CORPUS CHRISTI -- Members of the late Dr. Hector P. Garcia's family and community leaders will honor the memory of "Dr. Hector" during a dedication ceremony being held today at Lamar Elementary School. Today's dedication is one of many like it that honor Dr. Hector's lifetime dedication to public service and community activism.

Senator Hinojosa commented on Dr. Hector's contribution to Corpus Christi and the national Latino community.

"Dr. Hector's commitment to serving and speaking on behalf of underserved constituencies truly overwhelmed the racial biases of his time. Dr. Hector turned the culture of ignorance and prejudice on its head, compelling political leaders to recognize the value of Latinos in America. His was a life of selfless giving - of patriotism and living according to democratic principles," Senator Hinojosa said.

During the most recent legislative session of 2007 in Austin, Senator Hinojosa and the Nueces County legislative delegation, including Representatives Abel Herrero, Solomon Ortiz, Jr., and Juan Garcia, III, sponsored a resolution renaming a portion of State Highway 286 the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Highway. Senator Hinojosa, with the full support of Dr. Hector's family, is spear-heading a fund-raising effort to purchase the signs for the Garcia Memorial Highway.

"The Nueces County delegation and I, with Dr. Hector's family's blessing, wanted to raise private funds for the signs as a way of giving back from our own personal time and effort to Dr. Hector's memory," Senator Hinojosa added. "This fund-raising campaign is an opportunity to further Dr. Hector's legacy. Each of us can contribute something to a project associated with a man who gave everything to our community."

Donations for the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Highway signs can be made to the Coastal Bend Community Foundation at Coastal Bend Community Foundation at 600 Leopard St., Suite 1716, Corpus Christi, TX 78473. Donors should indicate in the memo line of their checks that the donations are being made for the "Dr. Garcia Highway Signs."

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