Searching for Lieutenant Commander Harold Edwin Gray

Leo Rodriguez contact info will be added to comments section if anyone would like to add suggestions those will be posted too.  thanks

Leo Rodriguez sent this.

Perhaps your readers can help with this? Thank you Perhaps you can forward this to military/civic organizations in Brownsville. Lieutenant Commander Harold Edwin Gray was born in Brownsville in 1930. His mother was Mrs Exa Barlett Gray, a 1922 (?) graduate of San Benito High School. His aircraft crashed in North Vietnam in 1965, his body was never recovered. In military sites, such as the Virtual Wall & Military Times, Lt Gray's place of birth is listed as New York, which is erroneous. He is not listed in list of Brownsville veterans who lost their lives in Vietnam. Isn't this the equivalency of listing San Benito's Dolly Vinsant's hometown as New York? Would appreciate you looking into this, thanks in advance.

It says there that LCDR Harold Edwin Gray's father (same name) was a pilot with the Mexican Aviation company.  Gray was 34 years old when his stright-winged plane crashed and exploded over North Vietnam 

Flying from the USS Midway, a US Navy Douglas A-1 Skyraider of Attack Squadron 25 (VA-25) flies a CAS mission in support of ground forces in Vietnam. Seen here carrying a varied amount of ordinance, the Skyraider was an incredibly versatile aircraft, capable of carrying nearly every piece of ordinance possessed by the US Navy. Loved by ground troops, the Skyraider's the straight wing and piston engine design allowed it to make accurate passes on enemy positions, not accomplishable by jets.

1989 Matamoros Cult Killings

Mark Kilroy was a 21 year old University of Texas - Austin student on Spring break when he went missing on March 13, 1989 in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico.  Arrests were made a month later at Rancho Santa Elena homestead which turned out to be the site of occult killings and rituals.

Police unearthed bodies at Rancho Santa Elena

Drug cult leader Adolfo de Jesus Costanzo called "El Padrino" was a serial killer and fortune-teller who practiced black magic form called "Santeria" and Palo Mayombe.

Sara Maria Aldrete was an active student at Texas Southmost Colege who no one would have ever suspected as being involved with a murderous cult.  She was known as  "La Madrina" 

 May 7, 1989 Sarah Aldrete probably giving false testimony about her involvement in the murders.

 Cult members under arrest in Mexico City

 This "Nganga" is a cauldron of chicken parts and blood was probably used in a ritualistic killing on the ranch where twelve bodies were discovered including that of Mark Kilroy.

 This cauldron contained bones, a turtle shell, head and claws of a rooster, a goat's head and a horseshoe.  The ranch was discovered after a cult member ran a checkpoint at bridge and led authorities on chase that led them to ranch were occupants were arrested and gruesome discoveries were made which shocked the nation.

 This is probably the cult member who believed he was under a magic spell that would make him invisible and protect him from authorities while crossing drugs or money across the border.

 Alvaro de Leon Valdez a.k.a. "El Ruby" arrested in Mexico City

 One of several graves discovered on ranch

 Ranch shack where mutilated bodies, including that of Mark Kilroy, were discovered

 Kilroy family members attended memorial services in Brownsville, Texas for their son Mark.

 Mark Kilroy's mother and brother

Memorial service in Santa Fe, Texas.

These news media photos were sent by an anonymous Bronsbil Estacion reader who probably copied them from Ebay.  Additional photo borrowed from internet sources.  Search topics such as "Matamoros cult killings" or "Mark Kilroy murders" or "Adolfo de Jesus Costanzo" for more gruesome photos and additional information.  Several books have been written about these cult killings.  Tourism in Brownsville and South Padre Island was significantly affected by the publicity of this tragedy and Brownsville / SPI tourism was never the same after this.

c1975 El Jardin Hotel '75 Monte Carlo Lowrider-revised

 Scene in front of El Jardin Hotel with Ford Lincoln and '75 Chevy Monte Carlo

'75 Monte Carlo ad

1949 Pontiac Silver Streak Lowrider-revised

 Original cropped photo

 1949 Pontiac ad

1949 Pontiac Silver Streak

***  BONUS PICS  ****

The Jacksons cruising by Jackson Feed & Seed on E Washington St

c.1965 Two Mustangs on W Levee & 5th St

Probably the scene of an accident.  Photo courtesy of Brownsville Heritage Museum Public Safety Records in archival unit

Remembering the 1966 Rio Grande City Melon Strike

1940's Nogales School House in Common School District

A recent inquiry worthy of quick research using digitized library database newspaper resources helped unravel a few clues about this school very few can recall.

 1935 0524

 1938 1121  The caption under this photo tells us that Nogales School was opened in 1907.

 1940 0624   Most news items center around the schools rating status

 1942 0304  Here we are given a listing of other rural schools

 1942 0307

1942 0307  Some names of students can be found in this clipping of students competing in contests between rural schools

Nogales progress report for Pedro Barrera sent by Ivez Barrera

Here is the location where Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates was built on land where the school was probably located.

Unfortunately I had downloaded additional digital news-clip items but lost them (maybe saved to library hard drive by mistake) but recall that the earliest references to school were found as early as 1922 and that land was sold in 1972-74.

 Let us know what you know by sending email to brownsvilletrain@yahoo.com and we can update this post.

1942 Charro Days band plays on E Levee & 13th St

Photo by Arthur Rothstein

1942 Arthur Rothstein photo of E Levee St

1942 E Levee St with sign for Gateway Bridge for Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico from Brownsville, Texas.  This photo includes a rare view of Missouri Pacific Railroad station and El Jardin Hotel built in 1928.  The photo was taken during the annual Charro Days international celebration between Brownsville and Matamoros still held every February but bull fights in Matamoros are no longer part of the celebrating.  

Colorized by Javier R Garcia

1942 Photo of Shoeshine boy Arthure Rothstein

Photographer:  Arthur Rothstein

February 1942

Brownsville, Texas

 (Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Collection, Library of Congress)

1942 Colorized Arthur Rothstein photos

Arthur Rothstein (July 17, 1915 – November 11, 1985) was an American photographer. Rothstein is recognized as one of America’s premier photojournalists. During a career that spanned five decades, he provoked, entertained and informed the American people. His photographs ranged from a hometown baseball game to the drama of war, from struggling rural farmers to US Presidents.

Source:  Wikipedia 

I love Rothstein's photos of Brownsville but for some reason do not enjoy colorizing them.  None of these are finished.  I think Rothstein looks better in B&W.