Health Science Center’s retirement association provides purpose, connection, knowledge
For Rudy Gomez Jr., having an outlet like the Health Science Center’s Association of Retired Faculty and Associates, or ARFA, was a godsend that enabled him to recharge during the most challenging time of his life.
After his wife Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, the self-professed tinkerer thought he could fix it — with his devotion, his love, his persistence.
But as the disease progressed, he saw the vibrant woman who loved music, dancing, children and above all her family, slowly retreat into the vast abyss of the disease.
Through the School of Nursing’s Caring for the Caregiver program, Gomez learned that very often, caregivers don’t realize they have to find time to take care of themselves. So, the devoted husband carved some time to spend with fellow retirees at ARFA events.
“ARFA provided a meaningful diversion from the daily demands of caregiving,” Gomez said. “It gave me a continued sense of connection to the Health Science Center, where I had devoted 41 years of service. The camaraderie, engagement and sense of purpose were invaluable to me.”
After retiring from his position as associate dean of finance and administration for the School of Nursing in 2014, School of Nursing Dean Emeritus Patty Hawken gifted Gomez his first year’s membership to the association, which provides Health Science Center retirees a way to remain connected, make new friends and stay abreast of the university’s growth and evolution. The group is made up of retired faculty and staff with at least five years of continuous employment at the university.
Through tours, lunches and speaking events several times a year, the group learns about the university’s programs and successes, maintaining a bond with the institution and each other. Events include speakers representing the Health Science Center’s schools, administration, human resources and support services.
The group also gives back by awarding student scholarships on a rotating basis to academically outstanding students with financial need from each of the Health Science Center’s six schools.
Most recently, Senior Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Health System Francisco G. Cigarroa, MD, was a keynote speaker at the association’s annual holiday luncheon at Club Giraud, where Gomez was installed as the association’s 18th president.
During the event, two deserving students — one from the School of Nursing and another from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences — were each awarded $2,000 scholarships. Funds for the scholarship are donated from the association’s membership.
Staying connected
As the association’s new president, Gomez aims to draw more retirees into the organization.
When people retire, they may struggle if they lose their sense of connection or identity, Gomez said. “It’s just so special to stay connected and engaged and, as I like to say, hopefully productive,” he said.
It was through an association luncheon in 2018 that Gomez was introduced to invited speaker Sudha Seshadri, MD, founding director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases.
“I had the honor of sitting at her table and shared with her that my wife, Barbara, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia,” Gomez recalled. “She kindly gave me her card, which meant a great deal to me.”
Gomez kept that card and used it after his wife’s condition deteriorated. She had become more agitated, anxious and unable to sleep.
“That’s when I finally woke up,” Gomez said. “A lot of employees don’t even realize what we have in our own backyard with the Biggs Institute.”
If not for his membership with ARFA, Gomez may not have reached out to the institute. After making some calls, he made an appointment and met with Seshadri and her team. Through their consultation, Barbara was prescribed select medications and her agitation began to fade.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Gomez said. “Her anxiety was gone. She was happy. She was laughing. She was enjoying music again. And she was sleeping.”
Gomez’s face lit up as he thought back to when he first met Barbara. It was the early 1970s and the two San Antonio College students with two left feet found themselves in the same dance class.
“It was a match made in heaven,” Gomez said. The couple married two years later and had a beautiful family with three kids, six grandchildren with one on the way and three great-grandchildren.
Among the most treasured moments for Gomez was the ability to reconnect with Barbara after she began taking the medications. She was able to enjoy dancing — the activity that had brought the couple together years ago.
“She would smile and [while] she wouldn’t be able to communicate, I put music on and … we would dance just holding hands while she was bedridden and it was just so beautiful because of our history.”
Gomez cherished every moment he shared with Barbara until her passing in 2023.
Staying in the know
For Janice Smith, retired former assistant to the dean at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, being a member of ARFA keeps her up to date on the latest innovations in healthcare — a priority for the Stage 3 neuroendocrine cancer patient.
“Every time I see where [a new center] is going to open, the first thing I do is look to see if they’re studying my cancer,” Smith said, adding that there may be other university retirees going through similar situations and wanting to know about new research and funding for rare cancers like hers.
Staying engaged was what ARFA’s founders had in mind when the organization was created in 1995, said ARFA member Cindi Adcock, who served as community engagement and special projects coordinator in the Office of the President before retiring in September 2024.
“There are so many changes and great things that are happening with the university’s research and how we’re helping our community, and [our retirees] like to continue to know what’s going on,” Adcock said.
How it all began
The morning of July 12, 1995, was a historic day as ARFA’s founding members gathered in the Special Collections Conference Room at the Dolph Briscoe Jr. Library and held the organization’s first meeting.
It was there that Harry Martin, PhD, who “spearheaded” the organization, presided over the meeting that would include approval of the organization’s constitution and bylaws and a discussion about including retirees’ spouses and significant others as members, according to the minutes from the founding meeting. Martin had served as professor and chief of the Division of Sociology in the Department of Psychiatry before he retired.
University President John P. Howe III, MD — who served in the role from 1985 to 2000 — also stopped by to lend his well wishes for the new organization.
When first created, the association was strictly for faculty and administrative and professional personnel. In 2021, under the presidency of Kenneth L. Kalkwarf, DDS, the association’s board revised the bylaws. Before retiring, Kalkwarf had served as interim president of the Health Science Center from June 2012 to February 2013, special assistant to the president from February to September 2013, dean of the School of Dentistry and professor of periodontics. The revision enabled all retired employees from the Health Science Center — with five or more years of full-time employment — to join ARFA.
Reconnecting, making new friends
Joining ARFA has enabled members to meet some colleagues face to face for the first time.
“When I first joined … I got to know faculty that I hadn’t known during my active time [at the Health Science Center] but that I got to know through ARFA,” said Carol Huebner, PhD, RN, retired professor emerita with the School of Nursing, and retired U.S. Army Nurse Corps colonel. Huebner joined the association after her retirement in 2013. “Just getting to know the rich experience that other faculty members have had and getting to know the family members of those faculty members … kind of enlarged my tent in a way.”
During her 31 years with the Health Science Center, Smith recalled interactions with members of many departments across the university and said she has appreciated the opportunity to stay connected through ARFA.
“I see people I haven’t seen since I retired, and it’s just been wonderful to see them again and to catch up,” Smith said. “Once you retire, your life totally changes, so I especially like the social aspect, the connection and keeping informed about what’s going on with the university, especially with the merger.”
Giving back
In 2008, the organization established an endowment for a scholarship fund for students in need. It was determined that each year, through the membership’s generous donations, a scholarship would be awarded to a student of one of the university’s schools on a rotating basis.
Initially, the scholarship was $500. Now, the endowment has enough funds to award $2,000 scholarships to two students each year, Gomez said.
“Without that money, [students] have trouble making ends meet sometimes,” Gomez said.
As president, Gomez aims to continue to build the endowment so that the organization can continue to award two, $2,000 scholarships each year based on just the annual interest accrued from the endowment.
Events planned for 2026
This year, the retirement organization kicked off its first event on March 9 with a well-attended tour of the School of Nursing’s Center for Simulation Innovation that prepares nursing students and professionals for patients they might encounter in a hospital or clinic.
Other events planned throughout the year include:
- The annual Fiesta luncheon in April, where university President Taylor Eighmy, PhD, is slated to be the keynote speaker.
- A tour of the new Center Brain Health led by Sudha Seshadri, MD, founding director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases.
- A presentation by the Office of Human Resources regarding retiree benefits
- A tour of the Pat Ireland Nixon Historical Book and Document Collection at the Dolph Briscoe Jr. Library on the Health Science Center campus.
- The annual holiday luncheon in December, where students will be awarded scholarships.
This year, the organization is continuing to pilot a mentoring program for employees who are planning to retire and, as a special welcome, all newly retired employees in 2026 are eligible to join ARFA free the first year. Members and their spouses or partners typically pay $20 per year.
Learn more about the Association of Retired Faculty and Associates or join the organization by clicking here.
Health Science Center retirees with an emeritus appointment are eligible for complimentary membership. For questions or additional information, contact Matt Scott at scottm5@uthscsa.edu or 210-450-8675.