Robert E. Gonzales

Robert Elliott Gonzales (April 18, 1888 – December 19, 1916) was an American poet and journalist. He was the founding editor of The Gamecock (later renamed The Daily Gamecock) and had a brief but distinguished career at The State.

Biography Gonzales was the son of American diplomat William Elliott Gonzales and Sarah Cecil Shiver Gonzales. As a teenager, he attended William H. Verner's preparatory school. Classmate and fellow journalist W.J. Cormack later wrote, "I remember the reserved youth [Gonzales] at William H. Verner's school, who, even at that time—in his early 'teens—gave promise of great ability."

The State described Gonzales as "diffident but cordial" with "hosts of devoted friends."

The Gamecock In 1908, Gonzales founded The Gamecock student newspaper and began his tenure as its first editor-in-chief. In its first issue, published January 30 of that year, he included an editorial describing his vision for the paper:There is nothing so conducive to the fostering of friendliness as common ownership of common property; in that respect, at least, THE GAMECOCK will be useful. It will bring professor and student in closer touch; it will promote better feeling between the Normal, Academic and Law schools—which, in passing, is sadly needed—and it will cause everybody to realize more fully what University life should mean. He graduated with a bachelor's and a master's degree in 1910. In 1911, he was secretary of the Board of Visitors to the university.

Journalism career at The State Gonzales joined The State in the summer of 1911 as a "paragrapher and editorial writer." He grew renowned for his "Colonel Aftermath" columns and "The State's Survey" (a column devoted to witty paragraphs) which he edited.

Military service Sergeant Gonzales with his dog (nicknamed "Bob II") at Camp Moore, published by The State in July 1916. In June 1916, Gonzales enlisted as a private in the Second South Carolina infantry; in August he was promoted to sergeant in the machine gun company.

Death On December 19, 1916, Gonzales died abruptly after a short battle with pneumonia.

Legacy In late December 1916, mere days after Gonzales's death, The State was flooded with condolences and tributes from friends and admirers across the country.

In 1918, The State Company published Poems And Paragraphs, a posthumous collection of Gonzales's poetry and newspaper stories which also included many of the previously published tributes as well as an introduction written by Gonzales's uncle Ambrose Elliott Gonzales.

The February 5, 1932 issue of The Gamecock (the first issue of its 25th year) featured a column about Gonzales' storied career. In that same issue, his name was added to the masthead—Gonzales's mother wrote a letter-to-the-editor thanking The Gamecock for the gesture.

Family Robert's paternal grandfather was Ambrosio José Gonzales, a Cuban revolutionary general and later a colonel in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. "It seems paradoxical, but a blunt man usually comes to the point. "A whole lot of self-made men certainly are bum architects." "When money talks, nobody cares what kind of grammar it uses." "A man who is as honest as the day is long may need watching at night." "An honest man may be the noblest work of God, but a pretty girl is a mighty close second." "As we understand it, the surest way to make a living by the pen is to raise pigs."