H.C.R. No. 26 



HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, During her lifetime, Dr. Margaret Giller Cigarroa 
worked to improve and safeguard the health and welfare of her fellow 
Laredo citizens, and the naming of a Laredo ISD Literacy Center in 
her memory provides a fitting and enduring tribute to this 
dedicated physician; and
	WHEREAS, Born on October 24, 1925, in Chicago, Dr. Cigarroa 
was one of the first women to receive a bachelor's degree and 
medical degree from the University of Illinois; while completing 
her residency at the Cook County Hospital in 1950, she met and 
married the love of her life, Dr. Leonides Gonzalez Cigarroa; and
	WHEREAS, The couple moved to Laredo in 1951, and it is said 
that within an hour of her arrival, Dr. Peggy, as she was 
affectionately called, was already treating a child sick with 
scarlet fever; a true country doctor, she regularly made house 
calls and began her practice charging only $3 for office visits, 
although food was also an acceptable method of payment, and she 
often treated patients for nothing at all; and
	WHEREAS, The city's public health officer from 1964 into the 
1980s, Dr. Cigarroa created the area's tuberculosis program and 
established and regularly visited a leprosy clinic as well as 
health centers for the poor in the neighborhoods of La Ladrillera, 
Santo Nino, and Farias; and
	WHEREAS, In addition to offering Laredo residents care of the 
highest caliber, she served as president of the Tri-County Medical 
Society, chief of obstetrics at Mercy Hospital, secretary of the 
Council for Public Health in Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, and medical 
advisor for the Webb County Chapter of the March of Dimes; following 
the death of her husband in 1973, she completed his term on the 
Texas Board of Mental Health and Mental Retardation while 
maintaining a full-time family practice, raising six children, and 
fulfilling her many other civic and professional commitments; and
	WHEREAS, Dr. Cigarroa was deservedly named Woman of the Year 
by the Laredo Morning Times in 1976 for her innumerable 
contributions to her community; she retired from private practice 
in 1995, and while she kept up with the medical field by 
participating in conferences, she also found time to indulge in one 
of her favorite pastimes, reading, and it is especially appropriate 
that a literacy center be named in honor of this avid reader; Dr. 
Cigarroa died on November 26, 2001; and
	WHEREAS, Those who had the privilege of knowing Dr. Peggy 
will never forget the passion, enthusiasm, and commitment that this 
talented woman brought to every facet of her life; for half a 
century she remained resolute in her dedication to bringing hope 
and health to all in need; her life was shaped by her desire to help 
others, especially those of the most limited resources, and the 
LISD Literacy Center named in her honor will stand as a lasting 
reminder of the profound impact she had on the city of Laredo; now, 
therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas, 
3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory of this 
remarkable Texan and commemorate the dedication of the Dr. Margaret 
G. Cigarroa Literacy Center.

                                                                         Guillen




______________________________              ______________________________
 
   President of the Senate                               Speaker of the House      

	I certify that H.C.R. No. 26 was unanimously adopted by a 
rising vote of the House on May 4, 2006.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House   

	I certify that H.C.R. No. 26 was adopted by the Senate on May 
15, 2006, by a viva-voce vote.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                      Secretary of the Senate   



APPROVED: __________________                                                
 
                Date                                                         




 
         __________________                                              
 
              Governor