July Scene and Heard

Mexico’s independence bicentennial this year has been cause for all kinds of celebrations in this town, where the cultural and civic ties run deep.  One of the most fascinating occasions so far was the World Affairs Council program “Mexico in its Bicentennial: Still a distant neighbor?”

Chaired by top immigration lawyer and longtime council stalwart Nancy Shivers, the program featured Mexico’s Ambassador to the U.N., Enrique Berruga; business whiz Mario Melgar-Adalid and Incarnate Word University’s Distinguished Professor Raul Rodriguez. The program was packed with thought-provoking moments, but one of the best was Berruga’s story about how he got a nickname from President George W. Bush.

It happened at a meeting at the White House, when W. was in his first term and Berruga was Mexico’s Undersecretary for Foreign Relations. Bush was eager to resurrect an agreement on water-sharing on the border with Mexico. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Berruga started comparing data, but were stymied by metrics—Berruga’s data measured water in cubic meters and Rice’s figures were in acre-feet. Berruga saved the day when he whipped out his PDA and used its metric converter app to translate the numbers.  W., whose penchant for nicknames is legendary, immediately christened Berruga “the water man.”  At first, Berruga said, he was deeply insulted, since the term translated to something like “water boy” in Mexico. Later, when Colin Powell asked how he liked the nickname, Berruga explained the problem. Powell empathized, and encouraged Berruga to look on the bright side.

“He said it could have been worse,” Berruga recalled, “if we had been discussing for instance, an issue about manure.” There’s even more to the story, but you can hear it yourself, thanks to Texas Public Radio’s fabulous Friday night Newsmaker Hour. Go to www.tpr.org/programs/newsmakerhour.html to hear the Mexico panel, as well as many other smart, timely programs recorded in S.A. Great food for thought—in person, on air or online.

China connection

“San Antonio Days” are over at China’s gargantuan Shanghai Expo. The city’s official delegation to the Expo, led by Mayor Julián, Councilwoman Elisa Chan and biz booster Henry Cisneros, drew just a handful of business prospects to S.A.-sponsored receptions. But even small international connections have a way of leading to bigger things, and in global economic terms, China is as big as they get. The mayor’s group went early, but a steady stream of Texas folks will follow, from the Texas delegation led by Gov.  Rick Perry to a Greater S.A. Chamber of Commence group trip set for September.  One of the most interesting groups—and the youngest —is the Youth Orchestra of San Antonio. Nearly 70 talented local teen musicians led by YOSA director Steven Payne and a brave group of chaperones had just embarked on a two-week concert tour to China when this magazine went to press, and should be back with stories galore by the time you read this. (Thanks to late, great YOSA president Evelyn Berg, the orchestra has made eight international summer tours in the last 25 years.) The teens were booked to play several concerts, including a big one at the Expo. Sometimes cultural ambassadors make the biggest impact of all. Want to know what the kids thought of China? Check out Scene in S.A.’s website, www.mysaweekly.com, for a link to their blog of the adventure. Then make plans to attend one of their local concerts this fall.

No Can-tu?

This spring, controversial City Hall insider Leticia Cantu, who enjoyed a brief, unelected stint as her fiancée, District 4 Councilman Phil Cortez’s replacement while he was off taking public affairs training at Fort Meade, stirred up a brief storm of criticism with the suggestion that she accompany Mayor Castro and other S.A. VIPs to the Shanghai Expo.  In the end, she didn’t go. And we haven’t heard much about her recently, now that Cortez is back in the saddle at City Hall.

But one pair of press releases from Cortez’s official council office hinted at a reason for Cantu’s recent low profile.

The first, sent while Cortez was still at Fort Meade, Md., bore the big bold headline “Councilwoman Cantu to host a public hearing on proposed texting while driving ban.”  Two weeks later, Cortez was back in S.A. and his city office. Days later, a second press release about the same hearing arrived. This one, however,  was headlined “District 4 to host Public Hearing….,” with “Councilman Philip Cortez, former interim Councilwoman Leticia Cantu, Police Chief William McManus and various members of the community.”   While filling Cortez’s council shoes, Cantu never used the term “interim” to describe herself.  Hmmmm…

B-B-Q bling

Hundreds of friends helped celebrate Bill Miller Bar-B-Q co-owner John Miller and his wife Vladimira’s second anniversary with a rollicking bash at the couple’s magnificent Arroyo Vista Ranch near Boerne recently.  Many of the same 300-plus close friends, colleagues and fishing buddies who attended the pair’s lavish wedding and first anniversary party at the ranch were reunited at the “Fiesta Dos Años Anniversary Fest” in May. Handsome, mustachioed good-old-boy John and his va-va-voom gorgeous Czech mate still seemed like honeymooners to guests at the festive event. Vladimira was dazzling in a white damask dress and a squash-blossom-style necklace made up of an acre or so of diamonds and emeralds, instead of the traditional turquoise. An anniversary gift? No, she replied with a radiant smile, it was her birthday present.  “This,” she extended a long tapered finger adorned with a ruby as big as the Ritz, “was my anniversary gift.”  Sure beats the traditional second anniversary gift of cotton or straw. To heck with tradition! For the twice-divorced Miller, looks like the third time—and Vladimira—is the charm. But how’s he going to top this next year?

Marital milestone

Speaking of anniversaries, Al and Angela Notzon have a really big one coming up this fall—50 years of marriage and memories, and a special Mass with friends to mark the happy occasion.  The Notzons developed a special fondness for Archbishop José Gomez during his tenure in San Antonio, but Gomez’s recent promotion to Los Angeles may mean he won’t be here to celebrate the anniversary Mass with them.  That didn’t keep them from making the pilgrimage to L.A. in May for Cardinal Roger Mahony’s grand Mass of Welcome for Gomez.    There’s a couple with a truly blessed union.

Steel Magnolias

Angela Notzon was among the “Steel Magnolias” celebrating another big milestone recently—Pat Turner’s 75^th birthday.  The vivacious Turner double-dipped, with two back-to-back birthday parties in a week—but then, she has enough friends and fans to fill a dozen guest lists.

The first bash was a birthday brunch at La Posada del Rey, with a Steel Magnolias theme and plenty of classic Texas women, hosted by Mary Ann Mireles, Sandy Klein, Gloria Hernandez and Shirley Wills.  Turner, who represented the Texas A&M System in S.A. (and many other parts of Texas) for years as head of the university system’s Texas Engineering Extension service, brought along a virtual scrapbook of memories, many of them shared with guests at the party. Former City Councilwoman and lifelong South Side sparkplug Helen Dutmer served as honorary Magnolia-in-Chief. “They used to call us steel magnolias because our spines were made of steel,” Dutmer declared.  “Now we have steel in our knees and our hips and our joints, too.”  A few days later, Turner was on to the next birthday celebration, hosted by her longtime A&M colleagues Margaret Halsema (now a leader of the Tobin Hill Arts Alliance), Brian Hilburn and Judy Camargo, at painter Luis Lopez’s big pink Tobin Hill art studio and gallery, La Casa Rosa.  Party on, Miz Pat! And Gig ’Em!

Close to home

“This Place Matters” was the theme as S.A. celebrated Tourism Week with promotions and parties pushing our town’s attractions.  Nice slogan—obvious, since we live in this city together, but often taken for granted and neglected.  Graciela Sanchez and her volunteers at the Esperanza Center put a twist on the occasion with photos of volunteers holding their own “This Place Matters” signs on old streets in front of dilapidated buildings.

But give Felix Padron and the city’s Office of Cultural Affairs credit for one really cool (and unfortunately, little-known) resource that lets locals, as well as adventurous visitors, experience non-traditional tourism here at home—neighborhood discovery tours.

Check out the website www.saculturaltours.com.  You’ll find detailed maps, legends, photos and background info  for three such do-it-yourself tours in some surprising parts of our town.  The downtown River North tour is the least surprising, since it covers a lot of well-publicized spots along the new Museum Reach of the river, including the fabulous public art leading up to the S.A. Museum of Art, the Pearl Brewery and more.  The Westside Murals and Mas tour stars  bright, colorful ourdoor murals, many of them created through the vision of the late San Anto Cultural Arts leader Manny Castillo,  plus landmarks from the Segovia Candy Factory and the iconic Malt House diner to the Guadalupe Theater,  antique churches and historic “tuberculosis cottages.”  The Eastside version, including historic Ellis Alley, Sunset Station, Dignowity Hill, the cemetery district and vintage homes and buildings once among the poshest in old S.A., includes a wealth of info on people and places you won’t find in the history books (especially under the current  State Board of Ed).  You can print the tours and hike or bike through them, or just enjoy the diverse, fascinating trips through S.A.’s cultural past and present in the air-conditioned comfort of home via computer.

It’s never too late to be a tourist in your own town.

They No Alamo

Speaking of history and tourism…when newlyweds Ron Aaron Eisenberg and Gina Galaviz threw a “kitchen-warming” to celebrate a successful remodeling project in their cozy townhome last month, guests got an eyeful of colorful art and artifacts the two former media dynamos have collected individually over the years, from cool velvet paintings and folk art to Ron’s pride and joy—a portable Ohio State Buckeyes icemaker.  One trinket that Gina pointed out among the many, however, was slightly unsettling—an unremarkable souvenir fridge magnet of the Alamo—with a little plaque identifying it as “Cancun.”  That’s just wrong.

Give us Liberty

“It’s never too late to move to a convent” is the new catchphrase for friends of the Liberty Bar, which has finally moved from the wonderful but too-rickety old historic Boehler’s building  on Josephine Street to airy new remodeled digs in a restored convent on South Alamo.  The new Liberty Bar at the Convent opened its doors in June, but owner Dwight Hobart tells us the formal “grand opening” is set for July 14, smack in the middle of this month of independence celebrations.  It’s also Bastille Day, the same day Hobart and his late partner and creative culinary genius Drew Allen, whose portrait is proudly displayed in the new space, opened the Liberty back in 1985. Viva!

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