Garcia's greatest passion: education
By Adriana Garza (Contact)
Originally published 04:33 a.m., January 18, 2008
Updated 04:33 a.m., January 18, 2008
Dr. Hector P. Garcia was born 94 years ago this week in a small southern town in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, one of seven children born to parents who were teachers.
His life would come to symbolize the hope and activism that marked the Hispanic civil rights struggle, and his actions helped to change the Hispanic experience in the country forever. Birthday celebrations in Corpus Christi and San Antonio on Thursday honored that vision and life mission.
He was passionate about many things -- practicing medicine, fighting for equal rights for Hispanic veterans -- but his greatest passion may have been for education.
Garcia, founder of the American GI Forum, developed a love for learning early in life.
His family -- parents Jose and Faustina Garcia and his six siblings -- fled from revolution-torn Mexico to the Rio Grande Valley in 1917.
Jose was forced to leave his teaching career behind and open a dry-goods store to support his family.
But education remained a cornerstone of the Garcia family.
Jose used the edifice of his grocery store as a quasi-schoolroom and taught his children the basics, including English.
Young Hector was sometimes difficult to corral for his lessons. His love for baseball often rivaled his love for learning and served as a distraction. But life always came back to learning.
Garcia would go on to earn a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas and a medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. His siblings all became educated professionals.
Education became a focus for Garcia and his American GI Forum. The civil rights leader took on school segregation and became an important and public figure on the issue. He demanded equal opportunity for Mexican-American students, who were separated from Anglo students and taught in subpar facilities with inexperienced teachers.
At home, he was just as demanding when it came to schooling. For Dr. Hector, education was more than just a cause, it was a deeply personal commitment.
Cecilia Akers, one of Dr. Hector's three daughters, said her father set high standards for his children, especially when it came to grades and schoolwork.
"He was so intense about us finishing school," Akers said. "When we were 8 and 9 he was already trying to get us to focus on what we were going to do for a career."
Coming home from school with a B or a C was bad news for the Garcia children. Dr. Hector expected all A's.
While growing up with such high expectations was difficult, Akers, a physical therapist, now appreciates her father's passion for education. In keeping with his motto, "Education is freedom and freedom is everyone's business," Garcia believed it was education that would ensure his daughters' independence, Akers said.
"He wanted us all to be independent," Akers said. "He didn't want us to have to depend on a man or anyone to support us. He was really ahead of his time."
Former staff reporter and Corpus Christi native Adriana Garza is pursuing a master's degree in political science at Texas A&M; University-Kingsville. Contact her at adriana.garza@tamuk.edu.
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