H.R. No. 1718



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The passing of Clotilde Perez "Cleo" Garcia, M.D., 
on May 27, 2003, at the age of 86, has brought a tremendous loss to 
the friends, relatives, and admirers of this renowned physician, 
civil rights leader, and educator, as well as to the entire State of 
Texas; and
	WHEREAS, Born on January 9, 1917, to a family of teachers, Dr. 
Garcia learned at an early age the power of education to transform 
the world; a graduate of Mercedes High School, she earned several 
degrees at Pan American University and The University of Texas at 
Austin, temporarily putting her plans for medical school on hold to 
work as a teacher and administrator in South Texas; and
	WHEREAS, This brilliant and hardworking young woman 
fulfilled her ambition to become a doctor in 1954, when she 
graduated from The University of Texas School of Medicine in 
Galveston; defying the odds, she not only received the title of 
Outstanding Medical Student during her first year of studies, but 
became one of the Lone Star State's first female doctors of Hispanic 
descent; and
	WHEREAS, Dr. Garcia's illustrious career in medicine was 
shaped by her desire to help others, especially those of the most 
limited resources, by providing medical education, treatment, and 
preventative treatment; the impact she had on those around her can 
be inferred from the fact that she delivered more than 10,000 babies 
during her decades of practice, which ended in 1994 when she retired 
to pursue her other interests; and
	WHEREAS, In addition to her tireless work as a physician and 
surgeon, Dr. Garcia applied her phenomenal intelligence and focus 
to genealogical research and to the task of chronicling the history 
of the greater Corpus Christi area; her collection of historical 
papers and books is today housed at Texas A&M University--Corpus 
Christi, a substantial legacy that will benefit the citizens of 
Texas for many years to come; and
	WHEREAS, Not content with being merely an accomplished 
physician, educator, historian, and scholar, Dr. Garcia was also a 
devoted community advocate and civil rights leader; she was the 
former national health director of LULAC and a member of the Nueces 
County Anti-Poverty Program Board of Directors, the Texas 
Constitution Revision Commission, and the Task Force to Evaluate 
Medicaid in Texas; and
	WHEREAS, Those who had the privilege of knowing "Dr. Cleo," 
as she was affectionately known to so many, will never forget the 
passion, enthusiasm, and commitment that this talented woman 
brought to every single facet of her life; although her presence is 
gone from us now, her work will endure for generations to come, and 
her memory will live on in the hearts of the many thousands of 
Texans whose lives she touched during her years on this earth; now, 
therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby pay special tribute to the life of Dr. Clotilde 
Perez "Cleo" Garcia of Corpus Christi and extend profound sympathy 
to her family:  to her son, Jose Antonio "Tony" Canales; to her 
daughter-in-law, Yolanda Garcia Canales; to her granddaughters, 
Barbara Ann and Patricia Marie; to her grandson, Hector Antonio; to 
her sisters, Dr. Dalia P. Garcia and Emilia Garcia Garza; to her 
brother, Dr. Cuitlahuac P. Garcia; and to the many relatives, 
friends, colleagues, and admirers of this remarkable Texan; and, be 
it further
	RESOLVED, Than an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the members of her family as an expression of high 
regard by the Texas House of Representatives.

                                                                            Luna


                                                  ______________________________
                                                       Speaker of the House     

	I certify that H.R. No. 1718 was unanimously adopted by a 
rising vote of the House on May 30, 2003.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House