salcido6
Pablo
Salcido, age 52, passed away after fighting cancer for nearly 10 months. Pablo,
called Paul in his youth, grew up in a loving, faithful home in Buena Vista the
9th of 11 children. Pablo a highly intelligent, well-educated, extremely
self-motivated person loved music, sports, democracy, art, nature and his large
and wonderful family. He attended E. B. Jones Elementary and El Paso High
School, where he was student body president. In high school he played
quarterback; at halftime, he played trumpet in the marching band. Pablo's
passion was community service. However, his idea of community extended far
beyond El Paso and the United States; it included the whole world. His high
energy style, broad perspectives, and belief that one person could change the
world became part of him after he graduated from Austin College with countless
friends and his Chi Delta Eta fraternity brothers. In 1987, he was awarded the
Austin College Graduate of the Decade key recognition. He joined the Peace Corp
and was sent to Honduras where thousands of special needs children and
hurricane victims' lives were touched by his volunteer efforts. After receiving
his Masters degree from the University Of Texas LBJ School Of Public Affairs,
Pablo became part of Mayor Henry Cisneros' dynamic San Antonio City Government.
He was part of the economic development team that enticed Sea World to Central
Texas. This experience in San Antonio and being a native of El Paso made him
the obvious choice for Mayor Jonathan Rogers and the City Council to appoint
Pablo to be the first Economic Development Director. He worked on international
marketing campaigns to attract numerous companies to the area. Moreover, he
introduced major incentives and key economic development tools still being used
today. Pablo's dedication to international service and understanding of
municipal government took him back to Honduras on two additional tours with his
family. As the Director for International City Management Associates, he was
responsible for projects in Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. The objective
of the program was to help these countries develop state and local governments
and instill stable democracy throughout Central America. Later in more advanced
positions in Ecuador and Guyana, Pablo served municipalities advising them
regarding financial management systems, rule of law, court management systems,
and establishing a national bar association. In his native El Paso, Pablo took
many highly visible and challenging jobs that gave him the opportunity to serve
the community. He was the General Manager for Spanish Language Univision
KINT-TV where he made many friends and considerably increased their market
share. As project manager and plant manager for EDM in Juarez, he set up and
ran a maquiladora plant with 500 employees in Monterrey, Mexico. Pablo, with a
strong desire to help his hometown community, came back with his family to be
the President and CEO of the City of El Paso Housing Authority in February
2006. He tirelessly worked on the day-to-day management of 6000 units with
36,000 residents. His goal was to help people to empower themselves. Pablo took
the opportunity to serve a larger regional community in 2007 when he became the
president and CEO of the regional Paso Del Norte Group consisting of members
from El Paso, Juarez, Chihuahua and Las Cruces. He worked to unite business
leaders, politicians, and community leaders from all over the region to focus
on common community service projects. Pablo's record of service and unique
talents was recognized and valued by Tigua, Incorporated and they put him at
their helm to guide them get in their business enterprises in June 2008.
Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with cancer shortly after starting to make a
difference in their operations as their president and CEO. Pablo wanted it
known how kind, generous and thoughtful everyone at Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo,
Tigua Incorporated was to him during his illness over the last many months. His
family will be eternally grateful to them. Pablo will be remembered for his
energy, integrity, and his passion for community service by people all over the
world. His travels took him to Europe, Russia, Central Asia, Mexico, and
Central and South America. Pablo's friends and family will remember him for his
love of music, his contagious laughter, his gleaming smiles and most of all,
his sincere, bone-crushing, and loving abrazos. He is survived by his loving
wife Cheryl, and his adoring children Jordan, Briana, and Alyssa. He is also
survived by his brothers Ruben, Juan, Benny and Raul and his sisters Carmen
Pierce, Noemi Garber, Becky Reyna and Anna Salom. In addition, he is survived
by 69 nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his father Jose Salcido,
Sr., his mother Sarah Salcido, his brother Jose Salcido, Jr., and his sister
Sarah Jordan. In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate memorial
contributions be made to The Cheryl and Pablo Salcido Fund for general
charitable purposes of the El Paso Community Foundation, PO Box 272,
79943-0272. At a later time, a distribution of funds will be made to the Tigua
Indians and to the Centro Vida Church and St. Marks Methodist Church.
Visitation will held on Monday April 20, 2009 from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at Martin
Funeral Home West. The Celebration of life service will be held on Tuesday,
April 21, 2009 at 9:00 AM at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, 5005 Love
Road, El Paso, Tx 79912. Services entrusted to Martin Funeral Home West, 128 N.
Resler Dr., El Paso, TX 79912
Published in El Paso Times from 4/19 to 4/21/2009