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Serving Mission, Texas and Western Hidalgo County

Selection Standards For
Progress Times
Man of the Year and Woman of the Year

2007 Winners

Mission's most respected citizens honored

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Jim Brunson

Mission’s top citizens were honored Tuesday night as the annual citizens’ awards were presented at the Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce banquet.

Former Mission Mayor Pat Townsend Jr. was named Mr. Mission, and retired publisher and editor June K. Brann was honored as First Lady of Mission.

Selected as Man of the Year was County Commissioner Joe Flores, and Mission Police Department employee Jessica Ochoa was named Woman of the Year. Each was honored for years of civic or church service to the Mission community.

Mr. Mission

Townsend was honored for decades of service in various roles of leadership—including businessman, developer, mayor, city manager and economic development top executive.

He served on the Mission Chamber of Commerce board of directors six years and as Chamber President in 1983. He has been an active member of Mission Lions Club since 1978 and has held every office in the club, including president.

Townsend was selected as Mission’s Man of the Year in 1984 and served as Mayor of Mission from 1985-1992. He then served as Mission city manager from 1995-2001. In 2003, Townsend took on yet another leadership role in Mission–as President and CEO of Mission Economic Development Authority, the position he currently holds.

While serving in these various leadership roles, he has served on many different boards and committees. His nomination for the award succinctly understates his most outstanding characteristic, describing him as "Mission-minded."

After all the meetings and duties in these various leadership roles, this year’s Mr. Mission found the time to raise a successful family and to be very active in his church. Among other church duties, he served five years as bishop’s warden at St. Peter and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Mission. He has also participated in several medical missions to Honduras, helping to deliver medical care to those who are in tremendous need.

First Lady of Mission

After many years of refusing to be considered for the award, retired Progress Times publisher and editor June K. Brann was named First Lady of Mission by a selection committee comprised of previous recipients of this award.

When making the award presentation, J.B. Townsend, the 2006 First Lady of Mission, said, "Our 2007 First Lady of Mission did not seek the limelight; it fell upon her."

In the mid-1950s, Ms. Brann found herself a divorced mother of four small children, and life took her on a professional path far from what she had planned—driven by the need to feed and clothe her young family, even if it meant doing the unusual.

At one point, she was trained as a link instructor at Moore Air Base. Later, she opened and operated the first private employment agency in Hidalgo County. She also served as the public information officer with the Associated City/County Economic Development Corporation created to fight poverty in Hidalgo County during the years of the Johnson administration.

Her civic and church involvement has included Mission Rotary Club, Mission Civil Service Commission, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where she served as Sunday School teacher and youth leader.

She worked tenaciously as a board member for Mission Hospital, taking a turn as its chairman. Serving on that board a total of 20 years out of the last 21, she took a keen interest and active participation in its evolution to what we now see as Mission Regional Medical Center standing today at Bryan Road and Expressway 83. She retired from her service with the hospital in September of this year.

As publisher and editor of the Mission newspaper for 25 years, Brann earned a reputation as a hard-hitting journalist who told it the way she saw it. In doing so, she earned the respect of both friends and enemies.

In her presentation, J.B. Townsend spoke of Ms. Brann’s respected position in the community. "She is feared by a few, disliked by some, but revered by the rest. Whatever the public’s feelings, good, bad, or indifferent, no one ever had to wonder what her position was or is on a matter. If you missed seeing it in her eye, or hearing it face-to-face, you’d read it in print. But, overall, she always stood for what was right for Mission as a whole, for its future, and for its individual citizens. She personifies the true meaning of ‘First Lady of Mission.’"

Ms. Brann is best known for her investigative news writing and hard-hitting editorials and has received numerous state and national awards in writing, photography, and advertising. She worked previously for the Mission Times, Weslaco News, Associated Press, Houston Chronicle, KRIO and KURV radio, and KRGV-TV. She was owner, publisher, and editor of the Progress Times and Texas Agri-News, and co-owner, publisher and editor of the Winter Texan Times. She retired from the newspaper business in 2003.

Several years ago, a survey was conducted to identify the 10 most influential people in Hidalgo County. She was listed among that 10, which included the ranks of Congressman Kika de la Garza and Glen Roney, chairman of the board with Texas State Bank. She was the only woman on the list.

Today, she will say her most important achievement is her posterity, as a mother of four, grandmother of 20, and great-grandmother of 35, with two more on the way—at last count.

Man of the Year

County Commissioner Joe F. Flores was named 2007 Man of the Year. His strong leadership as county commissioner combined with his generosity in helping those less fortunate are the qualities that earned him this recognition.

Serving as Commissioner of Hidalgo County Precinct 3, Flores is responsible for the cities of Sullivan, La Joya, Penitas, Palmview, Palmhurst, Alton, Sharyland, Granjeno, Mission and part of McAllen. During his six-year tenure as commissioner—since 2001—he has worked to bring many miles of paved roads and other needed services to the rural county areas.

While Flores’ service as a public servant is more visible, it is his personal, one-on-one assistance to individuals in need that perhaps has had a more significant impact. Those close to this quiet man cite his willingness to assist those less fortunate with paying utility bills, funeral expenses and other needs. He has extended his generosity to provide homes for families that were homeless. He has been a generous benefactor to his church, and has assisted priests and nuns with support for their personal needs. Due to his generosity, he was honored by the Mission Boys & Girls Club with the MVP—Most Valuable Person award.

Woman of the Year

Jessica Ortega Ochoa received the 2007 Woman of the Year award as one who has distinguished herself among her peers as an advocate for those who are most vulnerable in the community. She is employed by Mission Police Department as Crime Victims Coordinator, and her actions reach beyond the duty of her profession as she uses her expertise to help her clients deal with difficult circumstances.

Her nomination states, "She has the passion of a true advocator and goes beyond the work of an agency. She…continues to see and deal with situations that many of us never wish to see or experience in our lives. To watch her on the job is like watching a master artist at work. It…takes a special human being to do the job of a Criminal Victims Coordinator."

Ortega holds a bachelor of arts degree in communications and journalism from the University of Texas-Pan American and a master’s of science in social work. She has also been a field instructor for UTPA Department of Social Work.

She is a member of the League of Women Voters, has served as historian with the Graduate Association of Social Workers, and has been a participant in Mission’s annual National Night Out for the last five years.

She has served as president and public relations officer for Silver Ribbon Community Partners, a non-profit organization for the elderly. In addition, she has been a member of the Texas Victim Service Organization, the Critical Incident Stress Management Crisis Intervention Group, the Hidalgo County Family Task Force, and the San Antonio Division of the FBI Citizens Academy.

She received the Meritorious Service Award from Mission Police Chief Leo Longoria. In conjunction with the Mission PD, she also helped create and chair a new organization, Support the Blue, which helps police department personnel with personal needs from counseling to money.

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• To be recognized for superior service either for a significant project or continuing broad service to the community in the past two to ten years. This may be for work with one organization or in several different areas or organizations. The combined duration of service should span no less than two years.

• May be for work in civic, church, or community groups, or may be for exceptional professional or vocational performance if these labors had significant impact on the citizens of Mission.

• Must be a resident of Mission or work in Mission.

• Service will be measured in terms of its impact on the entire community as a whole as well as to the particular organization.

Click here to view the Awards Form

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