Héctor P. García facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Héctor Perez García
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Héctor P. García in 1976
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| Born | January 17, 1914 Llera, Tamaulipas, Mexico
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| Died | July 26, 1996 (aged 82) |
| Resting place | Seaside Funeral Home & Memorial Park, Corpus Christi, Texas |
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| Known for | American GI Forum |
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Wanda Fusillo
(m. 1945) |
| Children | Daisy Wanda Garcia, Héctor Garcia Jr, Adriana Cecilia Garcia, Susanna Patricia Garcia |
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Héctor Pérez García (January 17, 1914 – July 26, 1996) was a brave Mexican-American doctor, surgeon, and a hero of World War II. He became a strong voice for civil rights, working hard to make sure all people were treated fairly. He is best known for starting the American GI Forum (AGIF), an organization that helped Hispanic Americans, especially veterans.
Because of his important work, Dr. García gained national attention. He helped ensure that Vicente T. Ximenes, a Mexican American and a founding member of AGIF, was appointed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1966.
Dr. García was also a representative to the United Nations in 1967. He was appointed to the US Commission on Civil Rights in 1968. In 1984, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest award a civilian can get in the United States. In 1990, Pope John Paul II honored him with the Order of St. Gregory the Great. After he passed away, in 1998, he was given Mexico's highest award for foreigners, the Order of the Aztec Eagle, in a ceremony in Corpus Christi.
Contents
His Early Life and Education
Héctor Pérez García was born in Llera, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on January 17, 1914. His parents, José García and Faustina Pérez García, were both school teachers. In 1917, his family moved to Mercedes, Texas, to escape the violence of the Mexican Revolution.
His parents believed strongly in education. They hoped all their children would become doctors. Héctor and five of his siblings did become physicians. In 1929, Héctor joined a youth military program called the Citizens' Military Corps. He graduated from high school in 1932.
He then attended Edinburg Junior College. He had to hitchhike 30 miles (48 km) every day to get there. His father used his life insurance to help pay for Héctor's schooling. In 1932, Héctor went to the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied zoology. He was one of the top students in his class. He continued his studies at the University of Texas Medical Branch, earning his medical degree in 1940. He completed his medical training at St. Joseph's Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1942.
Serving in World War II
After finishing his medical training in 1942, Dr. Héctor P. García joined the United States Army. The U.S. had entered World War II. He first led infantry and combat engineer companies. Later, he transferred to the medical corps, using his skills as a doctor.
Dr. García served in Europe and became a major. He received several important military awards. These included the Bronze Star Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. While serving in Italy, he met Wanda Fusillo from Naples. They fell in love and married in 1945.
Returning Home and Fighting for Rights
In 1945, after the war ended, Dr. García and Wanda moved to Corpus Christi, in South Texas. Their first child, Daisy Wanda, was born in 1946. Dr. García opened a medical practice with his brother, José Antonio. They treated all patients, no matter if they could pay or not.
In 1947, Dr. García became president of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). This group worked to protect the rights of Hispanic-American citizens. That same year, he became very ill and was hospitalized. While recovering, he noticed that schools in the area were segregated. This meant that people of different races were kept separate. Dr. García became determined to fight against this unfair treatment and inequality affecting Mexican Americans.
Starting the American GI Forum
After leaving the hospital, Dr. Héctor P. García started helping Mexican American veterans. Many veterans found it hard to get help from the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA). They often faced delays and unfair treatment.
In 1948, Dr. García organized a meeting to discuss these problems. This meeting led to the creation of the American GI Forum (AGIF). The organization quickly grew across Texas. It became a leading group fighting for civil rights and equal treatment for Mexican American veterans. AGIF stressed that its members were American citizens. They deserved all the rights given by the U.S. Constitution.
The Felix Longoria Jr. Case
A Mexican American soldier named Felix Z. Longoria Jr. was killed in the Philippines during World War II in 1945. His body was returned to Texas in 1949. However, his widow was not allowed to use a funeral chapel in Three Rivers, Texas. The funeral director said that "the whites would not like it."
Dr. Héctor P. García and the American GI Forum quickly stepped in. They asked for help from U.S. Senator Lyndon B. Johnson. Senator Johnson arranged for Longoria to be buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery. This made Felix Longoria Jr. the first Mexican American to be buried there. This case drew national attention. It showed the unfair treatment Mexican Americans faced. It also made AGIF a well-known civil rights organization.
Making a Difference in American Politics
The American GI Forum (AGIF) played a big role in helping Mexican Americans get involved in politics. In the late 1940s and 1950s, they organized efforts to register voters. They also helped people pay poll taxes, which were fees required to vote. AGIF raised money to help those who could not afford these taxes. They worked to ensure everyone had equal access to voting.
AGIF also spoke out against the Bracero Program. This program brought migrant workers to the U.S. during the war. However, it was linked to unfair labor practices. Dr. García's work connected him with important national leaders. These included Hubert Humphrey and George McGovern. AGIF also brought attention to poverty and health problems in Texas. A magazine article even showed high rates of disease in these communities.
Dr. García also worked to improve schools for children in South Texas. In 1950, he wrote to the Texas Department of Health. He asked for inspections to prevent diseases. He also fought against school segregation and unfair treatment in classrooms. Some people did not like Dr. García's work. He even received a threatening letter telling him to "drive [him] back to Mexico."
In 1953, AGIF published its own study called What Price Wetbacks. This study looked at issues related to farm labor in South Texas. In 1954, lawyers supported by AGIF and LULAC won a major case. This was Hernandez v. Texas in the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled that a man had not received a fair trial. This was because no people with Spanish surnames had served on juries in that county for 25 years.
After the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, which said school segregation was illegal, AGIF and LULAC continued their fight. They worked to integrate schools for Mexican American students in Texas.
Working with Presidents
In 1960, Dr. García became the national leader for the "Viva Kennedy Campaign." This campaign helped John F. Kennedy get elected president. Dr. García helped encourage many Hispanic voters to participate. Later, in 1962, President Kennedy appointed Dr. García to represent the U.S. in talks with the West Indies Federation. This was one of the first times a Mexican American represented a U.S. president in such an important role.
After President Kennedy was assassinated, Lyndon B. Johnson became president. President Johnson later appointed Dr. García as a Special Ambassador to Venezuela. In 1966, AGIF and other groups helped repeal the Texas poll tax. This tax had made it hard for low-income people to vote. AGIF also organized a march to protest low wages for Mexican farm workers. In 1967, President Johnson appointed Dr. García as an alternate representative to the United Nations. He was given the rank of ambassador.
His job was to improve relations between the United States and Latin American countries. On October 26, he spoke to the United Nations in Spanish. He was the first U.S. representative to speak there in a language other than English.
Starting in 1968, Dr. García and AGIF members often went to airports. They met the families of soldiers who had died in the Vietnam War. He often spoke at the funerals for these brave soldiers. That same year, President Johnson appointed Dr. García to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. In 1972, Dr. García was arrested during a peaceful protest. He was fighting against unfair segregation in Corpus Christi schools. He also advised President Jimmy Carter several times in the 1970s. In 1987, he worked against efforts to make English the only official language of the U.S. His last big project was to improve living conditions in poor communities along the Rio Grande Valley.
His Last Years and Passing
Dr. Héctor P. García passed away on July 26, 1996, in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was 82 years old. He was buried at Seaside Memorial Park. President Bill Clinton gave a speech honoring him.
Awards and Recognitions
Dr. García received many awards from governments and organizations throughout his life. Some of these include:
- The U.S. Army's Bronze Star Medal, the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with six bronze stars, and the World War II Victory Medal (1942–1946).
- The American GI Forum's Medalla al Merito (Medal of Merit) in 1952, for his work with Mexican-American veterans.
- National Coordinator for the "Viva Kennedy" clubs in 1960.
- Representative of President John F. Kennedy for a mutual defense treaty in 1961.
- Appointed as Special Ambassador to the inauguration of the President of Venezuela in 1964.
- The Republic of Panama's Condecoracion, Orden Vasco Nunez de Balboa (Order of Vasco Nunez de Balboa) in 1965.
- A humanitarian award from the Corpus Christi chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1969.
- The Distinguished Service Award from the National Office of Civil Rights in 1980.
- The Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984.
- The National Hispanic Heritage Foundation's Hispanic Heritage Award in Leadership in 1989.
- The Equestrian Order of Pope Gregory the Great from Pope John Paul II in 1990.
- Corpus Christi State University's first honorary doctorate of Humane Letters in 1991.
- The Dr. Hector P. Garcia Plaza and Statue were dedicated at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi in 1996.
- Several schools were named after him, including Hector P. Garcia Elementary Schools in Grand Prairie, Texas (1997) and Temple, Texas (1998).
- His image was placed on the U.S. Treasury's $75 I Bond series honoring great Americans in 1999.
- Texas State Highway 286 was named the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Highway in April 2008.
- The Dr. Hector P. Garcia Middle School was established in San Antonio, Texas, in October 2009.
Dr. García's Lasting Legacy
Dr. Héctor P. García was one of the first important leaders in the fight for Hispanic civil rights. His actions helped set the stage for the Chicano Movement. His life had a huge impact on society, from the poor neighborhoods he worked to improve, to the highest levels of government. By the end of the 1950s, hotels, cinemas, and restaurants in Texas were no longer segregated. Other public places like beauty parlors, barbershops, cemeteries, and swimming pools also became open to Mexican Americans in the 1960s and 1970s.
In popular culture, the famous author Edna Ferber interviewed Dr. García in 1950. She wanted to understand the Mexican American experience in Texas. She later used some of what she learned to write her 1952 novel Giant. This book was made into a movie in 1956, starring famous actors like James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor.
In 1985, a special teaching position, the Dr. Héctor Pérez García Endowed Chair, was created at Yale University. In 1988, the main post office in Corpus Christi was renamed in his honor. In 1996, a 9-foot (2.7 m) statue of him was dedicated at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. In 1999, his image was placed on the US Treasury's $75 I Bond series, which honors great Americans.
In 2002, the public television station KEDT in Corpus Christi, Texas, made a documentary about him. It was called "Justice for my People: The Dr. Hector P. Garcia Story." This program was shown across the country on PBS.
In 2009, the state of Texas established the third Wednesday of each September as "Dr. Hector P. Garcia Texas State Recognition Day." This was signed into law by the governor of Texas. In April 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives officially recognized Dr. Héctor García's leadership. They honored his historical contributions to the Hispanic community and his amazing efforts to fight against unfair treatment in the U.S.
