HARLINGEN — There’s a new brick in town and it’s looking pretty good.
That new brick in the Rotary Club of Harlingen’s Walk of Fame bears the name of Dr. Juan D. Villarreal, who was inducted Friday at the club’s monthly meeting at the Harlingen Public Library.
“It’s a great honor to be validated for the activities that I’ve done in the community,” said Villarreal, a local dentist.
“Coming from a highly-esteemed organization such as the Rotary Club is a big honor,” said Villarreal, 66.
Clifford Moriarty, one of the Rotarians who sponsored his induction, said it was impossible to write everything he’s done to deserve the recognition.
“What a man,” Moriarty said. “We were limited to four pages, single space on justification. We probably could have made a whole book. It’s amazing. It’s better to be said, ‘What is he not into?’”
Villarreal’s community activities have included the founding of Narconon South Texas, sponsoring the Harlingen Outreach Center and sponsoring scholarships for JROTC groups at local high schools. This is how people like retired educator Gail Thomason have known him for decades. She gave a presentation about work with at-risk youth at Coakley Middle School, and the school won $5,000.
“I met Dr. Villarreal because he was the sponsor of it,” Thomason said. “So my first meeting with him was that, everything was for youth and making the world a better place.”
And that has been his work in the years since.
“After I retired, he asked me to join a team to educate the kids in the community and the development of projects that implement the way to happiness and good works,” she said.
So why has Villarreal been so heavily involved all these years in community service?
“My father died at 13 so I had to go to work early,” he recalled. “I always thought of education as being a part of growing and expanding and doing something for the community. And I always wanted to come back so I could give back to Harlingen after graduating from dental school and started my practice here.”
The results have made it all worthwhile.
“I enjoy seeing the pictures of students doing well and giving back to the community also in their projects,” he said. “I like to see the stories of what they did in their community and how they impacted and made a difference in the community.”
Dr. Juan D. Villarreal file
AGE: 66
WHAT: Newest inductee into the Rotary Club of Harlingen Walk of Fame
PROFESSION: Dentist
PLACE OF BIRTH: Born and raised in Harlingen
EDUCATION: Graduated from Harlingen High School
Graduated from Valley Baptist Hospital School of Radiologic Technology
Studied Radiation Dosimetry and Physics at Corpus Christ State University
Earned a doctorate of Dental Surgery from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
MILITARY: U.S. Army
