82S10203 MDM-D
By: Guillen H.R. No. 73
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Dr. Mario E. Ramirez has made immeasurable
contributions to the provision of improved health care in South
Texas; and
WHEREAS, After completing his residency in 1950, Dr. Ramirez
returned to Roma, his birthplace, to open that town's first family
clinic, and for some years he was the only practicing physician in
Starr County; in 1958, he founded Roma's first hospital, the Manuel
Ramirez Memorial Clinic and Hospital, named for his grandfather;
later, while also serving as county judge, he was instrumental in
the creation of the Starr County Memorial Hospital and in the
establishment of a hospital taxation district to fund its
operation; when the new county hospital opened in Rio Grande City in
1975, Dr. Ramirez relocated to that community; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed physician continued to practice
family medicine until 1995, when he assumed the post of vice
president for South Texas Programs at The University of Texas
Health Science Center at San Antonio; during his tenure in that
office, he launched an initiative to encourage students in South
Texas to pursue careers in the health sciences, and to date, more
than 2,000 young Texans have participated in the Med Ed Program;
after eight years with the health science center, Dr. Ramirez
retired in 2007; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Ramirez has worked tirelessly to draw attention
to the needs of the medically underserved in South Texas, and to
that end, he has held numerous leadership positions in national and
statewide organizations and committees; to cite just two, he has
served as president of both the Texas Medical Association and the
Texas Academy of Family Physicians; in addition, he has long worked
to advance the cause of higher education in this state, and his
efforts in that regard have earned him gubernatorial appointments
to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and The University
of Texas System Board of Regents; and
WHEREAS, The recipient of a host of accolades, Dr. Ramirez
has been recognized by Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon,
Jimmy Carter, and George H. W. Bush; moreover, the establishment of
the Dr. Mario E. Ramirez Distinguished Professorship in Family and
Community Medicine at the UT School of Medicine at San Antonio and
the naming of the medical library at the Regional Academic Health
Center in Harlingen in his honor bear testament to the magnitude of
his achievements; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of his exemplary career, Dr. Mario
Ramirez has served the residents of South Texas with the utmost
skill, compassion, and determination, and his efforts have
benefited untold numbers of individuals; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby commend Dr. Mario E.
Ramirez on his exceptional contributions to health care in South
Texas and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued
happiness; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Dr. Ramirez as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.