San Antonio Express-news
Kimberly Cross, a San Antonio native and a new member of the U.S. Navy, was the winner of the brand-new Jeep Gladiator in the 2021 San Antonio Express-news Jeep Gladiator Giveaway.
But Cross, who is 30 and says she had never won anything before, did not hold onto the Gladiator very long.
Shortly after she received the Jeep and the keys for it at Lone Star Chrysler Jeep Dodge RAM on Dec. 20, she gave her new truck away – to her mom, Connie Cross.
“My mother has done so much for me in my life, and has bought several cars for me, so I decided to give her the Jeep,” Cross said. She said her father has passed away, so she really wanted to do something nice for her mom, who is a bus driver for the Northside Independent School District.
Besides, Cross is still in training at a Naval station near Chicago, and can’t take a vehicle on base with her anyway, she said. And after she finishes her current training, she’ll be heading to another base in Virginia, Florida or California for more training – then out to sea, she said.
Cross first saw the Jeep Gladiator Giveaway promotion on the Express-news.com website in January, and began making regular entries into the contest online.
“I started entering sometime in January, but I stopped in April when I had to go away to boot camp,” she said. “I probably entered about 300 times during that time, but the contest wasn’t over until well after I was gone.”
There were over 140,000 entries in the contest, the Express-news told Cross, she said.
“They let me know in November that I won, but I had to wait until I got home for Christmas leave to pick up the truck,” Cross said. “They said I had to physically be here to accept it.”
She was presented the truck by Lisa Gillespie, the Express-news’ Director of Consumer Engagement; Tracy Smith, the Express-news’ GSM of Automotive; and Leo Chairez, General Manager of Lone Star Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM.
Lone Star provided a twoyear service agreement on the Gladiator, as well, Gillespie said.
Cross said she thought someone was playing a joke on her when the newspaper called and told her she had won the Gladiator.
“I was so rude to them,” she said. “They told me I won the truck, and I didn’t believe them at first. I couldn’t believe it. Then they told me to go to check my email, and there was the notification. I’ve never won anything in my life.”
She also received some accessories with the Gladiator, including a full-size Yeti cooler, all-weather cargo mats and a camping tent for off-road experiences.
As for the Express-news, this was the first truck given away in about 10 years, the paper told Cross.
San Antonio Express-news President and Publisher Mark Medici said the contest was a great success.
“Each day we strive to inform and entertain our readers,” Medici said. “The goal is to create a connection around the shared value of our journalism and just how important it is to our society.
“With a long, large contest like the Jeep Gladiator Giveaway, we hope to accomplish the same thing -- a daily touch-point, a daily connection with a great payoff,” he said. “While I am always happy for every winner, I could not have imagined a better outcome for this contest. It was truly meant to be.
“I can’t wait to see what we come up with in 2022,” Medici said.
“Congratulations Kim! Thank you for your service to our country and enjoy driving the Jeep Gladiator Texas Trail edition. It’s an amazing vehicle.”
–Bill Day Owner of Lonestar Auto Group