Valley icon ‘Mr. Hino’ dies at 79

HARLINGEN — Alejandro Hinojosa Sr., the loving husband and father known as Mr. Hino, is being remembered as an “icon” and a symbol of the American Dream.

Hinojosa died on Christmas Day after a long battle with cancer.

He was 79.

“He was a remarkable man. He lived by example,” Alex Hinojosa, his son and vice president of Hino Gas Sales, said yesterday.

Alex remembers learning about business while riding in his father’s truck.

“He was the best father a son could ever ask for. He was always there for me and taught me so many things,” Alex said. “He was always working. He taught me so much about business, people and making deals. One thing he taught me was to be a man of my word — always honest.”

The elder Hinojosa built his business around devoted employees, his son said.

“He called his employees ‘los muchachos,’ the boys,” his son said. “He loved them. Some of them are still working here. It’s really, really hard to fill those shoes.”

Hinojosa, born in Monte Morelos, Mexico, moved to Harlingen in 1954 to work at his uncle’s café before enrolling in a vocational business school.

In 1962, he married Imelda Lydia Rodriguez after joining the Army.

A year later, he borrowed money from his brother Oscar to buy a propane truck which he used to launch Hino Gas Sales.

By the early 1970s, Hinojosa was purchasing other companies as he built his business into the largest retail propane operation in South Texas, also selling propane in Mexico.

“Alex was a real pioneer in business in our community — a true role model,” Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell said. “He was very much a gentleman. He was always so courtly and kind — a pleasure to be around.”

In the early 1960s, Matt Gorges met Hinojosa as both were launching their businesses.

“He is a really good example of people who were born in Mexico, migrated to the Valley and have been successful,” Gorges said.

Later, both served as board members of Harlingen National Bank, Gorges said.

“I always had a lot of respect for Alex,” he said. “He possessed the three things I believe you find in most successful people — he was very intelligent, related very well with people and worked hard.”

In 1988, Hinojosa won election to the Port of Harlingen’s commission.

By 2003, he had become the first Mexican-American in the United States to own and operate a retail electric utility, Hino Electric.

In 2014, the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce presented him with its Heritage Award, in recognition of his achievements.

“What a true American story it is,” Palm Valley Mayor George Rivera said yesterday.

When Rivera moved to Palm Valley, Hinojosa helped him connect.

“He and Mrs. Hino introduced me and invited me into the community and introduced me to many people,” Rivera said.

Hinojosa “was a member of the city of Palm Valley in the highest regards,” he said.

“I loved that man dearly,” Rivera said. “He was sharp, very quick. When I grow up I wish I could be half the man he was.”

Hinojosa was proud of his Mexican roots.

“He corrected me on my Spanish,” Rivera said. “He wanted the tradition to continue.”

For businessman Rick Ledesma, Hinojosa was an “icon.”

“He was an incredible friend and mentor,” Ledesma said. “He was greatly admired by a lot of younger business people in our community. He inspired me as a businessman and I always appreciated his advice.”

Hinojosa’s charm won people over, Ledesma said.

“He had an incredible sense of humor,” he said. “He had amazing wit.”

Hinojosa was also “a master of his business,” Ledesma said.

“He was profoundly intelligent. He knew it all,” he said. “He said you have to know your business from the ground up. I emulated that. He will be sorely missed.”