Manuel C. FloresCuentos Tejanos: Intriguing and Historical Tales of the Wild Horse Desert
Dr. Manuel C. Flores, Jr. is a 9th generation Tejano with his lineage going back to the early 1700s in Texas when his family arrived with Spanish soldiers were stationed in the garrison or fort named La Bahia, near present-day Goliad. Born in Laredo, Texas, he grew up in Hebbronville in the heart of the South Texas Brush Country, attended Little Flower (Catholic) School through the 8th grade, and graduated from Hebbronville High School. He attended Texas A&M University in Kingsville, Texas, from where he earned bachelor's degrees in journalism, education, and political science. He attended North Texas State University for graduate school majoring in Political Science. He attained a master's degree from Texas A&M University-Kingsville and doctorate in public relations and education from the combined doctoral programs at Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He is an award-winning journalist working as sports editor for the Irving Daily News and a correspondent for several Dallas area newspapers. He was an award-winning sports columnist and reporter for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. During his career, he was an NFL beat writer covering the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers and many of the pro football playoff games, including the Super Bowl. At the Caller-Times, he was a Major League Baseball beat reporter covering the Houston Astros and their playoff games. He turned to education and geopolitical science at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, then took over the journalism program where he was an advisor for the college's prestigious student newspaper, The Forhorn. After 15 years at Del Mar, he took a job as a professor of journalism at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. There he was the adviser for the university's award-winning student newspaper, The South Texan, and the highly successful American Advertising Federation team. As a full professor, he was chair of the Art, Communications, and Theatre Department before becoming a full-time professor in journalism and communications. He has many civic activities, including serving as president of the Corpus Christi Independent School District, and Mexican American School Board Association of Texas, and the Texas Community College Journalism Association. He retired as a captain from the Texas Army National Guard after 12 years of service to our country.
