CORPUS CHRISTI LEGEND All this week, numerous activities are planned to honor Dr. Hector P. Garcia, culminating in a celebration of what would have been his 101st birthday on Jan. 17. This afternoon, a ceremony will take place in the Rancho Vista subdivision (Airline at Yorktown), honoring Dr. Garcia with a new street named after him.....most appropriate for a man who has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (by President Reagan in 1984), honored by Pope John Paul II in 1990 by naming him to The Order of St. Gregory the Great, and given Mexicos highest award for foreigners, the Aguila Azteca. Corpus Christi has produced some legendary singers, movie stars, sports stars, etc., but Dr. Garcia must surely be one its most illustrious native sons. It was an honor to have met him, and talked with him (not to mention the fact that he was a fellow U-T grad!). He was a WWII veteran, champion of education, civil rights giant, and a pretty decent doctor....yet he was one of the most humble and unassuming people Ive ever known. When he passed away in July, 1996 I attended his funeral at Corpus Christi Cathedral and burial at Seaside. The following photos were taken that day.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 17:34:17 +0000