TITLE: In memory of Rio Grande Valley physician, educator, and civil rights leader Dr. Ramiro Raul Casso.

SUMMARY: In memory of Rio Grande Valley physician, educator, and civil rights leader Dr. Ramiro Raul Casso.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The Rio Grande Valley lost a revered civic leader with the death of physician, educator, and civil rights pioneer Dr. Ramiro Raul Casso on June 23, 2011, at the age of 88; and WHEREAS, Born August 4, 1922, in the Buenos Aires colonia in Laredo, Ramiro Casso was the son of Francisco and Josefa Casso; he earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University and immediately enlisted in the United States Army Reserve; during World War II, he served his country as an antiaircraft artillery captain; he then worked for two years in Laredo as an engineer for the International Boundary and Water Commission; and WHEREAS, This dynamic Texan completed a second bachelor's degree in chemistry at Baylor University in 1952 and went on to graduate from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School; following his internship at Robert B. Green Memorial Hospital in San Antonio, he opened a private family medical practice in McAllen; he frequently treated those who could not afford to pay him, and he worked tirelessly to ensure that all in need could find access to quality health care; in addition to operating a charitable medical clinic for migrant workers, he assisted in the founding of the Hidalgo County Health Care Corporation, and he later helped found El Milagro Clinic and served for many years on its board; and WHEREAS, Dedicated to equal rights and justice, Dr. Casso was a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens, and in 1948 he played a key role in the organization's Delgado v. Bastrop ISD lawsuit, which concluded with the judge ordering the cessation of the segregation of Hispanic public school children in Texas; he vigorously supported the United Farm Workers union in its drive to win workers' compensation and unemployment benefits for field laborers and in its efforts to secure their right to know the dangers of pesticides that they encountered in the course of their employment; in the mid-1960s, he treated the injuries of workers beaten during a strike, and his forceful statements against brutality reached a national audience and changed the culture of the Texas Rangers; he was appointed to the Texas Commission on Human Rights in 1983 and served on the national board of the American Civil Liberties Union; and WHEREAS, Dr. Casso was a member of the Health Planning Advisory Committee of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council, and he became the first physician member of the board of McAllen General Hospital; he served on the boards of McAllen Methodist Hospital and McAllen Medical Center and participated in two White House health conferences; as a member of the National Advisory Board for Health-Care for the Aged under Social Security, he helped build support for the implementation of Medicare; he was appointed to the National Advisory Board for Health Research Facilities of the National Institutes of Health and was twice appointed to the Texas Board of Health; responding to a critical need, he galvanized public support for the establishment of a University of Texas Regional Academic Health Center in the Rio Grande Valley, and he served on the adjunct faculty of the Texas A&M University School of Rural Public Health as well; and WHEREAS, In 1994, Dr. Casso retired from his medical practice, but the following year, he accepted the task of establishing the nursing program at South Texas College; he served as the first director of the school's Nursing and Allied Health Division and then became the college's vice president for institutional advancement and raised millions of dollars for the construction of the Nursing and Allied Health Center; moreover, he co-founded the Valley Scholars Program at STC and forged agreements with four-year institutions to grant scholarships to Valley Scholars graduates; the college named the Dr. Ramiro R. Casso Nursing and Allied Health Center in his honor; in 2002, he retired for the second time at the age of 80; and WHEREAS, Selfless in his concern for his fellow citizens, Dr. Casso also served through the years on the boards of the McAllen Independent School District, the McAllen Housing Authority, and the Hidalgo County Housing Authority; his myriad accolades included the Bishop Medeiros Golden Deeds Award, and in 1996 he was named Man of the Year by the McAllen Chamber of Commerce; a 32nd degree Mason, he was accorded his lodge's highest honor, the Golden Trowel Award, in 2003, and Latino Monthly selected him as one of 100 Outstanding Hispanic Americans for the 20th Century; and WHEREAS, Dr. Ramiro Casso wielded tremendous influence in the Rio Grande Valley and at the state and national levels, yet he remained a humble, gentle man with a subtle sense of humor; his tremendous contributions will continue to resonate widely in the years to come, and although he will be deeply missed, his unyielding devotion to education, health care, and social progress will forever inspire those who were privileged to know this visionary leader; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of Dr. Ramiro Raul Casso and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife of 62 years, Emma Laurel Casso; to his 5 children, Thelma Casso Morales and her husband, Pete, Lydia Casso Tummel and her husband, Ken, Sylvia Casso, Daniel Casso and his wife, Araceli, and David Casso and his wife, Vicki; to his 10 grandchildren; to his great-grandson; and to his many other relatives and friends; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Dr. Ramiro Raul Casso. Gonzales of Hidalgo Martinez Munoz, Jr. Alonzo Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 254 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on June 28, 2011. Chief Clerk of the House