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78R7608 KMP-D
By: Martinez Fischer H.R. No. 553
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Senior U.S. District Judge H. F. "Hippo" Garcia, the
first Mexican American named a federal judge in the Western
District of Texas, died on January 16, 2002, at the age of 76, and
with his death this nation lost a distinguished jurist whose wisdom
and dedication to the cause of justice inspired a great many people;
and
WHEREAS, Judge Garcia was born in San Antonio on December 4,
1925, not far from the courthouse where he would preside as judge
for more than two decades; he graduated from Brackenridge High
School in 1943 and immediately thereafter answered his country's
call to arms, serving with the U.S. Army's 3rd Armored Division in
Germany during World War II; and
WHEREAS, On his return to civilian life, he attended St.
Mary's University, earning his undergraduate degree in 1949 and his
law degree in 1951; his alma mater would later recognize him as the
1980 Distinguished Law Graduate, and last year the college
announced the creation of the Judge H. F. "Hippo" Garcia Memorial
Scholarship to honor his countless contributions to his profession,
community, and school; and
WHEREAS, While still a student, Judge Garcia began working as
a deputy district clerk for Bexar County, and in 1952, diploma in
hand, he launched his career as an assistant district attorney,
serving under four Bexar County district attorneys over the next 12
years; following his election to public office in 1964, he served as
the judge of Bexar County Court-at-Law No. 2 until the mid-1970s,
when he won election to the 144th District Court; his exemplary
record on the bench was soon recognized by President Jimmy Carter,
who nominated him to the federal bench in 1980, and following his
confirmation by the U.S. Senate, he served as a U.S. district judge
for the Western District until his death in 2002; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of his extraordinary life, Judge
Garcia blazed new trails for Americans of Hispanic descent and
brought incomparable integrity, fairness, and intelligence to his
courtroom; he surmounted great obstacles to reach one of the
highest summits in his profession, transforming himself from a
young teenager who spoke no English on entering high school into a
revered jurist who presided over many of the Southwest's most
important civil and criminal cases; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable H. F.
"Hippo" Garcia and extend profound sympathy to the members of his
family: to his sister, Olga Garcia Rodriguez; to his brothers,
Henry Garcia and Arthur Garcia; to his nieces and nephews; and to
his many other friends and relatives; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House
of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in the memory of
Senior U.S. District Judge H. F. "Hippo" Garcia.