Selena forever
Ten years after her death, Selena lives in the hearts of her fans

Christy Espinosa / Valley Morning Star



CORPUS CHRISTI — Posted warnings prohibiting graffiti did not stop
Robert Pecina Jr.

At the Paseo de la Flor, where a statue of slain Tejano singer
Selena Quintanilla-Perez can be found, Pecina left words of
remembrance on the monument's brick floor.

"Robert Pecina Jr. 3/20/05 Mission, Te Amo Selena, (I love you
Selena)" was all the Rio Grande Valley resident wrote, but his words
reflect the feelings of fans who still miss the "Queen of Tejano" 10
years after her death.

"She remembered her roots," said Grace Pedroza, of Pharr, as she and
her family gazed at the bronzed likeness of Selena. "I remember the
day she died, everyone in the Valley had their (car) headlights on
in the middle of the afternoon. Driving down the highway, you knew
she was gone."

Although fans of the star have not recently come in droves as they
did days after she was shot to death by Yolanda Saldivar, the
founder of Selena's fan club, at a Corpus Christi Days

Inn on March 31, 1995, admirers still visit Selena points of
interest to pay respects to what fans call one of the biggest losses
to the Tejano music scene.

"She always remembered her roots," Pedroza said. "She was truly
dedicated to her music and she was an inspiration to all. She came
from nothing and showed you can do it."

People visiting this city on the gulf coast make a point to stop at
the Paseo de la Flor off Ocean Drive, as well as Selena's gravesite,
her boutique and Q-productions, which also features a museum
dedicated to "La Reina."

"She was a very special person," Nellie Ayala of Albuquerque, N.M.,
said. "She lived her dream, and since we were in the area, I wanted
to see the places dedicated to her."

Even 10 years after the 24-year-old Selena's life was cut short,
white roses — her favorite flower — still flood her gravesite,
flowing around her black tombstone engraved in her unmistakable
signature.

"She was a role model for young girls," Belinda Galvan of McAllen
said as her son videotaped the former star's final resting place. "I
liked her music and she offered a lot to the (Hispanic) people."

Cynthia Sanchez of Corpus Christi said when her family visits they
always ask to be brought to Selena's grave to see where the Grammy
winner was laid to rest.

"They always ask to come here," Sanchez said. "Even after this long."

Selena's English-language breakthrough album, "Dreaming of You,"
dropped shortly after her death, marking, fans say, what would have
been the birth of the biggest Latin-music star ever.

"She would have been huge," Ana Alvarado, 21, of Houston said. "She
would have been bigger than J-Lo (Jennifer Lopez)."