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Gonzalo Garza
Photo by Beth Wade Sun City resident Gonzalo Garza never let circumstance get in the way of what he dreamed to accomplish.
Born to Mexican immigrants in 1927 in New Braunfels, Garza did not enroll in school until he was 10 years old.
"We were migrants, and we stayed around Central Texas and Corpus Christi," Garza said.
As a child, Garza worked odd jobs to bring in additional funds for his family.
"I went to 11 different schools before we landed in Corpus [Christi]," he said. "When the war broke out, my older brother was drafted into the Army."
His education was cut short in 1944 when at age 17 he dropped out of ninth grade to enlist in the Marine Corps before being shipped off to the South Pacific to serve in World War II.
His time in the South Pacific taught him many lessons, one of which was the importance of education, he said. While in the war, he heard two groups of men with different educational backgrounds talking. While he was part of the group discussing women and drinking, he aspired to be part of the group discussing history and other topics, he said.
"I said to myself, 'If I ever get back, you will finish high school and go to college," Garza said.
After returning from the war, Garza made it back into the classroom, earning a GED before continuing on to college and eventually earning a master's degree in education and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction.
His education, however, was interrupted for a second time while serving during the Korean War in 1950. During his second stint in the Marines, Garza was awarded the Purple Heart.
Back in the United States, Garza pursued a career in education. Garza worked as a teacher before becoming an administrator in Corpus Christi. His career took him throughout the state to Austin, Eagle Pass and to Houston, where he was hired as an area superintendent in Houston ISD by now Georgetown Mayor George Garver.
Garza served as interim superintendent in Austin ISD for one year before retiring in 1992.
"I've been blessed; I've been so lucky," he said. "I happened to be in the right place at the right time."
Austin ISD opened Garza Independence High School in 1998 in honor of the former superintendent.
Garza's education continued in 2006 and 2007 while dealing with his wife's Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. The couple was married for 55 years.
"I didn't know anything about Alzheimer's before that," Garza said.
In 2010, Garza published his second book, "Living with Alzheimer's," detailing his experiences with his wife's illness.
Although he is retired, Garza is still active in Georgetown and Austin. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Georgetown, serves on several area boards of directors and competes in horseshoes in the National Senior Olympics.
