Longtime Friend to the Annual Children's Gift Drive Remembered

Henny Van Dijk, a longtime contributor to the success of the UT Police Annual Children’s Gift Drive, has died, according to an announcement from UTHealth Houston.

Van Dijk, a former UTHealth Houston creative leader who remained closely connected to the institution through The University of Texas Houston Retirees Organization, helped promote the gift drive by ensuring details were shared in the retiree group’s monthly newsletter. Each year, he helped raise awareness among retirees ahead of their Thanksgiving Luncheon. He also designed the original flyer for the drive, creating a key promotional piece that was used for many years.

“In 2025, UT Police honored Henny’s contributions with a Civilian Service Award, recognizing his lasting impact on a program that benefits the community’s youngest members,” said Maribel Salazar, Community Relations Manager, who nominated Van Dijk for the recognition.

Although he was unable to attend the award ceremony, the Community Outreach team later presented the award to him when he visited the institution.

For almost 30 years, UT Police has organized the Annual Children’s Gift Drive to support pediatric patients receiving care at hospitals and clinics affiliated with UTHealth Houston, including Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, the C.E. Odom Pediatric and Adolescent Health Clinic, and the Harris County Psychiatric Center. In recent years, the gift drive has benefited the pediatric patients of UTHealth Houston’s Dunn Behavioral Sciences Campus and UT Housing residents. The long-standing initiative relies on the generosity of the UTHealth Houston community to bring holiday cheer to children.

Van Dijk joined the newly established University of Texas Medical School at Houston—now McGovern Medical School—in 1972. During his tenure, he served as a photographer and videographer and later oversaw the Graphics Communications Group, contributing to numerous creative projects during the institution’s formative years.

“Henny’s support of the Annual Children’s Gift Drive never wavered,” Salazar said. “His contributions helped shape a tradition that continues to bring comfort and joy to children, and his legacy will always be part of this drive.”