Campus History
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Macario Garcia Middle SchoolFounded: August 3, 1994School Colors: Columbia Blue and Navy Blue
Mascot: Gator
Our middle school was named for Macario Garcia, Fort Bend County’s only Medal of Honor recipient. Garcia was born in Mexico in 1920, the son of migrant workers. At the age of four, Garcia and his family moved to the United States, eventually settling in the Sugar Land area. Garcia was forced to leave school after the third grade in order to help support his family. He went to work on the Schumann Ranch, located near Highway 90 and FM 1464, in the general location of what is now Macario Garcia Middle School.
Although he was not yet a United States citizen, Garcia was drafted in to the United States Army in November of 1942, where he served for three years. On November 27, 1944, near Gossau, Germany, Garcia became a World War II hero. In an assault on enemy positions, his unit was pinned down by machine gun fire from a hidden source. Garcia charged single-handedly and wiped out a machine gun nest, only to discover that there was a second nest. Despite being wounded and disregarding his own safety, Garcia went forward, again, storming the position and destroying the second gun. He fought on with his unit until the objective was taken. Only then did he permit himself to be evacuated for medical care.
In 1945, Garcia was presented the prestigious Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman. He is one of seventeen Hispanics to receive the Medal of Honor and one of 3,612 honorees in the history of the United States. Those numbers become even more impressive when considering that 44,000,000 men and women have served in the United States Armed Forces.
Garcia went on to become a United States Citizen in 1947, and he returned to Fort Bend County. He was killed in an automobile accident in Sugar Land on Christmas Eve, 1972. His wife, Alice, who grew up on the Sartartia Plantation, survives him. Garcia is also survived by their three children, Carlos Roberto, Maria Theresa, and Rene Gustavo. Macario Garcia was a fine man who leaves behind a legacy of courage, determination, and citizenship.