Damaso Oliva, Jr., MD
Rey Feo LXXVII
By Rudy Arispe | Photography by David Teran
Cuban-born Damaso “Danny” Oliva Jr., MD, was 3 years old when his family was fortunate to board a Red Cross boat that whisked them away from Havana during the height of the country’s revolution in the 1960s.
“We left with just the clothes on our backs,” Oliva recalled. “The Red Cross brought over supplies and left with people. My father was in medical school at the time, so he didn’t get to finish his degree.”
After arriving in Miami, Oliva’s father, Damaso Sr., found work doing odd jobs but soon realized that his family’s prospects for a brighter future were dependent on him completing his education, so he committed to going back to medical school. The Oliva family then moved to Spain, where Damaso Sr. completed medical school and earned his M.D. degree, then returned to the United States to complete his residency in psychiatry and finally settled in San Antonio.
“My dad would always tell us, ‘there’s one thing that can’t be taken away from you, and that is your education,’ so we learned early on in life how important it is to get an education,” Oliva said.
Just as education has been key throughout Oliva’s life, it is also a major theme for the Rey Feo Scholarship Foundation, and Oliva is carrying on the organization’s annual tradition of raising scholarship funds for college-bound students. As this year’s Rey Feo 77, Oliva will reign over Fiesta San Antonio 2026, as the People’s King from April 16-26.
Oliva has raised more than $300,000, and he’s not stopping there. His goal is to raise $770,000 by May. “We feel education is the greatest equalizer, and it really breaks down barriers for people,” he said. “We’re trying to help make it possible for every generation to be better and have more opportunity than the one before.”
According to The Rey Feo Scholarship Foundation’s website, since 1984, the Rey Feo Scholarship Foundation has provided over $11 million in scholarships to help students achieve their dream of higher education.
Since May 2025, Oliva and his Royal Court have been working tirelessly to raise big dollars by hosting a variety of monthly creative fundraising events. Some of these include a Night at the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium, a Royal Brunch at the Club at Sonterra, a Loteria Night at the Freeman Coliseum, and Havana Nights at Pedrottis’ Ranch, to name a few.
“We’re also planning a Rey Feo in the Neighborhood, where we’ll go to people’s homes to spread the word about Rey Feo and Fiesta,” Oliva said.
Since 1996, Oliva has owned and operated Alamo Psychiatric Care, P.A., his private psychiatric practice in downtown San Antonio, where he specializes in adult and geriatric psychiatry. His practice consists of both outpatient care in his private office and inpatient hospital care.
“I love what I do. It’s a passion and a vocation,” Oliva said, adding that he followed in his father’s footsteps by also earning his medical degree, completing his residency in psychiatry, and opening his psychiatry practice in downtown San Antonio. “I’ve been in practice for over 30 years, so my patients have gotten old with me. If they were 40, they’re now 70.”
He is also the Chief Medical Officer at Cedar Hills Behavioral Hospital. In 2017, Oliva assisted the University of the Incarnate Word in implementing and developing a Psychiatric Residency program for the School of Osteopathic Medicine, along with a colleague, Dr. Jason Miller. Oliva is currently an instructor and attending physician for the residency program.
“I had hired Dr. Miller when I was chief of staff at Southwest General Hospital,” Oliva explained. “He asked me to help him start a psychiatry residency program. I love education, so we did it. So far, we’ve graduated four classes. We started with eight residents, and now we’re up to 12 per year.”
Oliva shares a story about his mother, who was valedictorian of her high school in Cuba. She had a full ride to attend The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., but never got to attend because of the Cuban Revolution. Knowing his mother’s opportunity was taken from her drives Oliva to work towards removing obstacles to education for San Antonio students.
“She always wanted to read my textbooks and study with me,” he recalled. “She would tell me that the best way to stay young is to be curious and continuously learn. It keeps your mind active.”
And that’s exactly what Oliva does every day in his quest for knowledge and as a huge supporter of education.
For more information: reyfeoscholarship.com
