By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
It was a huge party last weekend for the mustangs as more than 300 San Felipe High School alumni gathered to celebrate their time in high school together.
The SFHS reunion is an annual event bringing together classmates who attended SFHS, which was established in 1929 and closed after the last graduating class in 1971. The celebration honors the history of San Felipe and the students who attended SFHS.
San Felipe Exes Association Board President Alonzo Martinez spoke with The 830 Times during the weekend events to talk about the history of the SFHS reunions. Martinez said the reunions have been going on for 50 years, starting in California and continuing in Del Rio.
Martinez said the San Felipe Exes board members focuses each
the SFHS Purple and Gold Parade on Saturday morning. The parade was part of the
two-day celebration of the SFHS reunion on Friday, July 4 and Saturday, July 5. Mary
Gonzalez and Ernesto Martinez were co-chairs of the reunion committee and were in
charge of putting the events together. Gonzalez said it was amazing to bring over 300
people to celebrate the history of San Felipe. (Photo by Louis Zylka)
year on representing different groups from SFHS. He said 2025 honors all the athletes from SFHS, including classmates involved in athletic events such as cheerleaders and band members.
“The reunion is to celebrate our history, our culture of San Felipe and the friendships we had in high school,” Martinez said. “It brings out as many people that can make it. It is a celebration and a big party.”
The events took place on Friday, July 4 and Saturday, July 5, and they were open to the public for anyone interested in being part of the spirit of San Felipe. On Friday, the San Felipe Exes and family members joined for mass and breakfast at the San Felipe Ex-Student Memorial Center. Martinez said more than 200 people attended the morning breakfast.
Later in the afternoon, Larvell Blanks, a graduate of the 1969 alumni, was recognized at the memorial center for his outstanding achievement in sports as a major league baseball player. The memorial center also includes the San Felipe Museum, which preserves the history of SFHS including group pictures to jerseys from the high school.
On Saturday, the Purple and Gold Parade took place on Garza Street and ended at the historic Brown Plaza. Close to 40 floats and vehicles participated in the parade, including floats from the Stars and Stripes parade on Friday, July 4.
The SFHS festivities ended on Saturday evening with dinner and music at the Del Rio Civic Center. Music was provided by LA45, a Latin music group from San Antonio, and Eva “Chacha” Macias.
Many classmates from various graduating classes attended the reunion and traveled from afar to be a part of the once-in-a-lifetime event. Lupe Felan traveled from Yucca Valley, California, to attend the reunion. Felan graduated from the 1957 class and was recognized for being part of the SFHS golf team that was portrayed in the film, “The Long Game.” Life-long Del Rioan and famous Tejano musician Juan Gomez was also in attendance and showed support during the San Felipe reunion.
Ester Cuellar is one of the oldest graduates who attended the reunion. Cuellar graduated from the SFHS class of 1949 and was recognized for being a drum major from 1947-1949. Cuellar, who is 95 years old, said she enjoyed being at the reunion, adding, “I have so many friends here, and they still remember me.”
Other athletes from SFHS who were recognized on Saturday included Leandro Rodriguez, Heriberto Urby and Frank Sanchez, who passed away recently in 2025. All three SFHS alumni were recognized for their achievements as the SFHS 1948 regional champion football players.
Blanks was recognized for his athletic achievements again on Saturday and was awarded with the key to the city of Del Rio by Mayor Al Arreola. Blanks said he felt “proud” to be from Del Rio and receive the recognitions.
