An interview with Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp on the day he announces his retirement

Rio Grande Guardian's Podcast

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - On the day he announced his retirement as chancellor of Texas A&M University - effective a year from now - John Sharp was happy to recall his love for South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.

In an audio interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Sharp recalled that back when he was running for office and he was in a bad mood, his secretary would change his schedule for the day and send him to South Texas.

Asked why South Texas is so special for him, Sharp, who was born and raised in Victoria, said: “I don’t know what it is about the Valley and South Texas. But you're exactly right. I'll tell you this story that nobody knows except my secretary at the time. But when I was running for office, and I've had been in a bad mood or whatever it is… you know, I'd be pissed off at the world or whatever, my secretary would automatically cancel whatever I had on the rest of my agenda and send me to South Texas. I’d go down to McAllen or Weslaco or Brownsville or go to Laredo… and it's just the warmth of the people in South Texas that just makes me love the place.”

Sharp said the region reminds him of his days in elementary school.

“It's a special place. It reminds me of the elementary school I grew up in. Lots of, you know, majority Hispanic students and stuff like that. Just good folks that were always warm to be around. I don't know how to explain it. I just love the place and I love people down there and I wanted to do something in that neck of the woods and I'm proud we did.”

Among the things he has done for the Valley are open a higher education campus in McAllen, start a workforce training program at the Port of Brownsville, start the Healthy South Texas Initiative, continue to support the Promotoras program in colonias along the border, and appoint Manny Vela as chief operating officer of the McAllen facility.

Asked about the Healthy South Texas program, Sharp said he knew from the very beginning it would make a positive impact.

“So, the first meeting we had, if you remember, we had a meeting in a Brownsville civic center. And we had it in a little room. We put out invitations but not too many. I mean, we just ran some stuff in the in the papers and a radio station saying, hey, if you want to know if you're pregnant, or you're going to be pregnant, and you want to know how to take care of your unborn child come here. Doctors and folks are going to be here to talk to you,” Sharp said.

“And Lord Have Mercy. I think it started at 9 or something and at 7 o’clock in the morning there must have been 500 people, maybe 1,000 in line waiting to get in. I'm going Holy crap. There were thousands of people that came in there and that's when I knew that there was a need for Healthy South Texas.”

Asked about its impact, Sharp said it is hard to measure but he knows it connects with many people.

“I think that it's made a big difference with a lot of people. People that have diabetes, to prevent diabetes. And to educate folks. I mean, we have a lot of people that don't have personal physicians. And so, they depend on the emergency room and it’s only when somebody gets sick… so they don't get that kind of advice.”
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