IWA honor Dr. Hector P. Garcia

Honoring Dr. Hector P. Garcia, Incarnate Word Academy celebrated the life of the renowned Mexican-American civil rights leader during a memorial Mass on Sept. 19 in the IWA Chapel.
 
After many years of serving as the personal physician to the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, IWA continues to have a close personal relationship with the family of Dr. Garcia.
 
All of Garcia's daughters graduated from IWA, including Cecilia Garcia-Akers, President and Chairman of the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation, who spoke to students at the conclusion of Wednesday’s Mass. Garcia-Akers presented a $2,000 check on behalf of the foundation to be used as tuition assistance for IWA families.
 
“It’s what my father would have wanted,” Garcia-Akers said.
 
In 2017, Garcia-Akers authored the biographical novel “The Inspiring Life of Texan Hector P. Garcia,” which chronicles the life of her father’s journey to America, his struggles being a Latino in the U.S. Army, the difficulty of obtaining his medical license, as well as his devotion toward bringing better health care and education to veterans and students for over 50 years.
 
In May of 2009, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed Senate Bill 495 establishing a State Recognition Day to be observed on the third Wednesday of each September in honor of Dr. Garcia.