Feature Affiliate

Hays County Heart Walk
By:  Francisco Scanio

So many people are affected every year by heart disease, and our local and legal communities are no exception.  One day while driving on the interstate I saw a billboard for the Hays County Heart Walk.  I thought that having our newly formed young lawyers group participate in the Heart Walk would be a great way to honor the memory of those who have lost their lives in the past several years to heart disease.  We decided to walk and raise funds in memory of James Pape and Ricardo “Henry” Luna.

James Pape was a longtime criminal defense attorney, member of the Heritage Society, avid traveler, and really nice man.  He was always an informal mentor who helped young criminal defense attorneys in our local legal community.  He remembered your birthday and kept trying to practice his Spanish every chance he had.  We were so blessed to have his wife, Dianne, participate and gather more members of the community to walk with us in his memory. 

Henry Luna was a bailiff in the Hays County Courts at Law.  He would open up the San Marcos Athletic Club (SMAC) at 5 a.m. every morning for the “early birds.”  By 6 a.m. he had finished his workout, put on his uniform, and headed out the door.  If I showed up at 6:10 a.m. I was too late to see him.  He was a warm smile and a kind heart every time you went to the Government Center. 

You can even see by our T-shirt design that Jim and Henry are honored in the drawing.  We were very fortunate to have Jenna Sanchez, the 10-year-old daughter of Alfredo Sanchez who works in the Hays County Clerk’s Office and knew both men well, draw the design for our T-shirts and walk with us!  She drew a moon with hearts in it for Henry, whose last name means “moon” in Spanish, and she drew a poppy flower for Jim. 

The judges, staff, county clerk’s office, district attorney’s office, local attorneys, and friends in the community all gathered to support HCCYLA and the American Heart Association in the 5K walk on April 18.  There were 17 people who walked with us and many more who purchased a team T-shirt or donated to show their support and love for Jim and Henry.  We are very happy to report that we exceeded our goal by raising over $1,000 for the American Heart Association.  None of this would have been possible without the love and support that both the legal and local community provided to the cause the members of HCCYLA wanted to support.  Thank you to everyone who made the walk a success for our team!