The Hector P. Garcia, M.D. Awards ceremony and luncheon will be held on Sept. 19, 2014.

San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) September 03, 2014 -- The Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce the Hector P. Garcia, M.D. Awards ceremony and luncheon, to be held at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas at noon on Sept. 19.

Dr. David L. Callender, President of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) and the Hispanic Center of Excellence are hosting this yearly event. This event recognizes the many contributions Dr. Garcia made to his country, state and community as a physician and human rights advocate. It will include a presentation of the Cultural Competence Essay Award to the UTMB student who best exemplifies Dr. Garcia’s commitment to quality health care for all. This year’s guest speaker is David E. Hayes-Bautista, PhD, Professor of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA Director, Center for the Study of Latino Health & Culture.

The awards ceremony and luncheon are in celebration of UTMB’s Hispanic Heritage Month and the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Texas State Recognition Day, which falls on Sept. 17 this year. The University has been recognizing Dr. Garcia’s contributions yearly since 1997 and has awarded thousands of dollars in Dr. Garcia’s memory to students who have demonstrated cultural competency through their respective medical professions.

Dr. Garcia’s dedication to education is best exemplified by the awarding of scholarships. His motto, “Education is our freedom and freedom should be everybody’s business,” is the motto he established to promote the importance of education and to encourage obtaining the highest educational level possible.

Dr. Garcia was a 1940 graduate of University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, TX and was the only Mexican-American graduating that year from UTMB. He completed his surgical and general residency at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska in 1942. He was called to serve in the United States Army during WWII following his completion of his residency. He served as an officer in the Infantry, Engineer Corps, and the Medical Corps. Dr. Garcia completed military service at the rank of Major in the Medical Corps in the European Theater of Operations, was awarded a Bronze Star Medal, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Medal with six Bronze Stars. Upon completion of military service, Dr. Garcia opened his medical practice in Corpus Christi, TX.

About the foundation: The Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation was formed under the guidelines and rules of the IRS non-Profit 501c3 and is a recognized non-profit corporation by the state of Texas. The Foundation was organized to educate state-wide and national communities about the continuing historical relevance and legacy of Dr. Hector P. Garcia and to encourage, promote and foster the continuation of his ideals through establishing charitable projects and educational scholarships, and by working with various universities, colleges and schools to support those whom the Foundation believes share and actively strive to promote the same ideals that Dr. Garcia held so dear.

The Dr. Hector P. Garcia Foundation continues to strive to promote Dr. Garcia’s legacy by awarding scholarships to education institutions that represent the goals of the Foundation. Additionally, their ambitious agenda includes raising funds for a Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Wing and Learning Center at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi to house Dr. Garcia’s voluminous papers, photographs and memorabilia that represents his lifelong devotion to this country.