The Front Porch
Stories from the Soul of San Antonio
Published on 7. April 2026
286 pages
978-1-59534-335-2 (ISBN)
Description
Throughout his nearly thirty-year career at the San Antonio Express-News, Vincent T. Davis has perfected his craft of finding the extraordinary in ordinary lives. The Front Porch: Stories from the Soul of San Antonio presents a mosaic of the community composed of individual profiles of San Antonians. This luminous collection, which gathers some of Davis's finest work, takes readers through San Antonio's neighborhoods to trace the cultural and human legacy of a city built on the margins.
Drawn by the lives of those rarely seen in headlines, Davis puts readers in places they've never been, including at a rural country rodeo where old wranglers watch the next generation, at a reunion of Vietnam veterans paying tribute to a fallen comrade, and in the sanctuary of a Baptist church where the women wear fine church hats of all sizes and colors during Sunday worship. He discovers the vulnerability of forgotten communities and pulls back the veil on his own family's rich narratives, including a beautiful Mother's Day tribute and his ?Granddaddy,? Theodore H. Martin, the cigar-smoking World War II veteran whose spellbinding tales in Columbus, Georgia, taught young Vince ?the magical sway of stories.?
This isn't just a book about San Antonio. Readers will come to care about people they never knew existed, whom they may have passed or caught a glimpse of on the street. And by the final page, they will understand something profound: Every community is rich with untold stories waiting for someone who cares enough to listen, stories passed from one person to another, one generation to another, one culture to another.
Drawn by the lives of those rarely seen in headlines, Davis puts readers in places they've never been, including at a rural country rodeo where old wranglers watch the next generation, at a reunion of Vietnam veterans paying tribute to a fallen comrade, and in the sanctuary of a Baptist church where the women wear fine church hats of all sizes and colors during Sunday worship. He discovers the vulnerability of forgotten communities and pulls back the veil on his own family's rich narratives, including a beautiful Mother's Day tribute and his ?Granddaddy,? Theodore H. Martin, the cigar-smoking World War II veteran whose spellbinding tales in Columbus, Georgia, taught young Vince ?the magical sway of stories.?
This isn't just a book about San Antonio. Readers will come to care about people they never knew existed, whom they may have passed or caught a glimpse of on the street. And by the final page, they will understand something profound: Every community is rich with untold stories waiting for someone who cares enough to listen, stories passed from one person to another, one generation to another, one culture to another.
More details
Person
Cary Clack is a columnist and editorial board member with the San Antonio Express-News, where he was the first Black metro columnist and the first Black member of the editorial board. He has covered local and national news, events, and social issues for three decades. In 2017 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters. The Texas Associated Press Managing Editors awarded him opinion writer of the year in 2021, followed by awards for editorial writing in 2022 and both general column writing and editorial writing in 2023. He is the author of Clowns and Rats Scare Me and More Finish Lines to Cross. He lives in San Antonio, Texas.
Content
Contents
Foreword, by Cary Clack
Introduction
Faith Forever
Hattitude (July 2001)
Faith Bridges Gap (February 2011)
Pastor Ministers Those in Need on the East Side (March 2020)
Sam Greco's Life Began and Ended with Italian Saint (November 2023)
Faithful Sought a Miracle at a Tree (February 2024)
The Unsung
Ageless Dynamo Advocates for Area Seniors (August 2020)
Eighty Years Strong (March 2007)
Octogenarian Offers Inspections and Inspiration (September 2022)
Long Legacy of Labor (September 2013)
Dressmaker Makes San Antonio Sparkle (March 2022)
Dare Helps Retiree Find Calling (July 2022)
Panchos and Gringos Customers Step Up (August 2021)
Helping Thirsty MLK Marchers Is Her Mission (January 2023)
San Antonio Native Scours Streets to Clean Windows (December 2019)
José Arias's Smooth Moves at Ninety-Two (July 2010)
Everyone in the Cemetery Is Family
Freedman's Descendants Remember (October 2023)
Long Lost Stories of Black Enclaves (June 2016)
Tales of Sun and Shade
Quiet Time for Dad and Daughter (October 2007)
Friends in the Park (July 2006)
Family Helps Nourish Bodies and Souls under the Bridge (November 2008)
Elf Louise, the Soul of a San Antonio Christmas Tradition (December 2020)
Family Ties
Mom's Celebration beyond Mother's Day (May 2023)
The World According to Madea (March 2024)
Granddaddy Passed on the Magical Art of Spinning Tales (February 2023)
Chef's Table
Tea Cake Lady of San Antonio (April 2013)
Honey's Place a Throwback to 1950s Nightclubs and Soul Food Stops (September 2020)
Chef Gives Ten-Year-Old Direction (August 2021)Chef Wants Teens to Avoid Mean Streets (Dec 2020)
Taco Church Ritual Carries On (August 2024)
A Whole Breakfast in a Taco (July 2024)
Line Up for Ruben's Tamales (December 2023)
Life's Tiny Surprises
Tiny Surprises Add Joy in Hard Times (June 2020)
Friends Share Bond through Window in the Fence (June 2020)
Downtown Mystery Siren Solved (July 2021)
Spreading Cheer
Ex?Gang Members Spread Cheer Not Fear (December 2012)
Santa Claus of Fredericksburg Road (December 2010)
Community Lifts Spirits of Former Santa Claus (January 2022)
Bonds of the Games
Willie Doria's Glory Days (December 2019)
Rodeo Riders Go for Fun and Glory (July 2005)
Table Tennis Star Aims for the Top (September 2021)
Keeping Hoop Dreams Alive (November 2007)
Soccer Play Not Just for Love of the Game (January 2011)
Young Boxers Take in Lessons at Games of Texas (July 2009)
Texas Bad Boys (August 2014)
Fighting One More Bout (May 2016)
Breaking Barriers and Records (March 2019)
Bunco Club Makes Its Final Roll of the Dice (January 2009)
Dance Halls, Elvis, and Sounds of Soul
Old-School Dances at South Side Ballroom (June 2014)
Soul Still in His Heart (May 2015)
Living the King's Dream (July 2007)
An Army Photo with Elvis (October 2019)
Playlists Still Sound Great, Static or Not (September 2024)
Music United Airmen in the 1970s (January 2024)
Carrying the Torch
Big Shoes to Fill (January 2024)
Safe Spaces Listed in Green Book (March 2023)
Barbershop Clips
Barbershop Talk Recalls a Fading East Side (February 2009)
Barber Hangs Up His Clippers after Seventy Years (November 2021)
This Shop Will Buzz No More (June 2008)
San Antonio Barber's Shop on Wheels (July 2022)
Those without a Voice
Only Texas Is Big Enough for This Pet (July 2014)
Missions Have Faith in Their Cats (March 2013)
It's No Kind of Dog's Life on City Streets (September 2015)
Of Combat, Camaraderie, and Country
A War Bride's Life (December 2021)
World War II Crew Stumbles upon Tuskegee Airmen (February 2024)
Vietnam Veterans Reunite to Honor Fallen Comrade (January 2019)
Straight Out of Omaha (November 2023)
Military Dependents Experience Different Tales (June 2024)
Acknowledgments
Foreword, by Cary Clack
Introduction
Faith Forever
Hattitude (July 2001)
Faith Bridges Gap (February 2011)
Pastor Ministers Those in Need on the East Side (March 2020)
Sam Greco's Life Began and Ended with Italian Saint (November 2023)
Faithful Sought a Miracle at a Tree (February 2024)
The Unsung
Ageless Dynamo Advocates for Area Seniors (August 2020)
Eighty Years Strong (March 2007)
Octogenarian Offers Inspections and Inspiration (September 2022)
Long Legacy of Labor (September 2013)
Dressmaker Makes San Antonio Sparkle (March 2022)
Dare Helps Retiree Find Calling (July 2022)
Panchos and Gringos Customers Step Up (August 2021)
Helping Thirsty MLK Marchers Is Her Mission (January 2023)
San Antonio Native Scours Streets to Clean Windows (December 2019)
José Arias's Smooth Moves at Ninety-Two (July 2010)
Everyone in the Cemetery Is Family
Freedman's Descendants Remember (October 2023)
Long Lost Stories of Black Enclaves (June 2016)
Tales of Sun and Shade
Quiet Time for Dad and Daughter (October 2007)
Friends in the Park (July 2006)
Family Helps Nourish Bodies and Souls under the Bridge (November 2008)
Elf Louise, the Soul of a San Antonio Christmas Tradition (December 2020)
Family Ties
Mom's Celebration beyond Mother's Day (May 2023)
The World According to Madea (March 2024)
Granddaddy Passed on the Magical Art of Spinning Tales (February 2023)
Chef's Table
Tea Cake Lady of San Antonio (April 2013)
Honey's Place a Throwback to 1950s Nightclubs and Soul Food Stops (September 2020)
Chef Gives Ten-Year-Old Direction (August 2021)Chef Wants Teens to Avoid Mean Streets (Dec 2020)
Taco Church Ritual Carries On (August 2024)
A Whole Breakfast in a Taco (July 2024)
Line Up for Ruben's Tamales (December 2023)
Life's Tiny Surprises
Tiny Surprises Add Joy in Hard Times (June 2020)
Friends Share Bond through Window in the Fence (June 2020)
Downtown Mystery Siren Solved (July 2021)
Spreading Cheer
Ex?Gang Members Spread Cheer Not Fear (December 2012)
Santa Claus of Fredericksburg Road (December 2010)
Community Lifts Spirits of Former Santa Claus (January 2022)
Bonds of the Games
Willie Doria's Glory Days (December 2019)
Rodeo Riders Go for Fun and Glory (July 2005)
Table Tennis Star Aims for the Top (September 2021)
Keeping Hoop Dreams Alive (November 2007)
Soccer Play Not Just for Love of the Game (January 2011)
Young Boxers Take in Lessons at Games of Texas (July 2009)
Texas Bad Boys (August 2014)
Fighting One More Bout (May 2016)
Breaking Barriers and Records (March 2019)
Bunco Club Makes Its Final Roll of the Dice (January 2009)
Dance Halls, Elvis, and Sounds of Soul
Old-School Dances at South Side Ballroom (June 2014)
Soul Still in His Heart (May 2015)
Living the King's Dream (July 2007)
An Army Photo with Elvis (October 2019)
Playlists Still Sound Great, Static or Not (September 2024)
Music United Airmen in the 1970s (January 2024)
Carrying the Torch
Big Shoes to Fill (January 2024)
Safe Spaces Listed in Green Book (March 2023)
Barbershop Clips
Barbershop Talk Recalls a Fading East Side (February 2009)
Barber Hangs Up His Clippers after Seventy Years (November 2021)
This Shop Will Buzz No More (June 2008)
San Antonio Barber's Shop on Wheels (July 2022)
Those without a Voice
Only Texas Is Big Enough for This Pet (July 2014)
Missions Have Faith in Their Cats (March 2013)
It's No Kind of Dog's Life on City Streets (September 2015)
Of Combat, Camaraderie, and Country
A War Bride's Life (December 2021)
World War II Crew Stumbles upon Tuskegee Airmen (February 2024)
Vietnam Veterans Reunite to Honor Fallen Comrade (January 2019)
Straight Out of Omaha (November 2023)
Military Dependents Experience Different Tales (June 2024)
Acknowledgments
