the emergency call was canceled. Apparently, Crane told the fire department personnel that he’d be OK and convinced them to let family drive him home.

Approximately an hour later, 911 was called after Crane suffered a massive heart attack. He was rushed to DHR, where according to one source, he had a second major heart attack. His time of death was recorded at 12:55.

I spoke to a guy this week who suffered a heart attack about eight years ago, the same as Crane. Local business owner. Fairly well known.

“Guys are our own worst enemies,” he told me. “We don’t ever want to admit we’re sick. When I had my heart attack, I was in denial. You know why? Because I thought that if I admitted I was having a heart attack, it would mean that I really was, and I didn’t want to admit it.”

So with his wife nagging him, and him warding her off — I’ll be OK — he finally got the message: go to the ER.

What was the final trigger? “I broke out in a cold sweat. That convinced me I needed to go to the hospital. The shoulder pain I’d had before. But coupled with the cold sweat, that’s what did it.”

And then he said — “The medics told me they have a saying: There are four signs of a middle-aged guy having a heart attack. One is chest pain; one is chest discomfort; one is chest pressure; and the fourth is denial.”

So, while social media has some few societal benefits, second-guessing someone after they have died — could they have done something to prevent it? — isn’t always helpful or productive during the family’s mourning period. Unfortunately, we can’t rewind time.

Crane was first elected as commissioner in 2005, and was most recently re-elected (2013) to serve his third term. He also served on various community boards and supported other groups such as McAllen Economic Development Corporation and the McAllen Boys & Girls Club.

In addition to the two successful 10th Street Carwash/ Carwash locations, he also owned Tesoro Metals Recycling.

This Year

Approximately eight years and a month after Commissioner Crane’s death, the city of McAllen is set to celebrate the marathon’s 10th anniversary, Saturday, Jan. 21.

Officially named “McAllen Marathon — Scott Crane Run,” most people simply call it the “Scott Crane Memorial Race.” Info about the Jan. 21 race can be found online at: www.mcallenmarathon. com. You can register for $120. For the half marathon, the price is $100.

Scott Crane, may he rest in peace. A good guy.