Beloved Hispanic studies professor passes away

By Elizabeth Finley     1/30/13 6:00pm

On Jan. 19, associate professor of Spanish Jose Bernardo Perez yielded to his hard-fought battle against lung cancer.

According to numerous colleagues, students and friends, Perez was a cherished professor at Rice, where he dedicated himself to teaching Spanish language and culture for over 33 years. He also served as the Hispanic Studies Program's undergraduate adviser and the faculty sponsor for the Catholic Student Center.

Perez was born Sept. 12, 1948, in Villagarcia de Arousa of Pontevedra in Galicia, Spain. He earned a degree in humanities from the University of Granada in 1972 before moving to the United States, where he received his doctorate in Spanish from the University of Iowa in 1984.

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The official obituary published on the Bradshaw-Carter Memorial and Funeral Services website states, "[Perez] is survived and will be greatly missed by his wife Gloria, daughter Cristina, son Daniel, sister Estrella, brother-in-law Pedro, niece Susana, his stepchildren and grandchildren, and his extended family in Spain."

According to Martel College junior Kenneth Misner, Perez was passionate about Spanish culture and language, especially poetry, and his love for these topics was reflected in his teaching - both inside and outside of the classroom.

"He loved poetry and truly inspired me to further my artistic skills in the avant-garde class, and he shed a new light on the history of Spain through the works he selected for the novel class," Misner said.

Perez received the Nicolas Salgo Distinguished Teacher Award at Rice. According to Margaret Dunaway (Will Rice '80), a former student and friend of Perez, his love for teaching and his constant pursuit of knowledge greatly impacted his students.

"By voting for Professor Perez to receive this honor, his students were returning some measure of the gifts we had all received from him,"

Dunaway said. "Perez gave us observations in metaphors that engaged our minds, thoughtful words that spurred our confidence and stories that made us laugh."

Associate professor of Spanish Lane Kauffman gave the eulogy at the memorial service for Perez.

"[Perez] was just, fair-minded and level-headed; ever gracious, decent and kind," Kauffman said. "He was a good team player and, all in all, a wonderful colleague. Above all, he was a good person."

Kauffman said Perez not only gave countless hours to his classes and colleagues, but also further influenced his students as the undergraduate adviser for the Department of Hispanic Studies.

"In that role, he nurtured generations of majors - always in a professional, but also in a gentle, personal manner - encouraging and guiding them to integrate humanistic and scientific subjects in their education,and helping them to get a running start in their next phase of life," Kauffman said.

Misner said Perez's influence led him to further broaden his abilities and major in Hispanic studies.

"His compassion and patience for his students really made him one of my most beloved professors," Misner said. "He will [be] and already is very deeply missed."

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