NYA brought jobs to Port Isabel

Rene Torres is a retired University of Texas at Brownsville, and Texas Southmost College assistant professor. He has a long history in the Rio Grande Valley as an educator, sports historian and humanitarian, with a wealth of community service to his credit.

Many Rio Grande Valley cities were beneficiaries of the National Youth Administration Work Program, along with countless others throughout the country. The organization was a “New Deal” sponsored by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

It opened its doors during the Depression in 1935 through 1939. The program officially folded in 1943.
The program served 327,000 high school and college youth — focusing on providing education and jobs. Another 155,000 were engaged through the relief family project.
Those between the ages of 16-25 could be found doing construction work and/or on repair projects.
NYA projects approved at Port Isabel…

It was in April of 1938 that the P.I. Chamber of Commerce received word from James H. Sheehy, District Administrator of NYA that work projects were approved and could immediately start hiring local youth on a part-time basis.

According to NYA officials, full-time workers for the work-study projects were paid six dollars to $40 a month—part-time workers could earn $10 to $25.

One of the first projects Port Isabel saw was the construction of a palm-thatched shelter for the City Park. In addition, plans were being made to erect several outdoor ovens/fireplaces in the park.

Continued beautification efforts for the park called for shell walks and a walk along the adjacent yacht basin.
NYA officials also had more ambitious plans for P.I. — that included a tennis court to be built at the city reservoir—and the development of that place would be in the nature of a park.

In conjunction with NYA, which was furnishing 25 boys part-time, the Rotary Club, Garden Club, Parent-Teacher Association, the City and Chamber of Commerce sponsored these activities with material supervision and planned work.

Maybe the next president of the United States should consider bringing back the National Youth Administration. Today’s youth are hooked on technology gadgets— an outdoor job would do wonders, teaching them the value of a dollar. Let’s make the outdoors an “in thing.”

What do you think?

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