Sanchez’s daughter Alina de la Vega and book editor Alejandro Cisneros joined Granados for the presentation before an audience of TSC students and community members.
“My parents and grandma used to listen to his music when I was very young,” said TSC student Mary Lou Rocha. “I’ve heard his music before, but I didn’t know the other side of him like his daughter described.”
“It’s really important for students to be able to connect with their culture,” added TSC Dean of Humanities Donald Crouse. “So often people get caught up in this age of social networking, and even though they share cultural heritage and heard some of these things while visiting their grandparent’s house, they probably don’t know as much about it as they probably should.”
The book about Cuco Sánchez’s life, authored by Granados and Cisneros, is a compilation of anecdotes, interviews, memories, letters, personal photographs and newspaper clippings.
“I’m honored to have been selected as the spokesperson for Mexican culture,” said Granados. “Cuco Sánchez is one of Mexico’s greatest composers. He had the ability to summarize Mexicans’ feelings, and our way of feeling is exemplified by him.”
“The book was a way of reconnecting with my father and letting people know not just about his music, but his life,” added De la Vega. “This event was motivating and a way of getting our young people to get to know more about their heritage.”
The historic event was a collaboration between TSC, the Mexican Consulate in Brownsville, the Tamaulipeco Culture and Arts Institute, and the National Council for Culture and Arts.
“It was a wonderful opportunity for the communities in Matamoros and Brownsville to come together and celebrate a shared cultural treasure,” said Crouse. “Tamaulipas stretches for a good ways west and it could’ve been held in just about any other city, but the fact that they chose Brownsville and that we were able to host it at TSC is an incredible honor.”
About Texas Southmost College
Originally established in 1926, Texas Southmost College currently offers the first two years toward a bachelor’s degree, along with career and technical education leading to certificates and associate degrees, college preparatory studies to prepare students for college-level work, workforce training, and continuing education. Recently selected as a Bright Spot by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, TSC offers 53 programs of study leading to an associate degree or certificate. TSC became independently operational in the fall of 2013, after engaging in a 20-year contractual arrangement with a public university.