Dr. Henrich is the most compassionate man that I have seen. He treated everyone with same respect, dignity and empathy. He embodied our motto "we make live better." He knows employees at the university by name and cared for them. His message on the eve of Covid pandemic was so reassuring to many of us and uplifted all of us to face the challenge head-on. His dedication to his people at the university is unparalleled and remarkable. During the most difficult financial situation during Covid, his goal is to not lay off a single person and he was able to achieve his goal is a testament to his leadership quality and his empathy for his fellow human beings. We will miss him and there will never be another President at this university like him. His infectious smile disarmed everyone and he became a friend with his smile and compassion. On behalf of my lab team and myself, my deepest condolences to his family.

My first job at UT Health was as the receptionist up front in the President’s office. As Dean Dr. Henrich would come up and wait for his appointment with Dr. Cigarroa. As he waited, we always chatted about the movies we had watched over the weekend and our favorite movies. This kind of conversation continued even after he became president. It was always so nice to have that personal time with him and to see him relaxed from his very heavy duties. I also always enjoyed listening to him he was such a wonderful speaker, he engaged you and you felt his sincere passion about what he was talking about, and I loved his funny stories. Rest in peace Dr. H you will be missed. “Well done, good and faithful servant” Matthew 25:23 ~cindi adcock

There were days I would see Dr. Henrich in the early morning hours headed to get coffee and would say hello to him and he in return would greet me. There was a particular day that I wasn't myself that morning and I ran in to him. I had just been discharged after a month and 1/2 at UHS and I came back to work on campus. I met up with Dr. Henrich - him going to get his usual coffee at Starbucks. We said our hellos, but he mentioned he hadn't seen me around for some time and he could tell I was struggling and insisted I sit down to rest and offered his help. He asked what was going on with me and if I was okay. I explained to him that my kidneys were failing and that I had an autoimmune called ANCA. Little did I know that he was a nephrologist and he took the time with me to explain all about the auto immune I was dealing with. I was so shocked at his knowledge and his accurate feed back that I literally froze. He then said you stay right here and I will go get your friend Hilda H., and will have her come and assist you. I said you don't have to do that Dr. Henrich, but he would not take no for an answer. He knew I had a friend that worked at that time in his office and to my surprise, she did come out to meet me and we went to sit and we prayed together and she took me to my office. I will never forget that day - ever. I already had much respect for Dr. Henrich, but the respect for him grew even more. Because he cared. He cared enough to talk to me and assist me when he didn't have to. When he sent the video out to us about his going away to get treatment, I immediately sent him an email to let him know that I would be praying for him every day and he did respond back and thanked me. I believe he was a wonderful person and a person who cared. I will be lifting his family up in prayer at this trying time. But know that we have a Savior who loves us and His name is Jesus.

Dr. William Henrich cared deeply about 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 called me. 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. The IHPR’s national media organization, Salud America!, fuels its network of over 500,000 health advocates with culturally relevant content to build health equity. We also lead projects like the Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos biennial conference, the Avanzando Caminos study on Latino cancer survivorship, and the Avanzando Equidad de Salud: Latino Cancer Health Equity Research Center at UT Health San Antonio to address social determinants of health. 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. We will miss him deeply.

Mrs. Henrich and family, My deepest sympathies on the loss of your beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. Dr. Henrich was an amazing leader at UTHSCSA. He was a very sincere and honest human being. I really appreciated the opportunities to talk with him at events or when he was in the hallway on his way to a meeting. He always asked the staff our opinion on events he was planning, how were things going for us and had a genuine concern for the well being of his faculty and staff which was very much appreciated. Dr. Henrich will truly be missed. May God wrap His loving arms around each of you at this time and may His love and and mercy bring you peace. Sincerely, Shirley Kraft Department of Periodontics

I had the privilege of my lifetime to serve Dr Henrich as his Chief of Staff for 14 years. He was a man a great integrity and courage. He always said that it’s not the work that will be remembered but the people. Despite the very demanding work and schedule he maintained he always found the opportunity to lighten the mood by his spontaneous sense of humor. He was a one of kind and I will miss him.

The angels are rejoicing in heaven to receive such a beautiful spirit that shared blessings with anyone who crossed his path. I was blessed to have many encounters as well as to credential him since I have been here since he started with UT in 2009. I was so nervous to tell him what I needed to complete his files. He was really kind and sent me what he thought was acceptable, I had to tell him what he provided was not acceptable, and he was really a joy to work with over the years. My most favorite was my 20 years of service in 2016 he came and congratulated me on the platform, shook my hand and took pictures with me. That was a special day for me. He touched a lot of lives here in Texas and he will be missed for years to come. I will especially miss his Christmas wishes to all the faculty every year with his personal touch. With heartfelt sympathy on his loss.

Dr. Henrich will live on in our hearts forever! He certainly left his mark on this world by making tremendous contributions to the here and now and to future generations. He deeply and positively impacted the lives of so many! His legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of those of us who knew him or knew of him.

I was part of the SECC campaign for my former dept and was invited to an appreciation lunch where Dr. Henrich spoke. He was so gracious and came to shake hands and thank each one of us for volunteering. He was so down-to-earth and kind! I was pleasantly surprised. I can only hope we get another leader as kind, gracious, and intelligent as he was. May he rest in peace and may his family find strength and comfort in his extraordinary legacy.

Dr. Henrich was an amazing leader and shining example of commitment to health and community. His love for the arts brought a variety of wonderful concert experiences to UT Health. When I used to go to Gold's Gym in the Medical Center, I would regularly see him and it would always remind me that taking care of your own health is always going to be a lifelong activity. I'm going to miss the way that he addresses our university with his confident, inspiring, and humble speeches that has led our university to greatness. It has been an honor to help work towards his vision and I hope to continue to fulfill it.

I did not personally know President Henrich but I have been at the Health Science Center since 2013 and it was very clear his leadership had a huge impact on our institution. He was positive, cheerful, decisive, and in charge. He was very supportive of the School of Nursing and celebrated our successes. His passing is a loss for our university and the San Antonio community.

Dr. Henrich was always a supportive, enthusiastic champion of our outreach initiatives. He was willing to meet with students as often as his schedule allowed and he always made both my husband, John, and I feel as if we were important contributors to the UTHSA family. He will be greatly missed. The community impact he had and the model for being a gracious leader that he exemplified will live on in his memory.