Missing Carlos Guerra

We at NewsTaco have been struck hard by the loss of our friend and colleague Carlos Guerra this week, but so have many people. I wrote about my memories of Carlos, as did Victor Landa and Stace Medellin. Several of our readers have also shared their memories and we just wanted to roundup some of the ways Carlos touched our lives.

Fishing buddy and friend Larry Lopez told us:

“He loved to fish on the north jetty on San Jose island in Port Aransas. He called me from there on his last trip to this revered place and told me he had caught the largest fish he had ever caught in his life…a 42 inch redfish.  He ranted that he was alone out there and there was no one around to snap a picture of him and his trophy. After carefully unhooking the fish he returned it to the sea so that it might continue to reproduce. What an incredible guy and friend he was. Carlos knew a lot about everything.  We had lively no limits discussions about hope, politics, and possibilities. With Carlos I was either deep in an intellectual conversation or doubled over in laughter. I am happy that he was at the coast when he left us. He found solace there.”

John Cobarruvias shared his thoughts on his blog.

Rick Pratt recalls Carlos’ love of fishing:

“Just before the election, he had messaged me through Facebook, telling me that he’d be down there most of the month, ‘Come on down, the fishing is great!’ When I told him we wouldn’t believe any of his fishing stories, he shot back with, ‘Last year, I hooked and landed a huge feral hog. On a fly.’ I first met him about thirty years ago, when he had a jewelry making shop behind a house on King William Street. An acquaintance of mine, who lived in the front house, had a beef with him, and I remember her frantically saying, ‘He has a gun!’ I visited with him there in his shop that day, and was amused to see the .357 on his bench. ‘A little personal security, this gold and silver doesn’t protect itself, you know,’ he wryly informed me. He was a voice for Latinos, but he wasn’t so naive to think that Latinos were the only ones with problems. Some of the finest days in the local newspaper business were when he and Rick Casey appeared in the same edition. I was sad to see him retire, but glad to follow him on Facebook, and to hear about his participation in NewsTaco.”

David Lauricella remembered Carlos as a mentor at the San Antonio Express-News:

“Carlos and I met when I was 23 and he was 43. He became a close friend, mentor and later a colleague at the E-N. He got his column at the Light at about the same time I got a clerk job at the E-N. His encouragement gave me great confidence as I rose through the ranks at the E-N. I love that he never lost the idealism of youth. Unlike many of us who become jaded with age and maturity, Carlos still believed passionately that wrongs could be righted and that there aren’t lost causes. He stuck by me through many travails and we enjoyed countless moments of joy and friendship. On a fishing trip in November 1995, we spent all morning on the frigid jetty before returning to the condo to warm up and eat some of his famous fishing fried chicken. CNN was on and they broke in with the news that Yitzhak Rabin had been shot. We spent the rest of the weekend watching the coverage and debating the ramifications. No more fishing. He loved to fish and he loved the coast, but Carlos was first and foremost a newsman. Another passion of his was the Edwards Aquifer. Years of conversations revolved around that precious resource that’s the only thing supporting life in San Antonio. He gave the warnings over and over about overdevelopment and overpopulation. I sincerely hope his words on that subject don’t fade. I can’t begin to describe his lucha for civil and human rights. It was lifelong and intense. I take great comfort in knowing that although he is gone, his legacy will live on in you, Sara, and many others he inspired during an honorable and full life.”

There is, of course, much, much more to say about Carlos and he’s been in the news all over the place. We at NewsTaco worked with Carlos to bring his vision of informative news to life, and now that he’s gone, we intend to continue working towards his dream. Stay tuned.