Ricardo Garza

Galindo is a neighborhood where interesting people do fascinating things. Ricardo Garza personifies this vibe. He’s a Galindo original and award-winning producer of Austin-based television programs focused on edifying the American Hispanic community.

I walked to his house for our interview and thought “how cool” as I peered down his street and saw a tunnel formed under a canopy of ancient oak trees. Then I saw him; a white-haired man, busily working in his front yard, amid sunlight beams piercing through the trees. After greetings and introductions, he pointed to some cut tree branches and said, “hey, can you move these to the side?” “Ahh… sure” I responded as I bent down to pick up a big branch as he cautioned, “don’t hurt your back!” Suddenly I was part of his Galindo story and it didn’t take long to sense his candor, openness and neighborliness. I had prepared interview questions but as we took a seat, I wanted to tear them up and ask new ones!

First, I must ask you about these trees in your neighborhood!

Well, I’ve been told this area used to be like a jungle. There must have been so many oak trees that they decided to name my street Oak Crest Avenue instead of Fourth Street. When you think about it, it should have been called Fourth Street [1].

Our love for these trees, which are Heritage Live Oaks, brings continuous responsibility. They grow into your house and can get sick. Back in the 1990s the neighborhood was very nervous when Oak Wilt was killing trees in the Travis Heights area. Also, as you just witnessed, I must constantly trim these trees away from my house.

I remember first meeting you and your dog at South Austin Park about a year ago. Do you use the park allot and what are your thoughts about it?

Now that I’m retired, I visit the park allot to take my dog Mia for walks. Oh, and this is kind of funny…. I even did Tai-Chi in the park during Covid.  The park is so much nicer after its transformation around five years ago when the walking paths were added. Before that, it was so ugly and unsafe at night. It has been a game changer for the neighborhood, and it keeps getting better; a year ago about 70 new trees were planted by volunteers from Advanced Micro Devices who worked with Austin’s Park & Recreation Department. This came after the addition of nice limestone seats at the northern park entrances. I also love the South Austin Recreation Center; it’s a jewel that most people don’t know about. Many years ago, I sent my daughter there for after school activities where chaperones taught them crafts, dancing, and karate. The kids were mesmerized and it only cost about $20 per month!

Tell me about your TV production career.

I moved to Austin in 1974 as a UT undergraduate majoring in Radio-Television-Film. Prior to that I joined the army as a volunteer and served two tours in Vietnam which gave me tuition benefits under the GI Bill. After graduating in 1976, I got my first professional job as Production Assistant with the Carrascolendas children’s program which was locally produced at the KLRU Austin PBS studio on the north edge of the UT campus. It was the first nationally broadcasted Spanish/English bi-lingual children’s series airing from 1970 to 1976. I loved this job because I deeply believed in its mission of using TV to help Hispanic American children learn English while nurturing their cultural heritage. I experienced this firsthand as a boy when I learned English by watching TV and felt the social pressure Hispanic children experience in America. Carrascolendas was also Austin’s first nationally broadcasted media production which helped pave the way for PBS’s Austin City Limits four years later and established Austin as an exporter of its art and culture. Sadly, Carrascolendas’s production was stopped in 1977 due to government funding cuts but, fortunately, it’s episodes can still be found on YouTube by searching “Carrascolendas.”

Luckily, I landed on my feet after Carroscolendas when I was offered a media production job with the Mexican government in Monterrey. They wanted to produce shows for Mexican children. It paid more than twice what I had previously made—better yet, I met my wife there! After five years we moved back to Austin and I took a job with Austin Community Television (ACTV), an active public access service that enabled “freer” speech by covering news and information that the major networks didn’t cover. I created my own community TV program called Cotorreando which means “shooting the breeze.” It aired weekly and we spoke in Spanish, covering topics of interest to the Hispanic community. I interviewed a variety of people ranging from Austin’s first Hispanic Councilman John Trevino who, as a boy, was scared to publicly speak Spanish and even eat tacos, to Paul Hernandez who was an East Austin resident and was beaten in 1983 by APD police for defending his girlfriend while she was peacefully protesting against a KKK march on Congress Avenue. These programs (laughing) were done live with no re-dos and on a low budget.

The year 1993 was significant for me, I returned to KLRU-PBS but this time as Production Manager and Unit Manager of the Austin City Limits TV show. I was also elected President of the Austin Chapter’s International Television Association where I helped navigate the association through rapid technology changes within the industry [2]. During my time at KLRU, I continued to produce and broadcast Cotorreando weekly on ACTV. When I think back, I’m amazed how I had the energy to do all that simultaneously. In 2000 I decided to join AT&T as an Advanced Data Technology Representative. In this position, I helped consumers on board into the new era of smartphones. I worked there for sixteen years and retired.

What originally brought you to Galindo and how has it changed?

I moved to my home in Galindo in 1988 to be closer to my ACTV office at the Dougherty Arts Center on Barton Springs Road. This house means allot to me – it’s where I raised my family, took care of my mother, and enjoyed South Austin’s social climate. Back in the 1980s we simply called this neighborhood “South Austin”, we didn’t think about neighborhood associations like Galindo, Bouldin Creek or Dawson. South Austin’s vibe was like the Latin Quarters in Paris, yet with its own unique and artsy “live and let live” atmosphere that attracted artists and enthusiasts from all over the world. In fact, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin lived near me for a while in a house close to Oltorf. I think Austin’s music culture attracted him. My daughter met him while she worked the counter at Rent-A-Center. She recalled seeing a man getting out of old car and thinking he looked familiar… maybe like the lead singer of Led Zeppelin? But then she thought “no that can’t be him, one of the greatest rock stars in the world, wouldn’t be driving that car… would he?” When she asked for his driver’s license to fill out paperwork, it read Robert Plant!

What are your hobbies?

I’m pretty busy taking care of Mia, a Great Pyranese/Lab, and my cat Tigo. I regularly do Tai Chi—it has resolved a lot of the pain I had throughout my body and even avoided potential shoulder surgery. I recommend everybody investigate starting this as early as possible if they have discomfort. I also like cooking and have just finished making pickled ginger from scratch, it was a pain! I like to crochet one-of-a-kind items and either give them away or sell them.

Thank you Ricardo for everything you’ve done for Galindo, Austin, and beyond!

Editor’s Notes:
[1] The east to west street sequence in his neighborhood is First St, Second St, Third St., Oak Crest Ave., and Fourth St.

[2] Ricardo received several awards for his Cotorreando program— The City of Austin, The Austin Community Access Center, and The Spanish-Language Community Theater.