Hector Hugo Gonzalez (born March 9, 1937) is a former nurse and

nurse educator A nurse educator is a nurse who teaches and prepares licensed practical nurses (LPN) and registered nurses (RN) for entry into practice positions. They can also teach in various patient care settings to provide continuing education to licensed ...

. He is recognized as the first Mexican-American

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...

to earn a Ph.D. in the United States.

Biography

Hector Hugo Gonzalez was born on March 9, 1937, in Roma, Texas, to Amadeo Lorenzo Gonzalez and Carlotta Trevino. His family's roots trace back to the mid-1700s in South Texas. After graduating from

Roma High School Roma Independent School District is a public school district based in Roma, Texas (USA). The district currently serves over 6,000 students. In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency. Catchmen ...

in 1955, he began college at San Antonio College before beginning nursing school. In 1962, Gonzalez was awarded his

nursing diploma A Diploma in Nursing or Nursing Diploma is an entry-level tertiary education nursing credential. Background In the United States, this diploma is usually awarded by hospital-based nursing schools. Diploma programs in the United States require ...

from the Robert B. Green Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in San Antonio, Texas, and his Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1963 from the

Incarnate Word College The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is a private, Catholic university with its main campus in San Antonio and Alamo Heights, Texas. Founded in 1881 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the university's main campus is located o ...

(now called the University of the Incarnate Word) in San Antonio. After completing his BSN, Gonzalez attended the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

in Washington, D.C., and earned his Master of Science in Nursing in administration of nursing education. In 1966, Gonzalez began his military career and served two years in the United States Army Nurse Corps, eventually retiring in 1968 with the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. After completing his military service, Gonzales taught at the School of Nursing at Incarnate Word College from 1968 to 1972. In 1974, he was awarded his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction of higher education from the University of Texas at Austin. Gonzalez joined San Antonio College in July 1972 and was named chairman of the Department of Nursing Education, where he led the two-year RN program, a position he kept until his July 1992 retirement. During his tenure, the RN program became nationally accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), began offering part-time and evening curricula in addition to a traditional full-time curricula, and started a program offering

continuing education Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United ...

, which was a first for a two-year nursing school.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Hector Hugo Living people Male nurses Nursing educators Nurses from Texas University of the Incarnate Word alumni Catholic University of America alumni University of Texas at Austin alumni 1937 births