Longtime Chronicle photographer known for kindness, faith
Steve Gonzales, a devoted family man and veteran Houston Chronicle photojournalist beloved for his unwavering kindness, faith and optimism, died Saturday after a long, valiant battle with cancer. He was 60.
“While this is a sad time for everyone who had the pleasure of knowing Steve, he was very excited to begin his heavenly life,” two of his sons, Diego and Miguel, wrote in a joint statement on Facebook.
Gonzales died peacefully with them and his wife, Cindy, by his side. He also is survived by his two other sons, Dominic and Angelo, and daughter Erica.
In recent years, Gonzales braved his cancer battle publicly with frequent Facebook posts, updating friends and family on radiation treatments and surgeries with touches of humor, happiness and confidence. Through it all, he was granted his last wish: to watch all of his children graduate high school.
Miguel, his youngest, graduated in May.
“I am one happy and Blest man,” Gonzales said in a Facebook post at the time. “And to be surrounded by family made it even more special. God is so good!”
Originally from Topeka, Kan., Gonzales began his career as a photographer in 1979 at the Topeka Capital-Journal and eventually moved on to become the assistant managing editor for photography at the Kansas City Star and Kansas City Times.
He joined the Chronicle in 2005, working as the director of photography and a senior staff photographer. His warmth left a permanent mark on the staff.
“He drove three hours each way to come to my mother’s funeral when she died,” longtime Chronicle photographer Karen Warren said. “He came to the Chronicle
and brought compassion and empathy . ... This is a huge blow to us.”
Each of Gonzales’ colleagues preserves stories of his graciousness and the jovial attitude he brought to his work. On assignments, he often carried with him a Captain America figurine, brought to life in his playful photos as a rambunctious sidekick.
Gonzales kept a lighthearted attitude, but his experience was evident. Photographer Brett Coomer met him while covering the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the early 1990s, when they both worked for different Kansas newspapers. They barely knew each other, but Gonzales shared advice with Coomer on covering the NFL.
“During one game we were kneeling in the end zone and he says to me, ‘The Chiefs are going to block this punt,’ ” said Coomer, who now covers the NFL for the Chronicle. “And yes, the Chiefs did block the punt, and the baby photographer I was totally missed the play and he nailed it.”
When Chronicle photographer Elizabeth Conley first interviewed for a position at the paper, Gonzales picked her up from the airport and drove her around the entire 610 Loop so she could learn the city. And when photographer Yi-Chin Lee arrived at the paper in 2016, Gonzales offered to let her stay in his home, even after he had just been diagnosed with cancer.
“I’ve called a lot of people this morning to share the news, and everyone has come back to me with a story about his life and how he affected them,” said Chronicle photo editor Jill Karnicki.
As a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Gonzales was especially dedicated to mentoring young Latino and Hispanic colleagues, for whom he was a strong advocate. Two of his mentees, Marcio Sanchez and Julio Cortez, accepted a Pulitzer Prize in New York hours after his death for their coverage of the civil unrest that followed George Floyd’s killing in Minnesota.
Gonzales hired both of them to their first full-time jobs, with Sanchez joining the Kansas
City Star and Cortez the Chronicle, according to Our Esquina, a national sports media company based in Houston.
“Without Steve, there is no Pulitzer for us,” Sanchez told Our Esquina. “If God didn’t put him in my path, I’m not here. God sort of put the path in order for us to come together.”
As a leader in the newsroom, Gonzales coached other Latino and Latina photographers and gave them an opportunity to prove themselves, said Marie D. De Jesús, a Chronicle photographer who recently became the first Latina president of the National Press Photographers Association.
“When few were giving Latino emerging photographers a chance, Steve was giving us a chance,” said De Jesús, whom Gonzales hired to the Chronicle staff in 2013. “This is a time when you would not see that many directors of color.”
Gonzales recently was selected to the NAHJ Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 and will be posthumously honored at the group’s convention in August. His other accomplishments include serving as a past president of the Associated Press Photo Managers and a juror for the 2010 and 2011 Pulitzer Prizes.
“He is, in my opinion, one of the greatest Latino journalists of all time,” said José de Jesus Ortiz, editor of Our Esquina and a former Gonzales protégé. “Not many Latinos have done what he has done and mentored two future Pulitzer Prize winners at two different places.”
Despite Gonzales’ long battle with cancer, many were surprised to learn that he died Saturday, days after contracting pneumonia, as he often emerged victorious when the illness mounted previous attacks. His Facebook page has been flooded with messages of support from his friends and family, urging him to keep fighting.
In their statement, sons Diego and Miguel said he wanted everyone to know how grateful he was for the love and support.
“Among all of things stated above, our father wanted us to stress that ‘God is good,’ ” they said. “One of the many things that we adore about our dad is how he lived his life with a smile on his face. In honor of his life, we ask that you smile for someone today, it will make someone feel good. As our dad would say, ‘I love you and God bless you.’”