Even so, Fabian Garcia's name was honored in the Mesilla Valley.  In 1907, this son of humble origins married Julieta Amador, daughter of one of the valley's oldest and most prominent families.  Their courtship, as suggested by their correspondence in Spanish, followed tradition, but was also romantic.  Julieta Amador's letters to Garcia, preserved in the Rio Grande Historical Collections, were written frequently, at times daily, during their engagement.      Garcia's long life, however, was not to be shared by Julieta.  She died in 1920 and Garcia never remarried, prefering the close company of family and friends and the environment of his beloved university.      In a biographical form filled out by Garcia in 1942 for "Who's Who in America", appeared a poignant and telling statement of his character.   On the line for listing children he wrote simply, "A boy but he died."  There are no other details regarding the matter.      In 1914, he was named the first director of the state Agricultural Experiment Station as well as horticulturalist.  A somewhat rudimentary science by today's standards, horticulture nonetheless was significantly improved under Garcia.       His accomplishments in the field include his chile work, producing the first reliable chile pod, the beginnings of the hot "Sandia" pepper, and the introduction of the Grano onion.  He was instrumental in planting some of the first pecan trees in the Mesilla Valley around 1913.  Some of the 35 varieties planted still stand today.      Garcia's commitment to the young college was apparent early.  In 1903 when the land for the present horticulture farm was purchased, Garcia personally signed the note for the loan.  "Then to pay it off, he planted watermelons without irrigation.  For water he added hand-operated 'pitcher' pumps to bring in the harvest."  recalls Dr. Joseph V. Enzie.

Those who worked with Garcia said he was an administrator with a sentimental feeling for tradition, although he did not resist change.  His personal style was a blend of gentle humor and a firm hand.          Garcia's success was often in his method of persuasion, associates said.  He would joke frequently to make a point, cajoling his researchers and others into agreement or compromise.  Besides his talent with people, Garcia also was astute with finances and his administrative reputation was impressive.  His peers marveled at his prominence throughout the state, seemingly as well known in Albuquerque as in Bluewater or Las Vegas.      Jenny Curry, wife of the late Albert Curry who succeeded Garcia at the experiment station, remembers Fabian as "an elegant man, a born gentleman."      Because of his own background, Garcia tried to help poor Mexican-American students, providing them rooms at the farm while they attended school.  In his later years, "Old Director, " as he came to be called, would say: "Don't be ashamed to say you're Mexican.  I came from Mexico and I'm proud of it."      Garcia became ill, suffering from Parkinson's disease, and was finally bedridden in McBride's Hospital in 1945.  He clung to his directorship desperately, trying to work with acting director Curry from his hospital bed.  But in that same year, the university regents "offered Garcia the privilege of retirement, greatly (regretting) the condition which makes this action necessary."       Fabian Garcia, who had distinguished himself internationally for his pioneering work in horticulture, died August 6, 1948.  His will directed that his estate, more than $85,000, be left to NMSU with the proviso that it be used to build a dormitory on campus for poor youths with Spanish names, because, " I want to help poor boys, for I know their hardships."