NEWS — New park named for “ordinary man” Jesse T. Cardenas

By Karen Gleason

The 830 Times

 

Del Rioan Jesse T. Cardenas was remembered as “an ordinary man with an extraordinary sense of duty” during a ceremony Friday to formally open a new park named in his honor.

Jesse T. Cardenas Park is located along Brodbent Avenue just south of the Del Rio city limits across from the historic San Felipe Cemetery.

The park was created by County Commissioner Pct. 1 Martin Wardlaw and his crew of workers and was dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Wardlaw and a host of county and city elected officials and administrators, members of the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce and the Del Rio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and members of the Cardenas family.

County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. served as master of ceremonies for the event, which opened with the posting of the colors by the Del Rio High School Junior ROTC Texas 66 Honor Guard and the singing of the National Anthem by DRHS junior Kaylie Morales.

“Commissioner Wardlaw and his crew have done an amazing job here, and they still have plans to do more here,” Owens told the audience, adding Wardlaw is working with city officials to add amenities, such as lighting, to the park.

Owens began the ceremony by saying, “Welcome friends, family and guests to the ribbon cutting of the Jesse T. Cardenas Park. Thank you all for being here.”

Owens acknowledged city and county elected officials present at the event and thanked them for attending.

Father Albert Toangutu Tomeka of the St. Joseph and Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Churches offered the benediction, then Owens introduced Wardlaw and spoke briefly about the construction of the park.

“He wanted to make something happen for the precinct and for the area. This isn’t just for Precinct 1, it’s for everyone to enjoy,” the county judge said.

Wardlaw told the audience, “Thank all you folks for being here. This is a special moment, with all of you here, to bless this park.”

He told a story of serving on commissioners court decades ago, with Owens’ grandfather, County Judge Sergio Gonzalez, and said he remembered Jesse T. Cardenas’ participation in a local color guard unit made up of retired military veterans.

“He impressed me. I was just a kid, 28 years old, county commissioner, and Jesse always treated me with the utmost respect, and I’m so proud to be able to do that for him here today. This is park is very special to me, and I’m very happy there are so many members of the Cardenas family here today,” Wardlaw said.

Wardlaw also thanked his fellow commissioners, Juan Carlos Vazquez, Beau Nettleton and Gustavo “Gus” Flores, as well as Owens, for their help in creating the park. Wardlaw then asked for a round of applause for his Precinct 1 crew, led by foreman Mario Cervantes, who worked on the park.

Owens recognized and thanked county staff who organized the event, then read a biography of Cardenas.

“Jesse T. Cardenas was born Dec. 10, 1926, as the youngest of eight children, to Serapio and Petra Cardenas. He married Josefina Garza and fathered three children, Cecilia Cardenas Valdez, Theresa Cardenas Stuckey and Jesse Cardenas Jr.

“Mr. Cardenas joined the U.S. Army and served in World War II as a paratrooper in an infantry division. Upon leaving the Army and retiring and returning to Del Rio, he was employed at Laughlin Air Force Base, working in a civil service capacity for the 47th Supply Squadron. He retired after 30 years of faithful service.

“In 1980, he organized the San Felipe-Del Rio Armed Forces Burial Committee, lovingly known locally as ‘the Honor Guard,’ which consisted of 25 members. The committee’s sole purpose was to honor deceased military members with a military-style funeral. The honor guard members and their distinct uniforms rendered a ceremony of respect and condolence to the families of the fallen service personnel. . . The group made its last appearance in 2011. At that time, Jesse was 84 years old.

“After retiring, Jesse became the caretaker of the San Felipe Cemetery. He volunteered his time and service to the upkeep and maintenance of the grounds. If a person wanted to find a buried loved one, Jesse could always help. Families would call him from all over, seeking their loved ones, and Jesse would set aside time to meet and personally lead them to the burial site. He knew the lay of the land. . . He exhibited a deep sense of pride and utter respect in devoting his time to the cemetery and all those laid to rest there.

“Jesse was honored to be able to pay tribute to his country and his community. Jesse T. Cardenas was laid to rest along his family, friends and fellow servicemen after passing on Feb. 18, 2014. Gone, but never forgotten,” Owens read.

Owens then introduced Robert Stuckey, Cardenas’ grandson.

Stuckey began by sharing a story of his visits to see his grandparents in Del Rio for summer vacations while he was a teen living with his parents in Louisiana.

“I was asleep and I get this nudge, and he says, ‘Mijo, time to get up,’ and I’m like, ‘For what?’ He says, ‘We got to go to work,’ and I say, “But we’re on vacation.’ He goes, ‘No, you’re 13. Your parents have vacation. You come with me.’ So, we pack up a car with some weedeaters, hand tools, and we drove down this road and came to this cemetery across the street, 100-plus degrees, and I don’t think there was even any grass growing, so we were messing with weeds and cutting mesquite, but as I got older I started to understand why he did it. He did it because he enjoyed it, and he did it for the people,” Stuckey said.

Stuckey thanked those who attended the ceremony and said he could almost hear his grandfather saying, “They didn’t need to do this for me.”

“He was the kind of man who never sought recognition. He did what he did because he believed in it. He believed in taking care of people, giving second chances and working hard without expecting anything in return,” Stuckey said.

“Jesse Cardenas was a proud World War II veteran, dedicating 30

years of his life to civil service, retiring only to continue his good works to take care of the cemetery across the street. He tended to the final resting places of many loved ones and fallen soldiers, not for accolades, but because he felt it was the right thing to do. His commitment to honoring the deceased and supporting their families was a testament to his character,” Stuckey said.

“My grandfather was not a wealthy man, a politician or a celebrity. He was an ordinary man with an extraordinary sense of duty and love for his community. His legacy is not recorded in music or headlines, but in the lives he touched and the example he set. . . This is a beautiful tribute to a man who believed in giving back to his community,” Stuckey finished.

Next to speak was Theresa Cardenas Stuckey, one of Cardenas’ daughters.

Cardenas Stuckey also thanked everyone for attending and said she was surprised to see so many people. She also thanked Wardlaw and his crew for their work on the park.

“His commitment to the community was so important to him, and he wanted to help, and I know he must have gotten some of that from his older sister, Irene Cardwell,” Cardenas Stuckey said.

She said she remembered that people who lived out of state would send her father money to clean a family member’s cemetery plot, and when they didn’t, she recalled telling her father not to clean those gravesites.

“He would say, ‘That’s a veteran. I can’t do that. I have to take care of their plot.’ That’s what I remember, and it certainly added to my memories of him as a man, as a father. . . I’m just so honored to be here, along with my daughter and my son and my grandkids, for this special moment. I am so thankful to God and to family. Thank you again for making this happen,” she said.

Owens next introduced Sandra Cardenas Fuentes, Cardenas’ niece.

Fuentes said she called Cardenas “Tio Chuy” and recalled how he spoke of his experiences in war and his fellow local veterans.

Fuentes said there was one veteran in particular, Ramon Gutierrez, nicknamed “El Sancudo,” whom her uncle always insisted should be memorialized in a book. Gutierrez was the only U.S. soldier recognized by the Russians for his war time exploits. A book was eventually written, she said, and the author recognized Cardenas in the book, saying he regretted that Cardenas did not live to see it published.

“He has always been a great advocate of veterans,” Fuentes said.

Fuentes also told the audience Cardenas was instrumental in organizing Del Rio’s PeeWee Football League.

Last, Owens called on Martha Cortazzo, who is the partner of Cardenas’ only son, Jesse Cardenas Jr.

Cortazzo said Cardenas changed his birth date so he could serve in the military and remembered how he knew exactly where most people in the San Felipe Cemetery were buried and the wars and conflicts in which deceased veterans buried there had served.

“That was his deep sense of love, his respect and how he honored those who were laid to rest. He would say, ‘We cannot forget our fallen, whether they were military or not.’ He said he enjoyed the cemetery because all his friends, all his family, his beloved Josefina were laid to rest there,” Cortazzo said, adding Cardenas always carried a picture of his late wife with him and would take it out at mealtimes and lay it on the table near him.

“Everything he did, he loved deeply, and to give this back to him, for San Felipe to have this, for our community to have this park, is beautiful,” Cortazzo said.

Following the speeches of remembrance and thanks, family members, friends and elected officials gathered at the park’s arched entrance, bearing Cardenas’ name and the purple and gold of the former San Felipe High School, and cut a ribbon formally opening the facility.

The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.