Coach Hector Luna of the Juarez-Lincoln Elementary Squadron Basketball Team leads the team in a cheer that honors the school's late custodian, Benjamin Valdez
Benjamin Valdez, the late custodian at Juarez-Lincoln Elementary in Rio Bravo. He cheered the team on and made sure the gym was spotless for his campeones.
Undefeated this season, the Squadron second-grade basketball team from Rio Bravo plays with guts and heart. The boys - and one girl - from Juarez-Lincoln Elementary execute a mean defense, sink baskets and dribble with precision.
They also honor the school’s late custodian, Benjamin Valdez, by yelling his name three times before their games at the Northwest Boys & Girls Club on Old Santa Maria, where families and friends pack the stands. Valdez, attached to his “campeones (champions),” ensured the school had a spotless gym. He watched them practice and told co-workers, “These kids are going to go far.”
The school suffered a blow when Valdez went home on Friday, Feb. 21 after work and never returned. The 73-year-old died suddenly on Sunday, Feb. 23 due to cardiac arrest. Students and staff were shocked. The bewildered basketball players cried, asking why, why, why?
It’s a tough question, no matter the age. The school family, relatives and coaches became part of the support system that the team needed. And the team dedicated their season to Valdez.
Squadron Coach Hector Luna and his fellow coach and wife, Leah Luna, a Special Education teacher at Juarez-Lincoln, have volunteered to coach the second-grade basketball team for about 10 years. Hector Luna said they give the students the best training because they have a lot to accomplish.
“People can’t believe they are from Rio Bravo and that they can play like that. It was a big eye-opener for those that they were playing against,” Hector Luna said. “I would tell Mr. Valdez that people don’t expect much from them so we have to practice a lot so we can show them. He would get a big smile on his face and he would say, ‘Eso, coach! They can do anything’.”
And while people love to see the team win, they don’t see the work, Hector Luna said. “He got to see the work. He saw all the practices. He loved to watch them play,” he added.
And when you see the kids play with fierce determination, it’s easy to see why Valdez thought so highly of them. And the students adored him in return.
The children would run to hug him and surprise him with chocolates, cookies and popsicles. “Look at what my kids brought me,” a smiling Valdez would tell his co-workers.
Dianabel Delgado, a fellow custodian who worked with Valdez for close to three years at Juarez-Lincoln Elementary, showed up at a recent game and wiped her tears away as she described him as a wonderful man who always had a smile. He was protective of the students. He said they were his motivation.
When Valdez passed away, the school swung into action. Juarez-Lincoln Principal Roberto Ortiz said the school raised $1,168 for the family. The generosity from the staff of 84 workers stood out.
“We were shocked at the loss,” Ortiz said. “He was here that Friday in his usual good mood and positive attitude. And Sunday, he was gone. It was a blow to our JLE Family. He had a connection with a lot of folks here, but he had a special one with our second-grade Squadron basketball team. They are getting his initials embroidered on their jerseys.”
The school has a collage in the main hallway dedicated to his memory. His daughter-in-law also works at the school as a custodian. Valdez helped bring her on board when Juarez-Lincoln was in dire need of one, said Ortiz. And Valdez’s wife works as a custodian at San Isidro Elementary School.
Delgado said she had noticed that he had been tired recently and she asked him why he didn’t retire.
“If I retire, mija, everything would end for me. They are my drive to continue here, firmly in the school … to continue hearing their laughter and antics,” Delgado recalled him saying.
“We will miss him,” she said.
Fellow Coach Leah Luna, a Special Education teacher at Juarez-Lincoln Elementary and wife to Hector Luna, on the bench with the team members.
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