For a veteran journalist accustomed to noisy newsrooms, working in almost any other capacity is considered somewhat of a nuance that could take some adjusting.
Such was the case for Rod Santa Ana, who in 1988 made the leap from journalism to the communications world at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center in Weslaco. And although he described the facility being “as quiet as a library” at the time, it’s also where he’s made plenty of noise over the years.
“It felt like there was complete silence at the center compared to the constant and loud chatter at radio and TV stations where I had worked before,” the McAllen native said of his initial impressions upon accepting the communications specialist post for Texas A&M AgriLife Research.
“When I stepped into the A&M building, it was so quiet that it took me a while to get used to the transition. I was worried that agriculture was going to be a boring subject, but when I realized that it involves feeding and clothing a growing population on shrinking farm acreage, it just excited me and made me realize how important ag research is for our supremacy as a country and our survival as a species.”
Santa Ana shared as much on Friday upon announcing his retirement from the center, effectively ending in December a 29-year career in which he’s become synonymous with all things agriculture in the Rio Grande Valley.
Perhaps best-known as the institution’s storyteller, he’s collaborated with scientists and extension agents to share landmark studies with the world. Many of which, he stresses, have even helped to change it.
In fact, it was Santa Ana who penned a wildly-popular article in 2008 that confirmed watermelon having Viagra-like effects on men, at least according to A&M research showing that the fruit can help the circulatory system by loosening blood vessels.
It was a curious link that even garnered Jay Leno’s attention, as well as the subsequent jokes on back-to-back episodes of The Tonight Show, and that of media outlets from throughout the U.S. and Europe.
“It went viral; it was all over the world,” Santa Ana recalled. “We started getting calls from Germany, Italy, Prague, China — you name it, it went berserk there. That was a standout moment like nothing else I had ever done.”
Kathleen Phillips, the media relations manager, news editor and communications specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife credited such finds to Santa Ana’s ability to work with researchers.
“A researcher could have said, ‘Oh no, I don’t want to go there,’ but he’s a seeker of the truth and helps people see there’s a reason and a benefit for the public to know these things,” Phillips, who’s based out of College Station, said.
“He’s a super listener … and that’s why he’s able to plot a good news story. He’s also a very caring person and is all about relationships. That’s another thing that’s established him over the years. He could write a really good story and it could appear all over the nation, but people will also want to work with him again because he cares about them.”
On average, Santa Ana has written nearly 100 stories per year since his arrival, breaking three decades worth of agricultural developments. Among them are advancements in bio-technology, which he considers the future of farming genetically-modified foods, as well as the ongoing fight against citrus greening.
“It’s been an honor working with these brilliant scientists, specialists and support staff that devote their lives to keeping us clothed and fed,” he added before crediting Dr. Tom Blessington for offering him the position at AgriLife.
“As far as retirement goes, because my parents divorced when I was 12 and I had to start working ever since then, I’m ready to be off. I’m 62 and I’ve been working non-stop for the last 50 years.”
A cum laude graduate of the University of Texas Pan American — now UTRGV — with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in English, Santa Ana was born in McAllen and continues to reside there with his wife, Norma.
He now plans to spend some time fishing with his first and only grandson, Bennett James Coy, 22 months; his daughter Denise, who’s an assistant state district attorney in Hidalgo County; and son-in-law Nathan, a surgical equipment specialist with Johnson and Johnson.
