By Steve Walker
San
Antonio Icon Bill Sinkin passed away only three months shy of his 101st
birthday. The man who was born May 19th, 1913, and contributed to
the betterment of San Antonio
for decades, spent his last hours in the hospital surrounded by friends and
family.
His nephew,
Steve Sinkin spoke about those last hours during the memorial service that
attracted as estimated crowd of over 500 mourners at Temple Beth-El, Friday
February 7th.
He jokingly
reminisced how his uncle loved the Beatles and wanted to hear their hit “Here
Comes the Sun” one more time. Steve recalled for the crowd that he found the
song on his phone and they sang it shortly before he passed on. Mr. Sinkin’s passion
and active involvement in solar energy may have some bearing on his partiality
to the song. He started his solar company at age 86.
Ironically
my column for La Prensa in May 2013 was published after Mr. Sinkin celebrated
his 100th birthday at the University of the Incarnate Word Sky Room.
That event drew nearly as many supporters as attended his memorial service. I
was honored to also cover his 95th and 98th birthdays.
Although
a Jew, Mr. Sinkin has contributed so much to the Hispanic as well as the
African American community over the years.
Growing
up he endured the same taunting prejudice as other minority groups that
included: being picked on and beat up because he dressed differently and wore
the traditional longs locks that devout young male Jews wore back then.
Painfully
aware of prejudice based on skin color and religious heritage, he pioneered the
concept of opening up opportunities for people systematically denied. Not too
many people are aware that he co-founded Goodwill of San Antonio in 1945 to
help those with physical and mental challenges to find employment. He fought
discrimination all his life whatever the discrimination happened to be and who
it affected.
During his stint as Chair of the San Antonio Housing
Authority (SAHA) from 1949-53, he hired the first woman executive director of
SAHA.
In the banking industry he controlled the Texas State
Bank in the late 60s which catered to minority representation and small
business lending. He founded the Urban Coalition of San Antonio also in the 60s
for low income communities of color to address economic issues as well for low
income white communities.
Mr. Sinkin was also instrumental in bringing the 1968
HemisFair Exposition to HemisFair
Park . That is a column for another day.
During
the nearly two hour memorial to the San Antonio hero, the program included Rabbi
Samuel Stahl’s Eulogy, Mr. Sinkin’s two sons, Richard and Lanny, a rendition of
the 23rd Psalm in song, and a special reading by Poet Laureate of
Texas Rosemary Catacalos of “Mr. Chairman Takes His Leave.”
Mt. Zion
First Baptist Church Choir sang and a NAACP Resolution offered, followed by Senator
Leticia van de Putte reading a Proclamation from the State of Texas recognizing the legacy and
accomplishments of Icon Bill Sinkin.
As one
who knew him for a long time I say he was truly a man of the people and a role
model that very few of us could live up to in our own lives.
And as
always, what I write is “Just a Thought.” In the case of Bill Sinkin, “A Final
Thought.”
Steve
Walker is a Vietnam Veteran and former Justice of the Peace and Journalist.
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