Ernesto Quinonez (’95) former senior co-editor of the literary journal Promethean, and author of the acclaimed novel, Bogeda Dreams, that will be made into a film by Fox Searchlight Studio;

Lidia Pousada (’78) MD 1980, New York Medical College, completed the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education program and is currently Director of the Sound Shore Geriatric Institute in New Rochelle, NY;

Henry Arce (’73) an educator who until recently was the Bronx Borough Deputy to the Chancellor of the New York City Board of Education; and

Eduardo Cruz-Lopez (’75) a Jersey City attorney now in general practice after serving as a public defender in Essex County.

Mr. Cruz-Lopez spoke first about his experiences as a student enrolled at City College in the SEEK (Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge) program. Increasingly involved in political activism, he co-founded PRISA (Puerto Rican Institute for Student Action) with Henry Arce and participated in the 1969 student protests on campus.  He served a term in the New York State Penitentiary system, and following his 1973 release, he completed his education at City College and earned his law degree at Seton Hall.

Mr. Arce gave an animated presentation, referring to Manhattan as the northernmost part of Puerto Rico.  He regretted the ongoing need for a SEEK program even though it enabled him to attend City College.  He noted the difficulties that students still encounter trying to prepare for college and gain life skills while attending schools administered by the New York City Board of Education. Arce admonished the audience not to give up on any student and asked each person to fund a scholarship for at least one student.

Mr. Quinonez commented at the beginning of his presentation that although he had not encountered the same difficulties described by the other panelists, some of his fourth-grade students had experienced similar problems.  He described how he and several fellow students in the English Department had revived Promethean after a ten-year hiatus. The work of several emerging writers was published in this journal during the 1990s. He then read two excerpts from his novel Bogeda Dreams—a character study of Sapo and an episode set in a junior high school at 110th Street and First Avenue.

Dr. Pousada had a family emergency, and Dean Gillespie filling in, reading the doctor's statement describing the wonder of encountering other Latinos when she enrolled at City College and acknowledging the shared culture with the Spain of her Galician grandparents.  When she enrolled in the nascent BioMed program, Pousada felt at home, did more work than she ever thought possible and discovered that she loved the work of medicine,  graduating in the first class of the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education.  She embraced the world of geriatric medical practice and has disseminated her experiences through five medical textbooks and numerous articles.

At the reception following, guests enjoyed refreshments from Café Largo. This event commemorated both Hispanic Heritage Month at City College and New York Archives Week.  It was held in conjunction with the exhibition of materials in the Archives illustrating the student days of the four panelists and with a display of books in the library’s Atrium highlighting the achievements of Latino Americans, "Hispanos: Success in the U.S."

Sydney Van Nort
Archivist
sunny57@hotmail.com
 
 
 

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