H.R. No. 580
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Dr. Hector P. Garcia of Corpus Christi earned
nationwide renown as a humanitarian and civil rights advocate; and
WHEREAS, A graduate of The University of Texas Medical Branch
at Galveston, this proud patriot joined the United States Army
during World War II, immediately after completing his surgical
internship; he attained the rank of major in the Medical Corps and
earned a Bronze Star with six battle stars for his valorous service;
and
WHEREAS, Following his military discharge, Dr. Garcia opened
a medical practice in Corpus Christi, where he often provided free
medical care to those who could not afford to pay, and saw the
effects of discrimination against Mexican Americans; and
WHEREAS, This truly notable Texan established the American
GI Forum, an organization composed primarily of veterans and
dedicated to securing equal rights for American Latinos, and
throughout his life, he worked for such causes as bilingual
education, school desegregation, job creation, and housing; and
WHEREAS, The American GI Forum today continues to reflect
this remarkable humanitarian's deep commitment to treating others
with dignity and to working within the system to effect change; and
WHEREAS, Long active in politics on the state and national
levels, Dr. Garcia was named by President Lyndon B. Johnson as a
member of the National Advisory Council on Economic Opportunity and
the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and as a delegate to the United
Nations, and President Ronald Reagan awarded him the Presidential
Medal of Freedom; and
WHEREAS, Beloved by the people of Corpus Christi, "Dr.
Hector" was accorded many well-deserved accolades, including
having a city park, a post office, and Memorial Medical Center's
indigent health clinic named for him; in addition, he received the
first honorary doctorate conferred by Texas A&M University--Corpus
Christi, which also erected a statue of him and dedicated a plaza on
campus in his honor; in 1990, he was further lauded for his
exceptional endeavors by Pope John Paul II; and
WHEREAS, A man of tremendous decency and compassion, Dr.
Garcia devoted his life to the service of others, and through his
unrelenting efforts the country he cherished achieved a fuller
realization of its highest ideals; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Dr. Hector P. Garcia
for his immeasurable contributions as a physician and as a leader in
the struggle to guarantee civil rights for all Americans.
Luna
Seaman
Capelo
Craddick
Giddings
Merritt
Allen
Goodman
Miller
Alonzo
Goolsby
Moreno of Harris
Bailey
Griggs
Moreno of El Paso
Baxter
Grusendorf
Morrison
Berman
Guillen
Mowery
Bohac
Gutierrez
Naishtat
Bonnen
Haggerty
Nixon
Branch
Hamilton
Noriega
Brown of Kaufman
Hamric
Oliveira
Brown of Brazos
Hardcastle
Olivo
Burnam
Harper-Brown
Paxton
Callegari
Hartnett
Pena
Campbell
Heflin
Phillips
Canales
Hegar
Pickett
Capelo
Hilderbran
Pitts
Casteel
Hill
Puente
Castro
Hochberg
Quintanilla
Chavez
Hodge
Raymond
Chisum
Homer
Reyna
Christian
Hope
Riddle
Coleman
Hopson
Ritter
Cook of Navarro
Howard
Rodriguez
Cook of Colorado
Hughes
Rose
Corte
Hunter
Seaman
Crabb
Hupp
Smith of Tarrant
Crownover
Isett
Smith of Harris
Davis of Harris
Jones of Lubbock
Smithee
Davis of Dallas
Jones of Bexar
Solis
Dawson
Jones of Dallas
Solomons
Delisi
Keel
Stick
Denny
Keffer of Dallas
Swinford
Deshotel
Keffer of Eastland
Talton
Driver
King
Taylor
Dukes
Kolkhorst
Telford
Dunnam
Krusee
Thompson
Dutton
Kuempel
Truitt
Edwards
Laney
Turner
Eiland
Laubenberg
Uresti
Eissler
Lewis
Van Arsdale
Elkins
Luna
Villarreal
Ellis
Mabry
West
Farabee
Madden
Wilson
Farrar
Marchant
Wise
Flores
Martinez Fischer
Wohlgemuth
Flynn
McCall
Wolens
Gallego
McClendon
Wong
Garza
McReynolds
Woolley
Gattis
Menendez
Zedler
Geren
Mercer
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 580 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on March 26, 2003.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House