wellington volunteer
DR. JOSEPH CASTRO
Retired Ophthalmologist Puts His Skills To Good Use Supporting The Caridad Center Story by Matthew Auerbach Photos by Abner Pedraza
“Volunteerism is the bedrock of the American psyche. No people give as Americans do, especially in time of need and crisis. It’s really the American way.” That’s not a famous quote. You won’t find it attributed to any statesman or chiseled in stone on any monument. The fact that those words don’t exist in a history book doesn’t make them any less compelling or inspiring. They belong to Dr. Joseph Castro, an ophthalmologist and Wellington resident who, since his retirement in 2006 and move here from the suburbs of New York City, has donated his time and talent to the Caridad Center, a free medical clinic located in Boynton Beach. Castro is the July nominee for Wellington The Magazine’s Volunteer of the Year Award. Castro grew up in Astoria, Queens. He attended St. John’s University, where he also went to graduate school, receiving his master’s degree in physiology in 1958. It was there that a chance meeting put his career in focus and brought him back to his familial roots. “Graduate school for me was the most enjoyable and intellectually
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rewarding period,” Castro said. “My primary goal was medical school, and it was at graduate school that I befriended one of the lab assistants who encouraged me to consider a medical school in Italy. My Italian heritage leaned me in that direction, and I finally applied and was accepted to the University of Bologna Medical School in Bologna, Italy.” Castro looks back at his time in Italy as a gift that keeps on giving. “It was a fortuitous decision and a wonderful experience,” he said. “I learned the language well — this made my grandfather very happy — and still keep up with it. I saw the beauties of Italy and its artistic history, met new Italian friends that we still keep in touch with and, oh yes, I completed the five-year curriculum and graduated in 1963 with my medical degree in hand. I married my wife, Marie, in 1961, so she spent my last two years in Bologna with me. We have some wonderful memories of that time in our lives.” Returning to the United States in 1963, Castro completed his internship at the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital and residency in ophthalmology at the Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital.
After moving to New York’s Rockland County, Castro opened a general ophthalmology practice in 1969. In the ensuing years, he and Marie raised their three children: Lenora, Christina and Joseph. Having retired in 2006, Castro and his wife made their way down to Wellington one year later. Castro said life in the village has been quite enjoyable. “My wife plays a lot of tennis and has a wonderful group of tennis friends and also a group of acquaintances from our parish church, St. Rita,” he said. “She is captain of the Wellington senior tennis team, and her team recently won the senior tournament. I really am proud of her and her ‘young’ girls. I am a frequent visitor of the Wellington library. I also enjoy gardening and tending to our small yard. Together, we enjoy concerts and for many years attended the Metropolitan Opera in Manhattan, so we renewed our tendencies here at the Palm Beach Opera. We were pleasantly impressed by the quality and professionalism of the performances.” Castro’s involvement with Caridad (www.caridad.org) came about by accident.