By Mary Torres, Special to MyRGV.com
The Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Genealogical Society (RGVHGS) meets today, Sunday, July 18, at 1:30 p.m. at the Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum, 2425 Boxwood St. After a short business meeting, guest speaker, Maclovio Perez will present “Mexican Americans on The Front Lines of World War I.”
Perez’s grandfather, Trinidad Rodriguez of Rio Grande City served as an American doughboy in France and Germany from 1918 to 1919. Perez’s will speak about the long search for information confirming his grandfather’s service and how others might be able to find information on other Hispanics in WW1. This would be of interest to those interested in genealogy or in Rio Grande Valley history which has often been overlooked. There will be a PowerPoint demonstration and a time for questions and answers from the audience.
Maclovio Perez is a career television broadcaster. Having begun his career in the Rio Grande Valley, his work in television took him to Austin, Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Los Angeles, where he was a familiar TV figure for 20 years. Perez worked alongside many television legends including, Connie Chung, Brent Mustberger and Jim Lampley. He currently resides in San Antonio where his passion for genealogy and Texas history began in the 1970s. Maclovio earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, a degree in geosciences from Mississippi State, and a Master’s in Education from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi. He is a founding member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information visit the society’s Facebook page or call 956-345-4756
The Valley Byliners, a nonprofit support organization for writers in the Rio Grande Valley, and the Harlingen Public Library, 410 ’76 Dr., invite you to “Poetry Night,” Tuesday, July 20, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. This will be an in-person event in the auditorium at the library! You can also participate via Zoom. The meeting link is as follows: Valley Byliners Poetry, Meeting ID: 913 9535 4611, Passcode: 744187.
Bring your favorite poem or one you have written, to share with the group, or just simply enjoy the readings from local poets. This event is family-friendly and masks and social distancing are required at the library. For more information email [email protected].
The Brownsville Historical Association announces that UTRGV Communications Professor, author and Texas storyteller Dr. William F. Strong will visit the Mary Yturria Education Center at the Historic Brownsville Museum, 641 E. Madison St., on Saturday, July 24 at 2 p.m. to discuss and sign his latest book, “Stories from Texas: Some of them are true, Vol. II.” Don’t have a copy? Books will be available for purchase at the museum. Follow them on their social media platforms for more information and updates.
The Harlingen Public Library in partnership with the South Texas Literacy Coalition, the City of Harlingen, and local children’s author David Norec, will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for “The StoryWalk Program,” on Saturday, July 24, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Lake Harlingen, 410 ’76 Dr. The StoryWalk Program is an outdoor reading experience whereby a children’s book is deconstructed, and the pages of the book are printed on larger material to be placed on a stake or kiosk along a walking trail.
The first StoryWalk will feature local author, David Norec and his book, “The Adventures of Exo and CY.” Following the ceremony there will be a free community book distribution until 12pm! Also featured at the event will be a lineup of local authors set up in booths along the trail.
