FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 16, 2021
NAHJ Mourns the Passing of Arnold García, Longtime Austin American-Statesman Editorial Page Editor and Pioneer for Latinos in Journalism
WASHINGTON, DC – Arnold García, a managing editor and longtime editorial page editor at the Austin American-Statesman, passed away on August 12, at the age of 73. He is survived by his son Teodoro García, his daughter Jennifer G. Jetton, his sister Rebecca Torres, and his 91-year-old mother, Bertha García.
Born on February 25, 1948, Arnold García grew up in San Angelo, Texas. Grandson to Mexican immigrants, García served in the U.S Army from 1969 to 1971, leaving as a sergeant. In 1980 he joined the National Guard and became a captain. His son, Teodoro, serves in the military currently.
Beginning his journalism career as a police reporter for the San Angelo Standard Times, García soon found his way to the Austin American-Statesman, a major daily newspaper in Austin, Texas.
García spent 22 years of his time at the Statesman serving as the editorial page editor. When he retired in 2013, he was the longest-serving editorial page editor in Texas and was one of only a handful of Hispanic editorial page editors in the country.
Throughout his career, García earned a reputation for inclusive storytelling and advocacy.
“Arnold fought as hard for African Americans as he did for Hispanics and as he did for working-class people.” said Mack Martinez, Arnold’s longtime friend.
Garcia successfully campaigned to have the new county courthouse named for Heman Sweatt, a black civil rights activist who challenged Jim Crow-era laws, including the “separate but equal” doctrine in Sweatt v. Painter. Thurgood Marshall tried the lawsuit in Austin.
Known for his grasp of the ins-and-outs of Travis County, García gathered information from judges, lawyers, government officials and felons alike – in addition to small businesses and the Latino community at large. From convicts to CEOs, he knew things about everyone because he genuinely wanted to learn their stories.
Arnold’s drive served to inspire numerous journalists of color, in addition to the advice and counsel he offered throughout his noteworthy career. He will be remembered both for his journalistic excellence and his role as a pioneer for the Latino journalism community.
NAHJ offers its deepest condolences to Arnold’s family, friends and colleagues at the Austin American-Statesman.
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About the NAHJ
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is the largest organization of Latino journalists in the United States and dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. The mission of NAHJ is to increase the number of Latinos in the newsrooms and to work toward fair and accurate representation of Latinos in the news media. Established in April 1984, NAHJ created a national voice and unified vision for all Hispanic journalists. NAHJ has over 4,000 members, including working journalists, journalism students, other media-related professionals, and journalism educators. For more information please visit NAHJ.org or follow on Twitter @NAHJ.
Media Contact:
BA Snyder
Veritas Group for NAHJ
512.630.6337
BA@TheVeritasWay.com