10 | LMT BUSINESS JOURNAL
Setting
JOAQUIN CIGARROA SR.
Cigarroa family continues community service, excellence set by Joaquin Sr.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of a
two-part series on the history and commu-
nity service of the Cigarroa family in
Laredo which leads up to the family of doc-
tors being named the Business Persons of
the Year for 2005. Information is being
obtained from newspaper clippings and a
book compiled by Marisa Cigarroa
Heymach from recorded conversations
with her grandmother. The first part in the
series will bring the Cigarroa family from
Mexico to the time they settled in Laredo.
The second part next week will detail the
life of Dr. Joaquin Cigarroa Jr., and his wife
Barbara, and the impact on the community
of their 10 children.)
By MIKE HALL
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
o fully understand the reasons why
T
doctors Joaquin Cigarroa Jr., along
with his sons Ricardo Cigarroa,
Carlos Cigarroa, Francisco Cigarroa,
Joaquin E. Cigarroa and daughter Patricia
Cigarroa Keck — all members of the med-
ical profession — have been honored by the
Laredo Chamber of Commerce as Business
Persons of the Year, it is necessary to take a
step back to the past.
Traditions of community service and of
professional service, regardless of the kind
of business, were established generations
ago and the tradition continues with the
current crop of Cigarroas.
Influential families
The late Josefina Gonzalez Cigarroa and
her husband, the late Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez
Cigarroa Sr., hail from families, which have
produced numerous intellectual and politi-
cal leaders in Mexico.
Josefina died Jan. 20, 1996 at the age of
92, and left a legacy that will forever be a
part of Laredo’s history.
Months before she died, Marisa
a tradition
Cigarroa Heymach, the journalist of the
Joaquin Cigarroa Jr. siblings, recorded the
conversations with her grandmother, and
along with other newspaper research, pub-
lished a book in 1997 about her family
called Recuerdos de la famila.
Marisa Cigarroa Heymach’s older sister,
Barbara (the number two child on the
Joaquin Cigarroa Jr. branch of the family
tree, is a lawyer for Homeland Security, and
she has written extended essays about the
family called, Lessons in Life, about the
people in her family.
The eyes have it
“I have not known a pair of eyes more
beautiful than my grandmother’s. It is easy
to understand why she won the title of “La
Reyna de los Ojos Bonitos” in high school.
It’s not the color that is remarkable. They
are not blue nor green as her parents may
have wished. Mane’s eyes are close to
Oxacan black as possible. It’s the light in my
grandmother’s eyes that marks their beau-
ty. I think it’s because her soul shines
through them and makes them glitter like
the diamond earrings she has worn ever
since I can remember,” Barbara wrote in
the family essay.
It is understandable that children of Dr.
Joaquin Gonzalez Cigarroa Sr., and
Josefina Gonzalez Cigarroa, their grand-
children and great grand children should
continue that level of achievement in the
United States.
The late Dr. Joaquin Sr. was born in
Maipimi, Durango, Mexico. He received a
Doctor of Medicine degree from the
National University of Mexico and was a
professor of dermatology for a period. Like
many intellectuals of his generation, he
became involved in the Mexican
Revolution.
It was necessary to flee his homeland, so
the doctor and his young wife and small
son, Leo, moved to San Antonio. Dr.
Joaquin Jr. was born in San Antonio in
1924. Then Rebeca was born in the city.
Not only talented in his profession, but
also a man who loved to meet people, Dr.
Joaquin Sr. quickly became active in San
Antonio civic affairs and was at the fore-
front in organizing free clinics to meet the
needs of the poor, in that era before welfare
programs were common.
The family moved to Laredo in 1934.
Both the physician and his wife, Dona
Josefina, from the beginning gave much
time to Laredo charitable, health care and
educational institutions.
Community involvement
The Cigarroas were turned to frequently
for help with a variety of community proj-
ects. The senior Dr. Joaquin’s death in 1964
was mourned throughout South Texas
where he had become such a beloved figure.
Dona Josefina, as friends called her, was
the grandmother figure who worked tire-
lessly, but always has time to help a grand-
child with schoolwork and to extend praise
and encouragement.
This remarkable lady’s parents were
Angel Gonzalez de la Vega and Rebeca
Iriarte de Gonzalez de la Vega. He served as
a federal judge in Durango, Baja California
and Mexico City. After his premature death,
the young widow took care of their five chil-
dren, all of whom became successful in pro-
fessional fields.
Dona Josefina, the only girl in the fami-
ly, became a pharmacist.
One of Dona Josefina Cigarroa’s broth-
ers, Angel, became a Supreme Court justice
in Mexico City. Francisco also was a talent-
ed lawyer and, at 23, authored the Criminal
Code of Mexico; a textbook used in the
national law schools. He later served as
governor of Durango, attorney general of
Mexico, federal senator, majority leader of
the senate and ambassador to Argentina
and Portugal.
MONDAY, MAY 9 , 2005
JOSEFINA CIGARROA
Dona Josefina’s brother, Manuel,
became a chemical engineer and was a
founder of the college of chemistry.
Salvador, another brother, was a doctor of
medicine.
Josefina’s wedding
Perhaps it was the future that Joaquin
Sr. saw in the sparkle of Josefina’s eyes.
Whatever he may have seen, the family
started from humble beginnings. The fol-
lowing is Josefina’s account of her wedding
day, according to the book by Marisa
Cigarroa Heymach.
“I was 17-years-old and Joaquin was 26-
years-old when we were married. The wed-
ding was beautiful. One day, when you go to
Mexico, don’t leave without visiting the
church. It’s called El Santo Nino de la
Ensenanza. It was a small church, with wide
pews near the altar where the cloistered
nuns sat. They couldn’t look at the public.
“We didn’t go on a honeymoon because
we couldn’t afford one.
Barbara Cigarroa, wife of Joaquin Jr.,
said she had a few memories of her own,
saying she and her husband were engaged
for only seven weeks before they were mar-
ried, and recently they celebrated their 50th
Golden anniversary.
The real scoop
Barbara had the wife’s version of
Joaquin Sr.’s move to San Antonio.
“During the revolution of Mexico, it was
a very tumultuous time living in Mexico.
There were two brothers, Leondes and
Joaquin, who served as soldiers. They used
to have a silver mine and they had gathered
as much money as they could.
“Then there came a point where they
captured Leondes Gonzalez, father of
Henry B. Gonzalez, future congressman
from San Antonio. Leondes was going to be
shot. They already had him against the wall
and were ready to shoot him. Joaquin, 24
years younger than his brother, offered all
the money the two men had. Joaquin
showed the authorities the money and
Leondes was freed. Later he went on to
start a Spanish newspaper in San Antonio,
married and had children.
Meanwhile Joaquin remained in
Mexico. During his stay at the university
studying medicine, he lived in a boarding
house run by Josefina’s mother and fell in
love with his future wife. A few years
passed, and Joaquin went to South America
for his medical internship. The couple mar-
ried when he came back to Mexico and they
had their first child, Leo.
On to San Antonio
The revolution was still going on, and
Leondes invited his brother to have his new
son baptized in San San Antonio.
“So Josefina packed her bags, with her
baby Leo, and went to San Antonio. Once
they were there, Joaquin’s older bother,
said, ‘I don’t think you should go back,’ ”
Barbara explained.
The family left everything behind and
stayed in the United States for a new begin-
ning. A doctor was needed for a pharmacy
in the city, and Joaquin Cigarroa Sr. devel-
oped his practice from there, she said.
With the loss of revenue from the free
clinics, a decision was made to go where he
could make a bigger difference. By then
Joaquin Jr, was born and the family moved
to Laredo to settle down and begin a med-
ical practice, she said.
One of Joaquin Sr.’ s hobbies was hunt-
ing, and went on his first hunting trip when
he was 32. His enthusiasm for the sport
resulted in many trophies. What Joaquin
Cigarroa Sr, left behind was a family with a
history and legacy that will continue to be a
part of Laredo.
(Mike Hall may be contacted at 728-2529
or by e-mail at mhall@lmtonline.com)
Dr. Joaquin Cigarroa Jr., at the podium, accepted the honor on behalf of the family. Seated, from left, are Doctors Ricardo and Carlos Cigarroa.
Cigarroa family named Business Persons of the Year
By MAYRA FLORES
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
Catalina Zaragoza, chairman of the Small
Business Committee for the Laredo Chamber
of Commerce, announced the selection of the
Cigarroa family of Laredo as the 2005 Laredo
Business Persons of the Year.
“The small business committee has deter-
mined that the Cigarroa family certainly meets
this selection criteria and is thrilled to honor
this deserving group of medical professionals
and entrepreneurs,” Catalina Zaragoza, chair-
man of the small business committee, said.
The official announcement was made on
April 28 at the monthly meeting of the Board
of directors of the Laredo Chamber at La
Posada Hotel and Suites Philip V Room with
standing room only.
The winners are....
Listed as recipients in the official
announcement was Joaquin Cigarroa, Jr.,
along with his sons Ricardo Cigarroa, Carlos
Cigarroa, Francisco Cigarroa, Joaquin E.
Cigarroa and daughter Patricia Cigarroa Keck
— all members of the medical profession.
Present for the announcement was Joaquin
Cigarroa, Jr., accompanied by Ricardo and
Carlos. The elder Cigarroa humbly accepted
the honor on behalf of the family.
Zaragoza told the crowd that just recently,
along with Miguel Conchas, the chamber’s
CEO and president, and Clema Owen, chair-
man of the chamber’s board of directors,
arrived early at the Laredo Medical Center to
formerly ask the Cigarroa’s if they would
accept this honor.
“Upon meeting Dr. Cigarroa Jr., the patri-
arch of the group, I was struck by his patience
and wisdom. It is clear up to today, that the
same patience and wisdom has been passed
down the family tree as we prepare to honor
these medical-preneurs,” she said.
“The Cigarroa family has demonstrated
here in Laredo, and in other Texas regions
their great ability to seek opportunity and cre-
ate enterprise for its community,” she added.
Dr. Joaquin Cigarroa Jr., the pillar of this grow-
ing enterprise, stood by the podium and expressed
his feelings in receiving this recognition.
“It is certainly a very distinct honor and a
privilege for us to be here today and we appre-
ciate this selection,” he said, while his son,
Ricardo looked at him.
“All of our family loves Laredo and we’ve
dedicated our lives to the education and health
of our city,” Cigarroa said. “Education and
health are essential for the well-being of all of
our citizens – and it is this that we love and we
want to serve the rest of our lives.”
“If you wonder why we are the business per-
son of the year?” he asked the crowd. “Well,
health and education are tremendous generators
of revenue. They multiply many, many times.”
“And if you have a healthy health industry
you have a healthy economy – that’s why you see
cities like Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio hav-
ing such great business opportunities that our
generated by the health industry,” he added.
Long recognized for their standing among
the medical profession and their sense of
civic responsibility, the Cigarroas this time
were awarded the coveted nomination
because of their commitment to the medical
industry and the impact this has had on the
local economy.
Aside from their individual practices, the
Cigarroas have contributed significantly to the
LMT BUSINESS JOURNAL | 11
Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times
development of the healthcare industry in
South Texas. In 2004, members of the family
partnered with other investors towards the cre-
ation of the Laredo Cardiac Rehabilitation &
Wellness Center.
Presently, the family is developing the
Cigarroa Heart and Vascular Institute , a state
of the art facility to be equipped with the latest
technology available for the prevention, detec-
tion and treatment of heart-related diseases.
The 17,000 square-foot facility, slated to
open in February 2006, will occupy the entire
fifth floor of the Laredo Medical Center.
In making the announcement, Zaragoza
explained that the selection of the honorees
was based on an adaptation of the criteria used
by the U.S. Small Business Administration for
their annual awards, i.e. –
Staying power: a substantiated history as an
established business;
Growth in the number of employees: a
benchmark to judge the impact of business on
the job market;
Response to adversity: problems faced in
the nominee’s business and methods used to
solve them; and
Contributions by nominee to aid commu-
nity-oriented projects: evidence of the use of
nominee’s personal time and resources.
The annual banquet will take place June 16
at the Laredo Country Club. For sponsorship
or ticket information contact the Laredo
Chamber of Commerce at (956) 722-9895.
The annual recognition forms part of the
Distinguished Business Awards Ceremony
which is co-sponsored by the Laredo Chamber,
the LDF Small Business Development Center
and the Laredo Morning Times.
(Mayra Flores may be reached at 728-2547
or by e-mail at mayra@lmtonline.com)