McALLEN — The mood inside the RBG Bar & Grill at the Radisson Hotel McAllen Airport was festive as friends and family gathered to honor Dr. Albert H. Gutierrez.
The event Wednesday, Oct. 19, was hosted by Futuro RGV and used as an opportunity to look back at the work Gutierrez has done for the community as director of the Hope Clinic in McAllen, while also looking forward to the next generation of community leaders.
“We wanted to honor RGV leaders because we think that there is so much potential down here,” Futuro RGV Board President Nedra Kinerk said. “We’ve been very impressed with the number of high-quality, really dedicated people that we have down here in the RGV helping our communities. Sure we have some people who aren’t quite as special, but we have so many that really are special and work very hard to make this a good place to live and work and raise our families.”
The event was an opportunity for the community to meet and recognize not only Gutierrez for his years of medical service to the Rio Grande Valley, but to recognize some young folks who the local advocacy group deems as emerging leaders in the region.
“We all know how important the hospital is for us, but we want people to realize and take ownership of our hospital and our medical students,” Kinerk said. “We own them. They are our kids. They are our people, and they are going to be the ones who lead us forward into the medical future — which is going to be phenomenal I think.”
Jose Delgado of McAllen and Johanna Mora of Brownsville, first-year students from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s School of Medicine, were among those recognized at Wednesday’s event.
Futuro RGV, a white coat donor, used the opportunity to showcase the medical students with a reenactment of the white coat ceremony while promoting UTRGV’s School of Medicine.
“It’s really great to be a part of the community as I start this medical school journey, to recognize the needs of the community and get involved as much as I can,” Delgado said. “My hope is to come and practice here — just to get as familiar as possible and as well acquainted as possible with the patient population right now.”
“I also feel very great that I’m going to be able to give back to my community in the near future,” Mora added.
Sydney Ramon, a senior political science major at Texas A&M University, was another young emerging leader recognized by Futuro RGV during Wednesday’s event. However, she was unable to attend due to an illness. Her parents, Robert and Dolly Ramon, and grandparents attended the event on her behalf and accepted a $1,000 scholarship from Futuro RGV.
“It means a lot to us, first and foremost, that Sydney is involved in her community,” Dolly said.
“Sydney has always been very passionate about the Valley. For her, it’s about going away to Texas A&M, having these experiences in (Washington) D.C. and Austin, and bringing that knowledge back to the Valley. It means a lot to us that she’s not wanting to go off and do something somewhere else. She’s definitely very set on coming back home eventually when she gets her experience and doing something for the people of McAllen and the RGV.”
Gutierrez was the guest of honor during Wednesday’s event. Born and raised in Rio Grande City, Gutierrez has spent over 55 years practicing medicine, including 24 years in the Valley. He has spent 15 years serving as the medical director at the Hope Clinic, a nonprofit that offers affordable healthcare services for the uninsured.
“I don’t know what to say,” Gutierrez said in front of the crowd. “I’ve never been honored like tonight. Yes, I’ve given a lot of myself to the community. I always have. My dad always said, ‘Mijito, if you have two of anything, give one to somebody that’s underprivileged — that doesn’t have one. Whether it’s work or a substance, share.’”
The 83-year-old doctor continues to work part-time at the Hope Clinic.
“I’m overwhelmed,” Gutierrez said. “I feel blessed. I feel like I really don’t deserve this. I didn’t expect it. I just feel very special to have all these people recognize me for the little bit that I’ve done for the community.”
