Sergio C. Alvarez-Mena

ALVAREZ-MENA, M.D., SERGIO C., died peacefully on April 19, 2006 at 95 years old. Born on April 9, 1911 in Guines, Cuba, to Don Sergio Alvarez-Fabian and Aurelia Rodriguez-Mena, he was one of four brothers (Pedro, Maximo, Tomas) and one sister (Blanca).Educated within the church, he graduated from the University of Havana Medical School in 1940 with his classmates of "Los Jicoteos," so named due to the length of their course of studies in enduring the many stoppages at the University during that time. After graduation, he continued his studies in the United States at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, Mass., under the tutelage and by invitation of Paul D. White, a preeminent cardiologist of his time, and at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Medical School. Returning to his beloved Cuba, he began a private medical practice and the scholarly exposition of the cardiology of the day. In Cuba, he authored three cardiology textbooks, which became the standard for teaching electrocardiography for many years. He also devoted himself to the work of the church and Marian devotion. A devout and deeply committed Roman Catholic, he, along with his dearest life-long friends and professional colleagues, Jose (Joseito) Rouco and Carlos (Charles) Martinez-Arango, assisted Padre Rey Spinelli in the founding of the Agrupacion Catolica Universitaria (La Agrupacion), a Jesuit-led group of Catholic students and professionals who followed the footsteps of Christ through their religious commitment and professional excellence. A President of the Agrupacion in Cuba, his most cherished accomplishment was not that of his many professional accolades, but simply that of Agrupado. It was a commitment of over 70 years which he continued in Cuba, Georgia and Miami. During these years, he met his devoted wife of 56 years, Angeles Montero. Married in Santa Rita Church in Miramar, Cuba, on April 9, 1950, they remained in Miramar until November 1961 with their three children Angeles, Blanca and Sergio, when they exiled to the United States, and Milledgeville, Georgia. There at Central State Hospital, he continued his dedication to the Church, cardiology and to his family. He served as Chief of Medicine and Chief of Cardiology at Central State Hospital for over 20 years. He also served as Professor of Cardiology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia, where his grandson, Raul Sergio, now studies. During that time, he authored an authoritative text on cardiac oscultation, Cardiovascular Physical Diagnosis, with two fellow professors, Martin J. Frank and Abdullah Abdullah. He earned Fellowship in both the American College of Physicians and the American College of Cardiology. Active in his beloved Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Milledgeville, Georgia, he led various Ignatian retreats at the Trappist Monastery and Conyers, Georgia and "Grupo Cana" marital prayer groups. After retirement in 1983, he and Angeles moved to Miami. He continued his commitment to his active faith in God by frequently lecturing at the Agrupacion and working with Forum XXI, a group of Catholic thinkers addressing the challenges of the faithful in the 21st century. He authored his last book, Dying With Dignity, with Jose Mestre in 1986. His family and children, Angeles (Jorge Rodriguez), Blanca (Dr. Raul Gonzalez)and Sergio (Pilar Cendoya), and his nine grandchildren Lourdes Mendes, Angeli Mari Lopez, Georgianne Marie Rodriguez, Raul Sergio Gonzalez, Alejandro Jose Gonzalez, Victor Oscar Gonzalez, Paulina Isabel (Peanut) Alvarez-Mena, Monica Sofia (Macki) Alvarez-Mena, and Cecilia Philippine (Coco) Alvarez- Mena, pray in celebration of a life well- lived in a deep, daily personal friendship with God. Funeral Mass 10AM Friday at St Augustine Catholic Church. Entombment Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery. Arrangements by Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Westchester Chapel. To visit this Guest Book Online, go to www.herald.com/obituaries.