 Estefan doesn't forget S.A. school, teacher by Jeanne Jakle Pop superstar Gloria Estefan may be associated most with Miami, but she proved during an unplanned stop here this week that her heart, in part, still belongs to San Antonio. Estefan was indeed, as the old Beach Boys song says, "true to her school" Monday and Tuesday, when she not only took her husband, daughter and mom to visit her former elementary school and neighborhood in the Edgewood district, but also phoned her beloved first-grade teacher not once, but twice, before flying back to Florida. Yes, she may not have sung the lively "Conga!" while here, but she certainly made retired Winston Elementary teacher Dorothy Collins want to dance when she heard the two messages from her star pupil of the class of 1963-'64. "I'm really proud that she hasn't forgotten her first-grade teacher even with all the celebrity and stardom she's had since," said Collins, who taught at Winston from 1963 to 1971. Her name may be familiar to some, as Collins made history during the 1960s when she was part of the first integration of African American teachers into the public school system. Though Collins regrets not being home when Estefan, who was Gloria Fajardo back then, phoned, she said the messages the singer left were heartwarming. "She said: 'I just want to say thank you once again for being such a great teacher,'" recalled Collins, who added Estefan also put her little girl on the phone for a greeting. Collins remembers Gloria, a native of Cuba who traveled as a result of her father's time in the military, as "an outstanding student. She knew very little English when she started. But she eventually won prizes in reading and spelling. It took only six weeks, in fact, to get her to start reading." This wasn't the first time that Estefan made her feelings known about her first-grade teacher. During her Alamodome concert in 1996, she paid tribute to Collins from the stage. "She had sent me tickets and gave me yellow roses backstage," Collins recalled. Just as moved by her visit was the principal of Winston Elementary, Beverly Lejeski, who had just included Estefan in a tribute to Hispanic role models during Hispanic Heritage Month. "She took us by surprise," Lejeski said of the singer, who may be best known for her exhilarating Olympics number, "Reach." "She was so laid-back — a regular person," added Lejeski, who said Estefan explained her S.A. stop this way: She and her family were on their way back from Las Vegas to Miami, but the weather was so bad in Miami that she decided to lay over in San Antonio. While visiting with Lejeski, Estefan and her mom reminisced about living in former military housing near the school, Billy Mitchell Village. She also sought information about former teachers and signed autographs for some parents who came to pick up their kids. "She was very gracious," said Lejeski. "She didn't go into the classrooms because she didn't want to disrupt classes." Both Lejeski and Edgewood School District superintendent David Ochoa said they'd love Estefan to become more involved in the district in the same way Vikki Carr is associated with Holy Cross High School. Ochoa said his dream would be to have Estefan perform at the new state-of-the-art auditorium at Edgewood Academy. He may get his wish. Estefan, according to school officials, was interested in getting a list of names of first-grade students from her Winston class of '63-'64 so that she could arrange some sort of reunion with them. Ochoa is hoping to locate some through the Internet and school newsletter. (Classmates can contact Ochoa by e-mailing him at daochoa@eisd.net.) As for other S.A. sightings of Estefan Monday and Tuesday, the singer was seen in the lounge of the Tower of the Americas restaurant and at the La Mansion del Rio hotel. A big thank you to Regina for the news. |