OBITUARY
Carlos A. Mendez Jr., 57, of Arlington, died tragically on Nov. 7 after being struck by a large vehicle during his morning run on Oct. 27, according to family friends.
He is survived by his wife, Cynthia (Cindy), and sons Samuel and Luke.
After beginning his career in San Angelo, Mendez went on to cover sports for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for almost two decades, writing about major league baseball, NASCAR, TCU athletics, and NFL football.
Mendez was born April 17, 1968, and raised in San Angelo, where he began developing his writing talents in middle school, benefitting from the excellent journalism program in Lake View schools.
As he moved through high school, he received several UIL awards for his work, which earned him an internship during his sophomore year through a program with Angelo State University.
Just ahead of graduation, he was recognized in the Lake View Honor Roll for music, UIL news writing and his work on the school newspaper, in addition to being listed as a recipient of a Carr Scholarship, and receiving the Standard-Times American Newspaper Publishers Association Award, presented to him by columnist Jack Cowan.
Mendez couldn’t wait to get his feet wet, and began his career just out of high school, with a part-time job at the newspaper, where he quickly gravitated over to Sports.
Mike Lee had been named assistant sports editor in February of that year, and said Carlos stood out quickly as a can-do person.
“Carlos was a quiet guy, which is kind of unusual for sportswriters; they tend to be pretty loud,” Lee recalled, “But he was always one of those quiet types that just went about his business.
“He had a kind of dry sense of humor, and was famous for his deadpan looks when something funny would happen.
“Carlos was never one to make a fuss about what he was working on…
“I remember one year, for the Angelo Football Clinic, it was the first year some coaches came from Mexico, and I was thinking ‘Man, that would be a good story.’
“Well, Carlos was the only one who could do that story, because he was the only one that spoke Spanish… anyway, I remember that he went out there and did the story, and it turned out great; and he did it without any fanfare. He was like that.
“He was never one to brag on himself in any way, or anything. He’s always been a very humble, modest guy, and you just couldn’t ask for a better team member.”
Lee cited Mendez’ easy-going nature as a key ingredient to the excellent, if somewhat raucous, work atmosphere that crew became famous for.
“You know, the comradery just couldn’t have been any better,” he said, “Not everybody was best friends, but everybody respected everybody else’s talent, and what they brought to the table, and we all looked out for one another.”
During this era, the Standard-Times had the largest sports staff at any point in its history, with four full-time and seven part-time writers, covering beats throughout an area the size of Ohio.
Lee said he was blessed, as a sports editor, to have such a talented group available locally.
“Our part-timers weren’t just taking calls,” he said, “They were good enough to be given a lot more responsibilities than just answering the phone.”
Schuyler Dixon has been covering sports for the Associated Press in Dallas for 20 years, and first worked with Mendez in 1989, when he joined the San Angelo sports staff, and the two remained friends throughout the years.
He recalled the day Carlos gave him a nickname.
“I was covering Central High back in 1991, when Shea Morenz was the number-one prospect in the nation, and we were getting calls all the time about him, and one day —
“I think it was a reporter from Houston…
“Anyway, you know my name has been mispronounced and misspelled for all of time, and the pronunciations are all over the map: Shoe-ler, Shy-ler — you name it.
“But, This reporter called — and I don’t know where he came up with this — but he asked for ‘Carter’ Dixon, and I don’t think Carlos ever called me Schuyler again. He only called me Carter from that day forward.”
He said he was glad he got to work with Mendez more than once.
“It was fun; we were around together in West Texas high school football, in the old days, and then however many years later, there we both were, covering the Cowboys.”
Dixon said nobody who knew Carlos was surprised by his rise through the business.
“We always felt like he was the best feature writer we had,” Dixon said. “That was his bread & butter … interviewing people was his strength, and his career really blossomed.
“I was always struck by how kind and caring he was. Just kind and gentle and fun, and a great guy to be around. That’s why everybody loved him,” he said.
Chris Gove, who has been with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for seven years, is another graduate of Lake View who started at the paper several years after Mendez.
“He was always a big help,” Gove remembered, “Several of us were part-timers, and he was somebody who’d done things that we all wanted to be doing, and he just knew how to always be helping … doing all the little things that helped make the product as good as it was.
“He was somebody who was always willing to help, and did with an attitude that made you smile and laugh all the time.
“You would read his stories, and it would make you want to be that good.
“Obviously, he was a talented writer, and a good reporter, but what I remember the most is that he was definitely somebody you wanted to be at work with.”
“Half the time you couldn’t tell if he was being serious or just messing with you. He was a really funny guy.”
Gove recalled that while the work could be stressful, it was usually fun too, and the comradery was, in part, based on the competitive nature of the sports staff.
“We had a lot of good times, but we were so competitive, as a group; with each other, and with all the other newspapers and media, and we all wanted to be doing big things, and we all wanted to be doing them well.”
As he recalled, they delighted in scooping the competition, and in one-upping one another with big stories.
He noted that most of the members of that staff have gone on to distinguished careers, with dozens of awards between them.
Long-time colleague Charles Bryce, now serving as sports director at KLST-TV, had this to say:
“I worked with Carlos Mendez at the Standard-Times forever, and they don’t make ’em better than Carlos. He’s one of a kind, and everyone loved him. He always had a smile on his face.
“I don’t ever remember him having a bad day — unlike most of us — and if anybody was having a bad day, nobody could cheer them up faster than Carlos.
“I learned so much from him about the business of journalism; the coaches and athletes who he dealt with loved him and the readers appreciated him.
“I was so proud of him when he went to the Star-Telegram and did even bigger things, covering The Dallas Cowboys, and NASCAR, and all kinds of pro events…
“He will be missed, and he leaves behind a great legacy. I’m devastated to be losing a brother, and my heart and my prayers go out to his family.”
Venturing beyond San Angelo, Mendez took a job in Fort Worth where he spent 19 years reporting, beginning with coverage of Metroplex high school powerhouses like Euless Trinity, Fort Worth Dunbar and Arlington Martin, before moving on to follow three seasons with The Texas Rangers, 10 seasons of NASCAR, a dozen years covering the Dallas Cowboys and four years on TCU athletics.
Mendez was a Heisman Trophy voter, and covered Super Bowl XLV, three MLB playoff series and dozens of high school state championships among his countless assignments.
Visitation and rosary services for Mendez are set to begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10 at Wade Funeral Home in Arlington, 4140 W. Pioneer Pkwy.
A funeral service will take place at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Crosspoint Church of Christ, 3020 Bardin Road, Grand Prairie.
