Arnold Velez
1966-2006
Bilingual publisher made mark
By TRACI SHURLEY
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
FORT WORTH - Arnold Velez served his community in a variety of roles.
He sat on the board of directors of Texas Wesleyan University and was a former member of the Fort Worth Zoning Commission.
Mr. Velez was also a former member of the city's Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board. In 1994, he was the first publisher of the Star-Telegram's weekly bilingual publication, which became Diario La Estrella.
Mr. Velez, 40, died in his downtown Fort Worth home early Saturday. Funeral arrangements are pending.
His accomplishments at such a young age weren't a surprise to friends or family. To them, his drive and enthusiasm were well-known.
"He was very proud of [La Estrella]," said Elena Velez-Ortiz, his sister. "He had that vision and the vision came true. How often does that happen?"
Mr. Velez was the publisher of La Estrella when the bilingual publication debuted as a weekly insert in the Star-Telegram in February 1994. Friends said his generous nature was well-suited to community outreach and his quick wit also drew people to him.
Velez-Ortiz recalled the way he doted on his four nieces and a nephew, buying each an iPod last Christmas.
"He loved people more than anything else," said Robert Fernandez, past chairman of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board. "And he loved his family tremendously."
In April 1995, Mr. Velez left La Estrella to take a job with Chicago-based Patrick Media Group. He became president of Clear Channel Outdoor Dallas Fort Worth after the media group was purchased by Clear Channel, his position when he died.
Mr. Velez's family moved to Keene from Elizabeth, N.J., in 1979. The Johnson County town is home to Southwest Adventist University and a large group of families with Puerto Rican heritage, many of whom are Seventh-day Adventists.
Velez-Ortiz said her brother was a voracious reader who especially loved history books. He attended Southwest Adventist before joining the Army at 19, serving in Panama during the late 1980s. After being discharged about three years later, he moved to Fort Worth and began working at the Star-Telegram, his family said.
Mr. Velez spent six years on the board of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and was serving his first term on the board of trustees of Texas Wesleyan University.
Mr. Velez also was a past member of the board of directors of Fort Worth-based Disabled Crime Victims Assistance Inc., an organization begun by Elizabeth Page, a high school friend of Mr. Velez's who was shot and paralyzed in 1988. Page said that Mr. Velez's early death will leave a void in the city he called home.
"He loved Fort Worth. He knew the politics of Fort Worth and he knew the demographics of Fort Worth," she said. "They're going to miss some leadership that was there and developing, growing stronger over time."
Other survivors include his parents, Bert and Hilda Velez; brothers, Robert Velez, Jorge Velez and Edilberto Velez; and sister Raquel Velez-Degroot.
|
|
|
About This Web Site
My name is Richard Wolfe. I lived at Houston Place Lofts in 2002 when Arnold first moved there.
We became the best of friends.
In late 2003, Arnold was considering running for the Fort Worth city council. He asked me if I would
take care of building a web site for him, and to register the Internet domain name www.arnoldvelez.com.
Like many things that were discussed at the far end of the bar at Rick O'Sheas
(then the Blarney Stone), Arnold's political campaign never came to be. He was unexpectedly
given a huge promotion at Clear Channel, and he knew that he would never have time for both
responsibilities. He dropped his plans for the city council campaign. But he told me sometime later,
"Hang on to that web site...we might need it for something later."
I doubt this is what he had in mind. But as Arnold used to say, "at the end of the day, it is what it is."
My main purpose in creating this web site was to make a place to preserve the many messages that were
posted on the Star-Telegram's web site. I have retrieved all the messages posted there and consolidated
them into a permanent guestbook, which includes the ability to upload photos. If you have any remembrances of Arnold,
please post them. If you have difficulty uploading a photo into the guestbook, please send it to me
via email: rwolfe@rwolfe.com.
To Arnold's family and wide circle of friends, my heart goes out to you. I am saddened beyond anything
that can possibly be expressed in words.
To Arnold, I miss you brother. Emily and I are both glad that we got a chance to tell you that we love
you. Your days here were much too short, and I'll never forget the time I got to spend with you.
Richard Wolfe
May 17, 2006
|
