Dr. Bernadett was equally committed to the Mexican-American community in Chico and the international community. He left his young family for six months to volunteer in Vietnam, providing medical care for the Montagnard people caught in the conflict between North and South Vietnamese forces and American soldiers. Upon his return, he continued to serve both locally and internationally, flying each year to the small village of Noragachi in Mexico for two weeks. The Tarahumara people would travel long distances, sometimes waiting days to see him.
His trips came to an end after a plane crash, fortunately without serious injuries, though some passengers suffered minor cuts from broken beer bottles he had been transporting for local nuns. Dr. Bernadett was also a dedicated educator, serving as a preceptor for family medicine residents and students at UC Davis. To balance his busy practice with family time, he would fly his small plane for teaching commitments. Tragically, it was during one of those flights on a stormy night that his plane crashed, ending his life.
In his honor, the family medicine library at UC Davis was dedicated to his memory. Throughout his life, Dr. Faustino Bernadett, Sr., M.D., touched many lives and inspired numerous family doctors and others, leaving a lasting legacy despite his brief time with us.
