Bertha Gámez-Gallego worked hard behind the scenes during the early days of Spanish-language radio and television to help her brother build his bilingual advertising firm.
In her supporting role, Gámez-Gallego learned the business from the ground up and became a trailblazer for women in local bilingual media.
"She paved the way for female radio and television announcers, women in the media, especially minorities," said KVOA-TV reporter Lupita Murillo, a longtime friend.
Gámez-Gallego died Feb. 17 at age 57, after a five-year battle with lung cancer, even though she never smoked.
"I was a figurehead on most of the projects, but Bertha was the one who did all the hard work behind the scenes," said her brother, Raúl Gámez.
Gámez left the family home in Cananea, Sonora, to attend high school in Mammoth and Tucson. After graduating in the early 1960s, Gámez got a job doing public-service announcements at a local radio station.
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His family soon joined him in the Old Pueblo and, in 1971, he opened Gámez and Associates Bilingual Advertising & Public Relations. His sister joined the agency as an office manager a year later.
"She did extensive public-relations work — scripting, production of brochures, magazines, programs, press releases; writing television copy; writing advertising promotions; accounting; and office management," her brother said. "She was a key person at my agency."
Initially, though, her drive to be successful may have had more to do with sibling rivalry. She was the youngest of five siblings and the only girl.
"We came from very humble beginnings in my hometown, Cananea," Gámez said. "She wanted all the time to be on par with us. She struggled to be as good as any of us."
Gámez-Gallego was up to the challenges she faced at her brother's agency and eventually took over much of the responsibility for running the company. She also co-produced and co-anchored Spanish-language programs for Tucson radio and television stations in the 1970s and '80s, including "Notas y Noticias" on KVOA-TV.
"This was the only way the Spanish-speaking people of Tucson had to stay in touch with what was going on," said Bob Feinman, director of Hispanic operations for Clear Channel radio in Tucson. He met Gámez-Gallego in the early '70s, when he was working at a Spanish-language radio station.
"Bertha, I don't think she ever got beyond high school, but she didn't need a degree because she knew the business and she's gotten farther than a lot of other people," he said.
Last June, Gámez-Gallego was honored, along with her brother and nine other Spanish-language media pioneers, by Chicanos Por La Causa.
"Bertha and Raúl were always two of the most reputable people," Feinman said. "They were sweet and nice people. You just couldn't be around them enough. This was more than business-oriented for them. It was being in the community."
Gámez-Gallego's service to the community didn't end with her Spanish-language broadcasts. The mother of two was active in local organizations, her brother said. She coordinated radio-thons for the needy, worked with schools, and took leadership roles on task forces and service clubs.
Gámez-Gallego was the first female president of a Lion's Club in Tucson, Gámez said. She was the charter president of the Tucson Leones Del Oeste — The Lions of the West.
"It's amazing how much involvement she had in this community," he said. "I think about all of those things … of all the unselfishness she demonstrated by being behind the scenes to address the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those who needed amnesty. As her brother, I can say I was very, very proud of her."
So was her friend Murillo.
"She was the most generous, the most giving, the most loving individual you ever met," she said. "As we say in Spanish, 'Una alma de Dios, the soul of God.' This woman just worked tirelessly for this community."
Life Stories
This feature chronicles the lives of recently deceased Tucsonans. Some were well-known across the community. Others had an impact on a smaller sphere of friends, family and acquaintances. Many of these people led interesting — and sometimes extraordinary — lives with little or no fanfare. Now you'll hear their stories.
"Life Stories" will be kept online at go.azstarnet.com/ lifestories
