The Last Marine Reaches Safety
Juan Jose Valdez of San Antonio was the final Marine to get out of Saigon on April 30, 1975. He almost didn’t make it.
Master Gunnery Sgt. Valdez, who had helped evacuate thousands, was thrown off balance and fell on the rear boarding ramp as the final helicopter lifted off during the fall of the South Vietnamese capital.
“I looked at the back of the helicopter door, and I noticed two hands hanging there,” said Staff Sgt. Mike Sullivan, already onboard. Valdez was grabbed and pulled to safety.
Valdez later worked as a civilian employee on a Marine Corps base. He died February 15 at his home in Tucson, Arizona. He was 88.
Armel Keeran
Courtesy Texas Coastal Bend Collection
Bullish on Brahmans
Armel Keeran became interested in Brahman cattle as a child on her father’s ranch. After college she moved back to the ranch and became a passionate advocate for the humpbacked cattle.
Keeran, born 125 years ago this month in San Antonio, on November 15, 1901, became the first woman to raise the breed and had the largest Brahman herd in the U.S. at the time.
Historic White House Welcome
Etta Moten Barnett, an actress and singer from Weimar, performed at the White House at the invitation of President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 31, 1934.
November 5 marks the 125th anniversary of Barnett’s birth.
A Thirsty Planet
So this happened in November 2025. A South Texas horse named Peanut became the first in the world to drink water pulled directly from the air—the result of technology developed by Genesis Systems. The Florida company hopes its products can help address the world’s dwindling fresh water supply.
A Penny for Our Thoughts
The U.S. minted the last penny in November 2025. What does that mean to you? Same as the penny—not much.
Pennies had a good run—232 years. But at a production cost of 3.7 cents each, they no longer make any sense. (Get it?)
Actually, here’s what pennies could mean to Texans. There are 300 billion in circulation. If all of them could be divided among the 32 million Texans, we’d each get to add $93.75 to our piggy banks.
A final note: Some pennies hold great value. A 1943-D Lincoln Bronze Wheat penny is worth $2.3 million in mint condition. Now check under those couch cushions.
A Seabed Secret
University of Texas scientists have discovered bones in a West Texas mountain range from the first known Jurassic vertebrate in the state. They came from a plesiosaur, a marine reptile that lived 150 million years ago.
