'Great man' dies after Ariz. crash

By Jack Gillum

Moses Salcido, a political science senior and an avid follower of Bronco athletics, died July 17 on his way to Mexico. He was 22.

Salcido embodied the words "custom fit." If he wasn't getting a pair of cowboy boots tailored to his feet, he was off to buy yet another western product, said his 18-year-old sister, Christine.

But his trip down to his grandparents' home this summer ended tragically one Sunday morning after visiting with his grandparents and shopping for cowboy attire as the sunrise peaked over the Sonoran Desert in southeast Arizona.

Salcido was traveling on Interstate 10 near Tucson, Arizona, when his SUV veered off the road, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said. Both Salcido and his grandmother, Erma Ocosta-Fernandez, 53, of Mexico, were pronounced dead at the scene.

His grandfather, Carlos Martinez-Rodriguez, 66, was treated at a Tucson hospital for serious injuries.

Salcido was a hero in his own right. His likeable demeanor, his sister said, would easily make friends -- and make friends for others.

Southwestern in San Jose

The 17-hour trip to Mexico in Salcido's SUV was partly a trip for him. "Moe" -- his sister's affectionate moniker -- loved Western knick-knacks.

Custom-fitted boots. Cowboy hats. Country music.

It was down in Mexico where his special-ordered pair of cowboy boots sat, Christina said.

In Florida the week before he died, his sister embarrassingly remembers Moses wearing a large-printed shirt, which read: "Not in a frat." His outfit was coupled with an even larger mariachi hat.

An Old-West chick magnet? Maybe.

A kid magnet? You bet.

Moses' mother, Argelia, recalls a wedding in Los Angeles, during which the younger attendees flocked towards her son. "They would follow him everywhere, hug him -- even cry for him when he left," she said in a telephone interview.

"The little kids always fall in love with Moses," she said.

'A great young man'

Christine, her brother, John, and her mother, got the news on a call from a police officer around 9 a.m. that morning.

But before Christine, who will be heading to San Jose State in the fall, heard about her brother's tragic accident, she already knew something was wrong.

Even with the funny western get-ups -- and the not-so-western ones at Broncos basketball games -- his demeanor made him fit in so well, friends and family say.

"He was an outstanding person and it's a real tragedy that he's gone," political science professor James Cottrill said, adding that Salcido was always willing to help his fellow students.

Salcido's facebook profile contains a vibrant memory of his life and times at Santa Clara and reads like an electronic eulogy from fellow students.

"It is so sad to see such a great young man who has touched the hearts and souls of so many," said one student on Salcido's message board.

"I sincerely believe that you were loved by everyone who met you," said another. "I knew you since kindergarten and you will never be forgotten."

So long, compadre.

Ryan Groshong contributed to this article. Contact Jack Gillum at (408) 554-4546 or jgillum@scu.edu.