 Family Picture
Garcia was born in Llera, a small town in south
central Tamaulipas, Mexico, Hector Garcia was still a small child when
his family crossed over into Texas, fleeing from the chaos of Mexico’s
Great Revolution. In 1936, he graduated with a B.A. from the University
of Texas. Garcia was influenced by his parents who were teachers and by
an older brother Jose Antonio, who also went to medical school in Galveston.
In the coming years, four more Garcias--two brothers and two sisters--would
graduate from medical schools for a total of six Garcia physicians
 Intern
Garcia entered the University of Texas Medical
Branch at Galveston and received his M.D. in 1940. Garcia often "thumbed"
to get from his home town of Mercedes, Texas to Galveston. After two years
of general and surgical internship at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Creighton
University in Omaha Dr. Garcia entered the military service. Garcia often
said he went into medicine instead of education (his first love) because
of the freedom of action he would have to pursue his various causes.
 Captain H. P. Garcia
Captain Garcia entered the U.S. Army, serving
as an officer in the Infantry, engineer Corps and Medical Corps in
the European theater and attained the rank of major. For his services he
was awarded a Bronze Star and six Battle Stars. He met an married his wife,
Wanda Fusillo in Naples, Italy a month after she finished her doctoral
studies in liberal arts.
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The
Early Years