Re “Mielke Edges Balibrera by 20 Votes to Retain Presidency of Teachers Union”
Mario Balibrera was the shining embodiment of a Spanish Renaissance man, top-drawer raconteur, author, filmmaker, enviably ambitious difference-maker, world traveler and popular teacher of Spanish for 24 years, retiring two years ago from at the Culver City Middle School.
From the time we met seven years ago last spring – when he was running for president of the Teachers Union — until his death this week at 77 years old, it was impossible to accurately characterize him in fewer than dozens of elongated descriptive terms.
Perhaps someone will on Sunday morning at the 11 o’clock memorial service for Mr. Balibrera at Gates, Kingsley & Gates, 4220 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Teachers Union President David Mielke said this morning of his colleague:
“Mario was a Renaissance man. He read, he wrote, he taught, and he gave his best effort each day to the kids of Culver City.
“He was also a strong union supporter. In fact, he served as an officer and once ran for president. That did not affect our relationship at all, which tells you something about the kind of person he was.
“We remained friends and I will miss him.”
His head could have been , ticketed for speeding seven days of a week, so busy was his churning, complex globally imaginative mind.
For the widely and diversely accomplished Mr. Balibrera to be teaching Spanish in relative obscurity in Culver City Middle School was akin to a giant in a field stepping aside to teach his craft to beginners.
He loved it. This job was not a gap-bridger in any way.
Raconteur was the section of his multi-dimensional life I encountered most frequently.
Mr. Balibrera is survived by his wife Carmen Crespo, his sin Christian, his daughter Belle, his stepsons LuisMiguel and Alberto, his brother Miguel, and six grandchildren.
He walked, he ate, he thought and he probably slept with untamed gusto.
He befriended you almost immediately, regardless of how long you had been acquainted.
He was authentic as he was husky, and hardly anyone’s life today is overrun by a surplus of such rare, to-be-coveted personalities.
Mr. Balibrera ran hard for president of the Teachers Union in June 2007 when hardly anyone outside of relatives gave him a chance of interrupting Mr. Mielke’s two-century tenure.
Last time we chatted was a year ago when he was involved in a most worthy project.
Several afternoons we sat at the Lyfe restaurant, and I listened, fascinated, by his latest immensely passionate central interest.
Born in El Salvador, Mr. Balibrera’s family moved to San Francisco in 1942 when he was five years old, growing up in Richmond.
