Monday, Oct. 18, 2010 | 2 a.m.
Escobedo
Eddie Escobedo was, if nothing else, driven in everything he attempted, and that trait showed when a neighbor challenged him to a bowling match. The neighbor didn’t know that Escobedo had managed a bowling alley in El Paso, Texas.
“My dad beat him clean,” Eddie Escobedo Jr. said.
Next, the neighbor challenged Escobedo to a game of billiards. Escobedo beat him at that, too. “My dad was also a pool hustler,” the younger Escobedo said.
When the neighbor suggested a game of golf, Escobedo must have swallowed hard. He didn’t know the game and, sure enough, his neighbor got the better of him.
“So my dad practiced every day for two weeks to learn the game and then asked the neighbor for a rematch,” the younger Escobedo said. “Dad went out and cleaned his clock.”
That kind of drive was evident, too, in decidedly more important facets of Escobedo’s life — and he proved equally successful.
As a businessman, promoter, philanthropist, community activist and publisher of the Spanish-language El Mundo newspaper, Escobedo was instrumental in organizing and advocating on behalf of the Hispanic community.
“My dad said that only in America can you accomplish whatever you set your mind to do,” the younger Escobedo said. “And he did.”
Edmundo “Eddie” Escobedo died Friday of pancreatic cancer with his family at his side. He was 77.
A communitywide celebration of his life is being planned for this week, the family said.
Escobedo began organizing the Hispanic community when there were only about 60,000 residents in the Las Vegas Valley, creating a social and political infrastructure.
“The Hispanic population was scarce, and he was one of the pioneers who cleared many obstacles for the Hispanics who later arrived in Southern Nevada,” said Mariano Lemus Gas, the Mexican consul in Nevada. “He also was a political activist who strived to promote and encourage the Hispanic vote at the polls.”
Escobedo was born in Juarez, Mexico in 1932, crossed the border as a teenager and enlisted in the Air Force with the goal of earning U.S. citizenship.
His first — and last — assignments were at Nellis Air Force Base, where among other duties he packed parachutes for the Thunderbirds performance flying team. By night, he worked as a bar back at the Dunes.
After a long run as a bartender at the Sahara Hotel, Escobedo turned serious businessman: operating a Spanish-language movie theater, co-owning a Spanish-language radio station and investing in real estate, including developing Escobedo Professional Plaza.
He is best known, however, as publisher of El Mundo, which he founded in 1980 with the help of Sun founder and Publisher Hank Greenspun. Through his engaging and incisive columns, he became a strong voice for Hispanics and promoted cultural engagement between the Spanish- and non-Spanish speaking communities through such events as Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
Two years ago, a middle school was named for him, honoring his contributions to Southern Nevada.
“Eddie Escobedo lived the American dream. He never let go of his belief that through hard work and creativity, a person could succeed and help his family and friends,” said Brian Greenspun, publisher and editor of the Sun. “He has been a great friend to Las Vegas. His family, I am sure, will carry on his legacy, which is to make Las Vegas a place where families can thrive and prosper.”
Escobedo is survived by his wife of 50 years, Dona Maria Escobedo; three sons, Eddie Jr., Nicolas and Victor; a daughter, Hilda; and 10 grandchildren.
Francisco Alejandre is an El Mundo staff writer. Ed Koch is a retired Sun obituary writer.
