The year was 1975 and crowds gathered in Brownsville in anticipation of seeing a young up-and-coming pop star. Her hair shined and glimmered under the spotlight of the Jacob Brown Auditorium.
At one point she extended her hand to the audience to create an intimate moment between her and the crowd. The “I Honestly Love You” singer, who by this point had already topped the charts and was just three years from becoming a household name for being on the big screen, appeared sincere in wanting to connect with Rio Grande Valley residents in attendance.
That singer was Olivia Newton-John. Sandy herself.
Letty Fernandez, the media and relations liaison for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, took a trip down memory lane Thursday as she thought back on her time as a freshman at Texas Southmost College and witnessed Newton-John perform for the first time in the Valley.
“I remember this concert like it was yesterday …I remember it was packed to the gills,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez shared these recollections four days after Newton-John died at the age of 73, leaving fans from around the world in a state of mourning.
Whenever Fernandez would see her in the 1978 classic musical “Grease,” or when she would release new music, it would always take her back to that concert.
“The crowd loved her,” she said with adoration. “She was wearing blue jeans. I remember she had these patches on the side and I remember thinking those are pretty cool.”
Her time with Newton-John may have been limited, but it was enough for the star to earn a place in her heart as one of the kindest people she’s ever met.
Newton-John was the embodiment of Sandy Olsson, the sweet-natured new girl at Rydell High School in “Grease.”
“I just remember her and she was just very lovely, she was very nice and very down to earth and she was genuinely interested in our conversations,” said Fernandez, who often used the word “warm” to describe Newton-John’s tender nature. “I think I’ll always remember that about her, that she was just so lovely and so nice.”
“These last few days I’ve been kind of listening to her music again,” she added.
Memories like this were possible thanks in large part to Arnulfo L. Oliveira, president of Texas Southmost College, who was determined to have Newton-John perform in the Valley after seeing her on TV.
David Oliveira, Arnuflo’s son, recalled on Thursday that his dad booked Newton-John for $15,000 for two concerts. During her trip to the Valley, she spent most of her time with the Oliveira family and left them with priceless memories.
In fact, David remembered a moment in which he accompanied Newton-John to his family’s home in Brownsville where she could rest before her concert. There, he said she fell in love with his family dogs — Irish setters.
Although these setters were usually outdoor dogs, she made an exception and brought them in the house that day. However, he wasn’t surprised when they caused havoc in the household.
“Not five seconds later one of them ran into the dining room and jumped on top of the table where we had all this food … she knocked over a bunch of food and stuff,” David said with a chuckle as he reminisced on the moment. “I was on the floor trying to pick it up and Olivia Newton-John felt so bad because she had let them in. She helped me and we started putting it on a plate, and I said, ‘I hope we are gonna have enough food left on the table,’ and she goes ‘Oh don’t worry,’ and she put the plate back on the table and she goes, ‘We won’t tell anybody.’”
He was a teenager at the time and she was 26, and all he could think about is that they were just several years apart. It’s fair to assume he had a little crush on the superstar.
On Thursday, he couldn’t help but gush at the thought as he did those 47 years ago.
“She was seven years older than me. I remember all my brothers and I had a huge crush on her — God we were like madly in love with her. I remember thinking we’re only seven years apart. I wondered if she would ever go out with me,” David said sweetly.
That moment stayed with him for almost half a century and would reminisce over the fondness of these memories with Newton-John when she returned to the Valley to perform in McAllen in the 2000s.
