Juan-Carlos Lertora
Juan-Carlos Lertora, who joined Skidmore as a professor of Spanish in 1980, died March 2, 2006, from heart damage caused by a virus he鈥檇 contracted several years earlier. He was 60.
Called 鈥渁 teddy bear in armor,鈥� Juan-Carlos was known as an exacting teacher and generous advisor who had a quiet but caustic wit. He was a voracious reader with what some described as an 鈥漞ncyclopedic knowledge鈥� of Latin American and Spanish literature; he also read politics, history, and鈥攆rom cover to cover鈥攄ictionaries. And he was known for his devotion to daughter Camila Lertora 鈥�04 and wife Paty Rubio, a fellow Skidmore Spanish professor.
Born in Los Andes, Chile, in 1946, Juan-Carlos a went to university in Valparaiso, where Rubio also studied. But they soon fled the repressive Pinochet regime, moving to Canada in 1975. After earning their PhDs at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, they joined the Skidmore faculty鈥擩uan-Carlos in 1980, Paty in 1983.
At a crowded memorial service on campus, many faculty, staff, and students described Juan-Carlos鈥檚 warmth, depth, and intensity. French professor John Anzalone, a longtime friend, confessed that when Juan-Carlos interviewed him for a Skidmore job, 鈥渉e scared me silly. He had an imposing and sometimes forbidding mien, and he suffered fools not at all.鈥� Later, when John told Juna-Carlos how intimidating he鈥檇 seemed, he 鈥渞aised his eyebrows with a phony look of utter perplexity and simply said, 鈥楳e? No-o-o, come on!鈥� Then his shoulders began to quake as he tried to repress his laughter.鈥� John added that he loved it when Juan-Carlos feigned innocence and 鈥渨ent all meek on me, as it was an unmistakable sign of his affection.鈥� Calling him his 鈥渋ntellectual godfather鈥� and citing his profound influence on his teaching, John said, 鈥淗is voice echoes time and again in my classes.鈥�
Friends also recalled Juan-Carlos鈥檚 culinary talents and his love of red wines. Regular dinner companion and faculty colleague Viviana Rangil added, 鈥淓very morning we would go to Case Center for a coffee, French roast for both of us, and he would never let me pay for it, in the fashion of a true Latin American gentleman.鈥� The two often walked to classrooms together and shared jokes or conversations in their offices. She said, 鈥淣ow all the spaces seem empty and full at once.鈥�
Donations in Juan-Carlos鈥檚 memory can be made to Skidmore鈥檚 Opportunity Program, which helps support students from disadvantaged backgrounds.