FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Former Rep. Sergio Muñoz, Sr. (1952-2020); his wife of 44 years, Connie Bazan Muñoz; their son, Rep. Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission; and their daughter, Marla López. This image was taken on Tuesday, January 10, 2017, at the Texas Capitol during the opening day of the 85th Texas Legislature.
FEATURED: Rep. Armando “Mando” Martínez, D-Weslaco, seen here at the Texas Capitol, recently showed off the Super Bowl XII ring earned in 1978 by former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson, standing next to the Valley state lawmaker. Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cowboys in 1973, Pearson enjoyed an accomplished 11-year career in the NFL and totaled 489 receptions and 7,822 yards. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and played on three Super Bowl teams. Pearson was honored by the Texas Legislature on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 for those achievements, and for being selected earlier this year to the NFL Hall of Fame.
FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Joe E. Vega, Parks Director, Cameron County; Pete Sepulveda, Jr., Executive Director, Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority; Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont; Rep. Eddie Lucio, III, D-Brownsville; and Cameron County Commissioner Joey López. This image was taken at the Texas Capitol on Wednesday, April 14, 2021.
Photograph Courtesy REP. EDDIE LUCIO, III FACEBOOK
FEATURED: Sen. Judith Zaffirini, whose Senate District 21 includes Starr County, reacts on Friday, March 8, 2013, to being honored with a Presidential Citation, the highest honor bestowed by the University of Texas at Austin, at the university’s AT&T Conference Center.
Photograph Courtesy THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
FEATURED: Dr. Michael B. Hocker, Senior Associate Dean and Designated Institutional Official (DIO) for Graduate Medical Education at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Augusta University, on Friday, May 14, 2021, was announced as the new Dean of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine. He will be taking over the duties of John H. Krouse, MD, PhD, MBA on Monday, June 28, 2021. Krouse announced in 2020 that he would be stepping down as Dean of the UTRGV School of Medicine and as Executive Vice President of Health Affairs for UTRGV to serve in a faculty position. Hocker has ties to the Rio Grande Valley, noting that he and his family are excited about joining the UTRGV community and moving to South Texas, where they will be closer to his mother, Jean, and stepfather, Richard, who currently live in Harlingen.
Photograph Courtesy UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY
FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; Pharr Mayor Ambrosio Hernández; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; and Sergio Contreras, President and CEO, Rio Grande Valley Partnership. On Saturday, March 27, 2021, Pharr city leaders welcomed Texas’ two U.S. senators along with 19 other U.S. senators to get a firsthand view of the Pharr International Bridge, which recently received a Presidential Permit amendment approved by then-President Donald Trump for the second span expansion of the bridge.
