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August 20, 2007
NAHJ Mourns the Passing of John Gutierrez-Mier
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists mourns the passing of John Gutierrez-Mier, who died Friday after undergoing heart surgery earlier in the month. He was 43.
A longtime member of NAHJ and mentor to many, Gutierrez-Mier worked at the San Antonio Express News, The ( Wilmington, Del.) News-Journal and the El Paso Herald-Post. Since 2002, Gutierrez-Mier had been a reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram where he covered minority affairs, homelessness and poverty issues. In 2004, he and reporter Karen Brooks won second place in the Houston Press Club's Lone Star Awards for stories about the deaths of a group of undocumented workers.
He was a past vice president of the Dallas/Fort Worth Network of Hispanic Communicators and served on the planning committee for the 2005 NAHJ Convention in Fort Worth. NAHJ expresses its deepest sympathies to his family and many friends throughout Texas and across the country.
“He enjoyed going to the NAHJ conventions. He had so many friends across the country, and he always saw them at the conventions. He wasn't able to go to the Fort Lauderdale and San Jose conventions because of his health… He will definitely be missed. NAHJ has lost a good friend," said Gary Piña, NAHJ’s General At-Large Officer.
Gutierrez-Mier was born with a congenital heart defect and had surgery in early August to repair a heart valve. He was on the waiting list for a heart transplant. Friends and colleagues knew of his condition and in recent months offered much support during a time when Gutierrez-Mier was not always optimistic.
“John did worry about the transplant and the surgery that he had two weeks ago and he knew the procedure was risky,” said Cynthia Leonor Garza, a longtime friend of Gutierrez-Mier. “In the past few months, John was very candid about the fact that he might not make it and really went out of his way to tell people how appreciative he was for their friendship.”
Garza, who now works as a reporter at the Houston Chronicle, said she’ll remember Gutierrez-Mier’s giving spirit.
“He genuinely cared about improving the lives of the people he wrote about. He was a mentor -- smart, friendly and funny -- who went out of his way to help and encourage so many young journalists over the years…. He believed in the programs and in the importance of Latino journalists connecting with each other,” Garza said.
Former NAHJ President Nancy Baca met Gutierrez-Mier in the early 1990s at an NAHJ convention. "I was instantly drawn to his sense of humor and he became someone who could always make me laugh," Baca said. She said that he stepped in as a back-up performer for Michael Quintanilla's popular workshop called Confessions of a Former Disco Maniac and that Gutierrez-Mier was adept at handing out nicknames. To this day, Baca said a lot of people call former NAHJ board member Nora Lopez, La Beauty thanks to him. "He knew how to mix the serious work of producing a convention while having a great time," Baca said.
The funeral will be held at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 24 at Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church in El Paso. I n lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to: The Living Gift at MCD, Medical City Dallas, 7777 Forest Lane, Suite 750, Dallas, 75230. A Celebration of Life memorial service will be held on October 27. The location has not been determined.
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