I fondly remember Dr. Henrich handing me my 10-year anniversary award and asking me if I could stay around for another 10. His kindness to faculty and staff, his generosity and commitment to SECC, and his appreciation of the arts through many concert events held on campus will remain vivid memories of his legacy at the university. His vision for what UTHSCSA could be is becoming a reality not only with the growth of the university, but also in the spirit of the people he inspired. May he rest in eternal peace. Thank you Dr. Henrich!
Our beloved William L. Henrich, MD, MACP, served as president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio from 2009 to 2024. In his 15 years as president, he transformed UT Health San Antonio into a top-ranked academic health center.
We invite you to share your memories of Dr. Henrich and what he meant to you.
82 entries.
I was very fond of Dr. Henrich. We had a professional and personal relationship for many years. I miss him very much. He was a special individual.
I had the privilege of attending two presidential forums that President Henrich gave and what struck me most was his passion for conveying the university’s great accomplishments and his natural ability to punctuate his thoughts with humor. He had a natural ability to captivate audiences. He was a great leader, an outstanding communicator and he will be greatly missed.
Dr. Henrich and I were hired at the same time. He was hired to be the dean of the medical school. I was a part-time paramedic instructor. I remember he sat in front of me at the HR orientation. The topic of parking passes came up and I teased him that his included car washes and oil changes. He smiled. Little did I know he would go on to be the giant that he was. I'm glad I had that small moment with him. RIP Doc, we'll take it from here.
Condolences and prayers to the Henrich family. My fondest memory of Dr. Henrich was the photo I took with him at the service awards. I remember he was walking around and saying hello to everyone. I asked him if we could take a photo and he graciously said yes. Thank you for your kindness and all your years of dedication and service.
I met Dr. Heinrich during my first SECC luncheon. It was an honor to have lunch with our President. Coming from another UT Institution, I was impressed how as a President he was so engaging and warm with all of the people on this campus. I felt honored to come to work at UT Health San Antonio. He was an inspirational leader and will be greatly missed. I tried to attend all functions that he held because they were going to be enjoyable; concerts, lunches, and celebrations. My condolences to his wife, children and grandchildren.
I will cherish the last photo I took with him receiving my 25 years of service award. Dr. Henrich always took time to say hello; he was an amazing leader. You will be missed by many. May you rest in peace, Dr. Henrich. My deepest condolences to the Henrich family.
President Henrich was a kind and warm-hearted person! My sincere condolences to the Henrich Family. Almighty Father, I want you to give the strength only you can provide to the Henrich Family now during this difficult time! God Bless You!
Dr. Henrich's optimism was always encouraging. His love of music, which he so generously shared with the university via concerts, was an anticipated highlight of the season and always enjoyed by so many people. His joy was contagious, and his presence will be missed.
I will cherish my last picture with him receiving my 25 years of service award. My daughter was present and so glad she got to meet him on this day. As always he took time to talk to us and take a picture. He was such an inspiration, an amazing leader. Rest in peace Dr. Henrich, we will miss you dearly.
I first met Dr. Henrich at a military function just before I started here and I remember his visionary speech. I remember thinking that this is a remarkable leader with sincere passion for people and their welfare; our patients, those in our organization, our community. I remember thinking this is a leader I can look up to and follow. In the years that followed, I was always awestruck at the culture he grew, the growth he accomplished. I was proud that he was our President, representing our organization. Whenever I saw him, he always stopped and generously gave up his time to look me in the eyes and ask how I was doing and if there was anything he could do for me. He always made us feel special. Thank you, thank you, sincerely Dr. Henrich. Your work will live on in the many lives you touched and in the many programs you started. Thank you for your infinite kindness, inspiration, dedication and service. I will think of you often. You are and will continue to be incredibly missed.
Bill's accomplishments, accolades, and extraordinary legacy are self evident and plentiful, but I remember him as a friend and very kind man who made everyone (from all walks of life) feel as important and special as possible, no matter their place in life. His humility and service to people were exceptional character attributes. He exemplified what we know as a servant leader and performed God's work daily. No one is exaggerating when we all say he was a great man, husband, father, grandfather, brother, boss, and leader. You name the role, and Bill was the best at it. We will miss him deeply but his legacy, winsome smile, and impact on literally thousands of lives, will live on. My sincerest condolences to Mary, his family, and close friends, for the mourning is heart-felt everywhere.
Condolences to the family. President Henrich was kind-hearted, had a strong moral compass, cared deeply about people, and loved our students and learners. His legacy of leadership and service will live on for generations.
My sincere condolences and prayers are for Dr. Henrich's family, friends, and the many others who loved him. I had the privilege to work under his leadership from 2006-2009 in the School of Medicine Dean's Office. He was very professional and set a great example for the staff. His sense of humor helped our office weather a number of challenges. I have fond memories of Dr. and Mrs. Henrich graciously opening their home for the annual dean's office holiday parties. I last saw him about a year ago when we exchanged updates about our family members. He always seem to be sincerely interested in how others were doing. His leadership and kindness will be sorely missed.
My sincere condolences to the family and loved ones!
I met Dr. Henrich last year at my 10-year anniversary. He came by and talked to us for about 45 minutes and it was so unexpected and thrilling to meet him. He was very thoughtful and kind. He showed an appreciation to his employees' years of service and I had a wonderful conversation with him. I never expected to meet him as the university is so big, but meeting him was so wonderful. He will be so missed, such a wonderful and inspirational man! Another great one gone too soon! A great loss to the nation! I am saddened that we lost him way too soon!
I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Henrich on a few occasions, and virtually through his many updates for UTHSCSA. I express my most sincere and humble condolences to Dr. Henrich's family. May the Lord comfort you and give you peace through this season. When I would hear Dr. Henrich's name, I always pictured him holding a pencil/pen in his hands when he was speaking. He will be missed.
Bill Henrich was a rare leader and human being, and it will not be easy to replace him. He had done so much to better medicine and health care. And among other things, he was committed to the Cheever CMHE and its mission of producing caring doctors. Bill and I had a common connection—we both were trained at Baylor College of Medicine.
We will miss him. Though he is gone, he will forever be remembered for his seminal contributions. Please accept our deepest condolences for your loss.
With prayers,
Fazlur Rahman, M. D., CMHE, and
Jahanara Rahman
Dr. Henrich was a wonderful and respectful leader. As a media relations officer, I would sometimes go to his office to listen in on phone interviews he gave. He was excellent with reporters. He was funny and engaging. After a call would end, he would ask me, "How did I do?" I appreciated that a leader of his stature would seek my input. He was a friend, too, as demonstrated when he made time to attend the memorial service for my son. His presence there is my enduring memory. God bless you, Dr. Henrich.
President Henrich always demonstrated such a cheerful and positive outlook, coupled with a driving determination to improve the lives in our community, and was personally an inspiration to me. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
What a legacy Dr. Henrich has left. As faculty, I have always felt the support and drive that he ensured by leading our leadership team. He led by example and will be sorely missed. Much love and prayers to all who grieve today.
It was a great honor and privilege to have worked with President Henrich, assisting him with patient matters. His mantra was always, "Anyone who calls the President's Office is a VIP." And he lived by his words. Thank you, Dr. Henrich.
I always said that, as a writer, there was no better place to work than UT Health San Antonio. There were, and are, a million stories to tell, and they all end with healing, teaching, discovering, caring, tomorrow. For me, Dr. Henrich powerfully confirmed that notion. He was always present to the moment while focused on what the future could be. Healing was his life's work. To his core, he was deeply, mightily committed to a better world. He invited all of us to join him in that journey. Dr. Henrich was a visionary, yes, but he was an even better man.
Dr. William Henrich cared deeply about the residents of South Texas.
I know this for a fact.
In 2006, a report, Code Red: The Critical Condition of Health in Texas, was released to assess the extreme magnitude of healthcare coverage issues and the resulting health outcomes.
Dr. Henrich, then the Dean of the School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio, responded with action. He was passionate about improving population health in South Texas.
So, he reached out to me to join the LSOM.
Part of his plan involved recruiting me to establish the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio to meet critical needs identified in Code Red.
From Day 1, Dr. Henrich shared with me the importance of compassionately serving our South Texas community. Not only enhancing and improving our services, but he wanted to ensure our services were shaped by the voice and needs of the community to maximize our impact.
With his support, we established the IHPR on Oct. 1, 2006.
Since then, we have spent nearly two decades investigating the causes and solutions to cancer and chronic disease disparities to improve the health of people in South Texas and beyond. Our research studies and programs have reduced Latino health disparities and helped people get cancer screening, decide to join a clinical trial, quit smoking, and more.
None of this is possible without Dr. Henrich.
He was a man of faith and a very special person with a big heart. He recognized the importance of reaching all our populations with equitable health care. He always had the time to take my call and engage in conversations and to help find ways to support our efforts. His special smile and encouragement always made us want to do more.
I will miss him deeply and always hold on to our special memories of him.
Bill was a dear friend, a long term colleague, and a valued and trusted mentor. I first met Bill when he was Chair of Medicine at University of Toledo. He and Christopher Cooper had submitted a grant application for a study to determine the best treatment for renal vascular disease. At about the same time and without knowledge of each other, Tim Murphy and I had also applied for a similar study. The leadership at NHLBI contacted us and said they would like one application and suggested we work together. We four met at NIH in Bethesda never having spoken before. It was a strange gathering, each pair trying to figure out what the other pair knew without revealing anything. But from that first uncomfortable meeting the CORAL trial grew, a 15 year project culminating in a leading publication in the New England Journal and a result that transformed the care of patients with renal vascular disease. That experience also cemented a lifelong friendship among the four of us, for which I will always be grateful.
Beyond whatever we accomplished working together professionally, Bill also became someone I would consult about a range of issues, personal and professional. At least for me, there have only been a handful of people who I have met who I felt would give me their intelligent, insightful, thoughtful, sensitive, and scrupulously honest opinion about complex questions, and always with my best interests at heart. Bill was one of those few people, and it's ironic that years later I called him when I was considering accepting the Chair of Medicine position at UT, a position he had occupied years earlier. For the next seven year, I then walked by his smiling, almost life-size picture every day, as the former chair, on the wall outside our office, reminding me what inspired leadership can mean to an institution.
I will miss talking to Bill. He was always upbeat and fun, even during the most trying times. My deepest sympathy for Mary and the family. I will always be grateful for his genuine warmth, affection, and kindness to me.
I was the staff photographer at the UT Health and had the privilege of photographing Dr. Henrich on many occasions. He was always accommodating even though he had a busy schedule.