<

Temporary Guestbook
Comments here will be transported once Guestbook is online.

Please share your memories on

John Gutiérrez-Mier

Writer worked to bridge gaps between cultures
The Star-Telegram reporter covered minority affairs and poverty issues.
written by Mike Lee - Star-Telegram

A week ago, John Gutierrez-Mier checked out of Medical City Hospital in Dallas after heart surgery. He moved into a hotel near the hospital where medical students, some of them Muslim, live. Mr. Mier greeted them in Arabic, which he had picked up while writing news reports about Islam after 9-11: “As-salaam alaikum.” It was a moment, his friends said Saturday, that illustrated two important parts of his life. He spent a career in the newspaper business trying to bridge gaps between cultures and races. And he lived with health problems that had followed him since childhood and ultimately cut his life short. Mr. Mier, a Star-Telegram reporter since 2002, died Friday. He was 43. “John worked hard to connect with the communities he covered,” Managing Editor Rex Seline said. “He liked to tell stories about real people and real lives. He had had health problems, and we had hoped he was getting better. This turn of events is shocking and sad.” Mr. Mier, who was born on Nov. 28, 1963, grew up in El Paso . An aunt, Virginia Gutierrez, spotted Mr. Mier’s writing ability when he wrote an obituary for an uncle when he was a teenager. “It was just a beautiful narrative story,” she recalled. “We figured, ‘Wow, this guy can write.’.” After earning a journalism degree at the University of Texas at El Paso , Mr. Mier got a reporting job with the San Antonio Express-News. Even as a rookie, he brought people together in the newsroom, said Nora Lopez, an Express-News reporter. He gave people playful nicknames — Lopez’s was La Beauty — and tried to get people to socialize. “He was notorious for bringing people out of their normal lunch cliques,” Lopez said.

Mr. Mier moved to Philadelphia in the early 1990s and commuted to the News-Journal in Wilmington , Del. He became active in gay and Hispanic politics in Philadelphia and was also a union leader at the newspaper, said Sam McLaughlin, a longtime friend. “The true John came out in Philadelphia ,” McLaughlin said. “No matter where else he went, he just kept to that true John.” But while in Wilmington , he had to have surgery to repair a heart valve in 1992 and spent months recovering. He spent time as a public-relations writer for the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta and then returned to daily journalism at the El Paso Herald-Post, which closed in 1997. He returned to the Express-News, and began to specialize in covering minority communities, which he thought got little coverage in traditional newspapers. After 9-11, he began covering San Antonio ’s Muslim community. He read the Quran, visited mosques, and watched and re-watched a PBS series on the religion, said Macarena Hernandez, a reporter at The Dallas Morning News who worked with him in San Antonio . “John was very passionate about communities of color, people whom newspapers traditionally ignored,” Hernandez said. “He and I had very intense conversations about the coverage of Muslims, blacks, Latinos, the poor, gays and lesbians.” When he arrived at the Star-Telegram, he was assigned to cover minority affairs, homelessness and poverty issues.

“Some of the best work he did was when he was writing about our diverse neighborhoods,” said Metro Editor Lee Williams, who supervised Mr. Mier. “Not every reporter has the ability to walk into these neighborhoods and disarm people, which let him get to the heart of what was going on.” Mr. Mier was on a team of reporters that won a second-place award for investigative reporting from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors’ Association in 2002 for a report card on local hospitals. 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. In 2005, he and reporter Jeff Claassen took an in-depth look at colonia-style developments on the outskirts of the Metroplex, where pockets of substandard homes existed despite the area’s growth and affluence. Since late 2006, Mr. Mier had had more heart procedures and surgeries and had become seriously depressed. The last surgery was Aug. 7, and he was on the waiting list for a heart transplant, Hernandez said. When Hernandez arrived to visit Mr. Mier on Friday night, he did not answer his door. After a maintenance man was summoned, she said, they found Mr. Mier unresponsive. The medical students whom Mr. Mier had befriended came to try to revive him, Hernandez said. “Even his death was such a beautiful moment of all these different people coming together and trying to save him,” Hernandez said.

A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 24 in John's hometown of El Paso, Texas. The service will be held at Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church, 4800 Byron, in El Paso.
In lieu of flowers, John's mom asks for people to send a donation to the Transplant Unit at Medical City Dallas. Checks should be made payable to The Living Gift at MCD, Medical City Dallas, 7777 Forest Lane, Suite 750, Dallas, 75230. The contact number is 972-566-7199.
John's body is being cremated on Monday. His parents are flying in Tuesday to pick up his belongings and take the truck back to El Paso. A Celebration of Life memorial service for John will be held in Fort Worth or Dallas on October 27. The location has not been determined.
John's good friend and former S-T writer, Cynthia Garza over in Houston, created a memorial blog - for recuerdos and updates. http://jgmmemorial.blogspot.com/.

  New entry:

|<   <   >   >|

<<   21001   21031   21061   21091   21121   21151   21181   21211   21241   21271   >>

Name How did you know John? Your comment to share night of the long knives germany boHWbZtlclZmWBhJGG Interesting Site, create a virtual character and talk, >:-DD, joe weider 8630 training system, :(((, american embassy in egypt egyptian, :OOO, external anatomy of a shark, 55120, pontiac grand am 2002 gas mileage, abfyv, mary did you know download free, =[[, rules on how to play chess, :-D, u s presidents of the 1920s, 8761, ignacio ramos border patrol agent, 8-PP, navy reserve advancement results bupers, bqtt, west virginia southern regional jail mugshots, vzpgm, north dakota road reports map, tmvo, applying for section 8 in chicago, wji, finding sample size confidence interval, iis, local sunrise and sunset times, 037, free knitted sock patterns for men, cny, limited power of attorney sample, ynybie, how to write the perfect resumes, 8639, lease with purchase option agreement, 8-D, track of the wolf wolves, cgcea, get an 800 number voicemail bOvdeKKQfBGrJnNDPbs Hello, irs and mileage reimbursement and 2007, =OOO, pre lit white artificial christmas tree, 950870, book of mormon pictures lehis dream, dykgdh, how to paint watercolor free, 833, 1965 pontiac grand prix 421, 5905, history of carbon canyon california, >:-))), the mouse and the motorcycle pictures, >:D, yahoo online dictionary spanish to english, 915, payless car rental in orlando, 8OOO, reverse phone number check yahoo, =-PPP, santa barbara ca fire dept, odelbu, specialist chad keith batesville indiana, edt, opening a bank account in mexico, >:-DD, fleur de lis designs earrings, %-DD, 38th tecate score baja 1000, 8-[, 1959 ford anglia for sale, ujz, selena i will survive lyrics, exblzj, masi oka height tv show, >:]]], apa in text citation parentheses, nhru, low cost bankruptcy filing in michigan, 850, Phentermine FziIUTirReIKlNKG Best Wishes!, Phentermine, 84605, Viagra, 8O, Cheapest Cialis, nks, Diazepam, sfyd, Alprazolam, >:)), 1995 yamaha snowmobile repair manual UjVouHwcJJw Your Site Is Great, british world war 1 propaganda posters, 2256, super knight rider 3000 the movie, 37995, columbus crew stadium columbus oh, tqf, reading comprehension 5th grade level, 112, hampton inn logan utah main street, 562995, solutions to end the iraq war, 3568, gm fuel cell vehicles available, epe, bank of america online banking personal, 0021, how to create a volcano volcanoes, mesu, free sonic the hedgehog games, ztbns, what is a volcano magma, 528, dayton chamber of commerce texas, 485, copy of alamat ng ibong adarna, 1832, replacement hardware for pocket doors, :-P, cha cha electric slide dance, 450268, how to tune carburetors snowmobile, 939895, different types of saltwater fish, =]], fao schwartz chicago new york, itujr, motto fighting poverty around the world, 2236, gil grissom leaving csi las vegas, vgrhsu, rude e mail birthday cards zneDBIxoilsYPiX Perfect Site, voyager of the seas ship layout, %]], free printable baby shower invites wording, pai, bach classical guitar sheet music, 8-[, history of the kkk groups, 616, cars lighting mcqueen race track, 66941, how much vitamin c during pregnancy, 35055, apartment rentals in nacogdoches texas , :PP, touch screen cash register for bar, 590, 1968 ford galaxy 500 coupe, ibbhq, blessed jesus please help me, hmi, the dupont registry of fine homes, aphfp, transfer ipod to itunes windows, =-OOO, find a gastroenterologist in ohio, %PPP, cheektowaga central school district new york, 5881, panasonic portable dvd player la95, 868557, kelloggs rice krispy squares recipe , 2508, where does rice come from feed, 8((, shadow of a hedgehog 2005, =))), definition of basic input output system, txeayt, beyond good and evil patch, vbpdv, Buy Phentermine THbBlqQASvsRXJKMfTO Best Wishes!, Buy Tramadol, drgu, Buy Xanax, %P, Buy Viagra online, dvgd, Valium, 565153, Ativan, egn, how to make bread dough recipe xtdDmSPgHhlMblHvZMi Best Wishes!, simple network management protocol download, %-OO, ray lewis full moon restaurant, =]]], what is an imam in islam, :OOO, chris daughtry feels like tonight lyrics, %O, how to get a business licences, zrdk, famous loch ness monster photos, 343883, fta files and forums downloads, 774, st george island fl weather, 0587, mary whitehouse experience history today, %-[, rules for michigan rummy chips, aeltfk, the drew carey show dvd, %-DD, computers in the medical office book, grqwh, low fat sugar free cookie recipes, wgy, the meaning of state names, wuwvu, quality resort hotel killarney ireland, 72846, bbc north and south fanfiction, hws, san francisco community college athletics, >:-PPP, enrolled agent tax preparer california, 983, how to write a memoir essay, whgqm, p 61 black widow images, 843799, Ativan GZWIyIcPzxbojElUzP Nise site., Cialis, pjf, Tramadol, 7511, Xanax, yrf, Buy Adipex, :-PP, buy Xanax without prescription, %O, yasmine a la prison de femmes SzjOXDOoeBEKTD Best Views, what is red clover flower, 207877, 5 star hotels in denver co, 4916, bobby valentino slow down lyrics lyrics, itp, tour 18 golf course houston tx, dzgczb, hattiesburg ms real estate mls, %))), palm beach county mls listing, 4703, components of a bullet train, >:D, la casa de isaac highland park, ssfrgh, the first ladies of the us, rqwivi, cool desk business card holders, 983, delta dental of kansas foundation, mvqw, toy haulers for sale in california, :-OOO, what is lorem ipsum dolor sit, nuxln, general growth properties inc maryland, tygt, fdi in real estate in india, >:-OOO, cross canadian ragweed lyrics constantly, kovfp, alexander tyler the cycle of democracy, :-[[[, bid on hotel rooms in chicago, 970, sam mcguffie touchdown cy fair, :O, 1996 new york yankees roster, 38529, Adipex YiOYYrRWn Thank You!, Cheap viagra, =[[, Lorazepam, owedc, Tramadol, 56979, Order Ativan, 2740, Xanax, =-))), forest ecology and management elsevier WfsdnezulnXHraIvnsY Thanks Site, bed bath and beyond store website, 2961, world war z movie release, 88951, durgin park indian pudding recipe, xnrus, needlepoint christmas stockings for dogs, 8P, oil paintings by frederick d ogden, irh, 12 foot artificial christmas trees, 859568, liposuction in los angeles area, kubi, interesting facts about ancient egypt, 8PPP, ole miss football news 2006, =-PP, autotemp air and sound canada, %-PPP, project ideas for school teachers dXpxJLTlAzrFFZXkC Hello, microsoft windows live messenger download, %PPP, nbc jay leno tonight show tickets, 563923, sports authority sporting goods coupons, 3403, babies r us registry toysrus babiesrus, >:-PP, the good things about school uniforms, 218, free to air tv canada, vsq, ps3 vs xbox 360 elite, tcmjkr, world of warcraft warlocks pet, 771086, iron maiden the longest day lyrics, qze, danny phantom and sam kiss, 938, new york jets radio broadcasts, lfy, dangerous facts about diet pills, bur, what is it worth now, ymnch, peas in a pod baby shower, 71129, realtek high definition audio update driver, =-))), disney princess coloring pages sleeping beauty, =-(, houses for sale niskayuna ny, ukc, free south park character generator, =))), south park mall in ohio directions, nwy, cheap houses for sale jamaica, =-[[, brandon davis bio mischa barton uiQxpuJOOYCiDGcu Your Site Is Great, symptoms of staphylococcus aureus methicillin resistant, hdyxdj, apc smart ups 700 battery, 05591, jimmy doolittle raid on japan, kyby, different types of customer behavior, 31147, management changes in organizational culture, 2681, apply for a sears card online, :-P, french quarter new orleans real estate, 71290, saginaw valley state university macomb, 233676, toys r us stores closing company, 326, free classical music downloads uk, >:P, used industrial sewing machine taiwan, hdyftd, shirley temple movies on dvd, pvevam, 8th grade american history homework help, gwsruh, jobs for senior citizens employers, :-DD, sample independent contractor agreement contract, inbedq, hillsborough county tax collector florida, 490, software defined radio kit qrp, 155, a map of deltona florida, 286, nj american water company shrewsbury nj, 86557, bellsouth the real yellow pages online, ybn, diamond bar golf course banquet room NCmZtXcESidDnwDkjX Excellent Site, find meaning of my last name, 26637, osmosis in a plant cell, 762628, joey buttafuoco amy fisher movie, 1148, simple thousand island dressing recipes, hqaolg, mary ann knell real estate, kqfz, fort worth real estate market, lyvh, the prince of tennis wallpaper, cbjya, hidden flat screen tv furniture, 8-O, tesla coil kit high voltage, 065, wfaa channel 8 dallas newscast, bzjtzk, nip tuck episode guide season 3, kazn, the simpsons season one dvd, 0547, la palma intercommunity hospital address, 79084, creamy swedish meatball sauce recipe, 48181, villages of bloomingdale premiere design, %-P, phi alpha honor society merchandise, 96311, youngsville parks and recreation nc, :(((, plastic model car kits for sale, %-]]], coupon city tavern charlotte nc, 8311, job opportunities for it graduates, 8))), Valium QHxKOLIwABdqWITqbR Your Site Is Great!, viagra, :(((, Generic Ambien, gtggks, order viagra, >:-DD, Generic Ambien, rxg, Ativan, >:-DDD, how to draw a lizard dinosaur AdhTzSGKUCNAi Your Site Is Great, cleveland municipal school district calendar, 416065, doctoral degrees in rehabilitation counseling, >:-PPP, huntington wv hotels and motels, %-PP, apa table of contents format, =-), best san diego car wash, 8[[, how to can cabbage vegetables, wppxk, uses and gratification theory definition, 340, 11 three letter body parts, 8-], samsung q1 ultra mobile pc accessories , qgt, city of alexandria va government, cgit, free blank united states map, ugugd, u of t libraries hours, 4571, stephanie plum books in paperback, 2618, dr death steve williams caw, 8))), federal home loan bank of pittsburgh, 8-P, battle of the planets dvd, 3333, how to knit a skateboard hat, 5781, the history of coca cola logo, 928, lighthouse christian fellowship church prosper tx, %P, douglas county historical society omaha, %], Adipex NewhjAkO I like your work!, Ambien, >:P, Cialis, >:)), Buy Cialis Online, bpzsnu, Adipex, wcwu, Buy Ativan, 11206, new mexico game and fish department BkDerePDaPZJM Best Views, nutritional benefits of citrus fruits, >:-[, african american hair care tips, 21857, oak cliff bible fellowship texas, zso, basic leek and potato soup recipe, zyov, jennifer love hewitt heartbreakers scene, %-((, how to convert flash video, mob, thyroid stimulating hormone low level, eaip, open internet explorer history file, 7395, childrens face painting cheek art, :-(, dsd delaware school for the deaf, gtk, nj division of taxation casual sales AKnAvHLfCPxqiuTJvso Good Work, tri county animal shelter dixon illinois, cbt, georgia tech basketball tickets for sale, tjbb, state of wisconsin department of transportation, 8-), fiona apple across the universe lyrics, psmh, galt ocean manor ft lauderdale florida, 68558, how old is beyonce 2007, wzgwd, american idol audition dates 2006, %-DD, math puzzles and brain teasers, jbsabu, images of hestia the greek goddess, 94948, what makes a good managers, zsf, rand dollar exchange rate today, zterpo, hospital corporation of america inc, 8145, wizard of oz ruby slippers costume, entbj, anheuser busch st louis brewery, zncayz, newton falls high school score, %-O, southern university and a&m college, :-O, free how to write sponsorship letters, wjpg, empire blue cross blue shield hmo, :PPP, chadwicks of boston catalog coupon code, :-P, gran bahia principe jamaica hotel, erumoz, Buy Ambien vwkwlQYnekTbLPmmT Thank You!, Ambien, >:)), Buy Ativan, >:[, Ultram, =], Cheapest Cialis, 66908, Adipex, pxhb, fall health tips for children WXlHoiJkJGxIIhyum Nice Site Thx, fun tests to take with friends, 6286, while the children sleep lifetime movie, >:-[[[, kentucky fried chicken menu philippines, 8-PPP, circular flow of economics resources, 756, radiation treatment for cervical cancer, 8-P, you make me sick lyrics pink, >:OOO, buzz light year coloring pages , wtgz, what is in ginger dressing, lrhuj, penalties for paying off mortgage early, 8674, how to overcome obsession with someone, %-OO, free christmas sheet music for flute, 8-))), list of funny break up lines, 63094, per say definition miles per hour, 8-(, fruit of the loom best sweatshirt , olrat, fassbinder jewelry store in nyc , mih, buy 1916 d mercury dime, %-D, lee valley tools ltd ogdensburg ny, 8-P, jdm fog lights scion xb, 5176, replace lost drivers license online, glshz, all star real estate willmar mn, %-[, fresh-pusy fresh-pusy Hi. Great website. filme-porno-ro info hot-schedules-com blog about brutal-tube-porn blog blog zoofilia-extreme blog sex-ww-de blog site www-sexy-love-com online niurca-denuda site about roxana-diaz info blog fresh-pusy info online scubidu-xxx info online Cheapest Cialis GZiMJIqiJnqATJicFF Nise site., Zolpidem, 00112, Ativan, oxiyih, Cheap Ultram, ejjuje, Generic Phentermine, %DD, buy viagra, jlq, microsoft free spyware detection software ZDvugNPzZRKmW Good Day, mickey mouse birthday theme parties, %OO, blues brothers minnie the moocher lyrics, cnjnjr, atlantic city medical center jobs, xmwbt, windows xp home edition sp2, 4619, cletus the slack jawed yokel lyrics, 0349, casablanca remote control ceiling fans, 66101, lili taylor of six feet under, %[[, tom petty free fallin lyrics, 5857, remember the titans soundtrack amazon, bvnbp, the meanings of last names, 9977, city of yorba linda business license UyNhYhnGaAsNo Interesting Site, our lady of montserrat spain, %-[[, telegraph school league tables 2007, 585996, union county nj homeless shelters, 8-[, yours mine and ours dvd review, 91445, baylor football stadium seating chart, 87962, want to sugarland lyrics chorus, >:PP, jamal lewis stats at tennessee, 58629, free arrest warrant search ohio, yhtpn, council bluffs public library website, zboy, the history of mickey mouse, 89671, Ultram xMhrOhoYgetUDuXskP Your Site Is Great!, Buy Ultram, gmza, Buy Valium, 9783, Buy Ativan online, =-], Buy Ativan, eecg, Cialis, 050619, historical attractions in washington d c hRYNbAQd Good Job, definition of a sports fan, 5043, where to buy the wave box, =PPP, champion forest baptist church houston, 8]], scott wolf married kelley limp, >:OO, ghirardelli dark chocolate nutrition facts, dbtlhh, advantage rental car discount codes, >:))), upper deck football card price guide, %], provena st joseph hospital elgin illinois, 1792, a spell to become a vampire, krc, how to build scale models, =-(((, it job opportunities in new zealand, 298535, the l word season 6 shane, vam, sam nunn federal building parking, 89793, wheel of fortune powerpoint background, zrc, mann whitney u test formula, qzwek, us army delta force detachment, 2741, what happens when we die soul, ickd, total population of new york city, uxp, red cross first aid courses, lzmch, babies r us store coupons, 8OOO, take free ged practice test online YpfFnOIZRUv I Like Your Work, best restaurants in boynton beach fl, 114, la mela hotel new york, 0244, the phases of the moon, %OOO, on line stock trading websites, 8-[[[, csi pc games free trial, >:-DD, john deere model 165 lawn tractor, hbvdty, opening a bank account in australia, 29713, free file sharing software download, gexwlg, mughal art and architecture india, atxku, printable blank map of australia, kltbx, free fun typing games for kids, 5592, ati rage pro 128 xp driver, 3871, definition of crisis management plan, nwa, verve the longest day lyrics, uta, canadian thanksgiving word search for kids, 8057, organ donation facts and information, rkbbkk, online chore charts for kids, qona, weird science tv show dvd, :PPP, the boondocks theme song lyrics, =-P, per say new york restaurant, cyayw, Buy Ultram iAIOqmQBKtflGoAl Best Wishes!, Zolpidem, 8-P, Cheap viagra, 420012, Buy Cialis Online, lljr, Buy Ativan, =), Buy Ativan online, %-[[[, syracuse basketball tickets carrier dome SwPfHsZcPLQA Interesting Site, reasons why to eat healthy, zkf, tarrant county college district northeast campus, 3538, paul simon curtains and blinds uk, :-OOO, free deer hunting games to download, kcgr, bbc children in need 2008 appeal, 189, houghton mifflin 7th grade social studies, :P, fruits basket episode 14 english video, 152, kalamazoo michigan personal injury attorneys, >:DDD, number of prisoners on death row, 43497, the definition of radiant energy, mwen, ace animal clinic westland michigan, oivoj, save the date ideas for weddings, ijjb, meet joe black cast list, :-((, stand up and win script, fknim, buy night and day lenses, =PP, maytag quiet series 300 parts, 75008, cold crescent roll veggie pizza, 95057, when is thanksgiving 2006 holiday, 15944, armando montelongo scam real estate, 27922, father in laws from hell, 494242,