Frank Bonilla

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Frank Bonilla
Born(1925-02-03)February 3, 1925
Bronze Star
Other workProfessor

Frank Bonilla (February 3)

doctorate from Harvard University, where his dissertation was supervised by Talcott Parsons, he had held faculty positions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and the City University of New York. He is a key figure in the establishment of the Puerto Rican Hispanic Leadership Forum and the Center for Puerto Rico Studies at the City University of New York.[2]

Early life and education

Bonilla was born in New York City in 1925.[2] His parents were both from Puerto Rico and had moved to the United States early in their lives. His mother emigrated to the United States in hopes of attending college, and his father had been a cigar maker and had served in the U.S. Cavalry. They were on the same boat going to the United States, and it was there where they met and began their courtship.

Bonilla was raised around

Morris High School (Bronx, New York)
.

Career

After he graduated from Morris High in 1943, he was drafted and assigned to a weapons platoon. Bonilla was taught to be a mortar gunner and was assigned to the 290th Infantry Regiment, 75th Infantry Division.

World War II service

The 290th Infantry Regiment, 75th Infantry Division was involved in the Battle of the Bulge.[2] Bonilla served in this battle at the front of the line for nearly a month.

After serving at the front lines, Bonilla sustained an injury and had to be hospitalized in France. After a brief three week hospitalization, Bonilla was reassigned to a replacement depot in France. It was there that he was invited to join the

Puerto Rican National Guard near Frankfurt and assigned as the company clerk. He soon realized that the Puerto Rican soldiers had a divide. The Puerto Rican soldiers raised in the United States were looked down upon by those who had grown up in Puerto Rico, and referred to the emigrated Puerto Ricans as "American Joes". Bonilla said of this experience, "The military experience helped to consolidate my sense of being Puerto Rican and also a sense of wanting to study and be a scholar."[citation needed
]

Post-war career

Bonilla returned to the United States after he was discharged from the military and made use of the educational benefits of the

doctorate in sociology soon after.[1] In 1965 his name appeared on a list of academics involved with Project Camelot.[3]

For 20 years, he directed CUNY's Center for Puerto Rican Studies, where he served as founding director until his retirement in 1995.[1] He also played a key role in the formation of the Puerto Rican Hispanic Leadership Forum to help manage the needs of Puerto Ricans in New York. Bonilla also co-founded the Inter-University Program for Latino Research at the City University of New York, a consortium for research that includes over 20 universities.[1]

Legacy

The Frank Bonilla Public Intellectual Award was created in his honor by the Latin American Studies Association (LASA).[4] The award is offered every other year.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Hevesi, Dennis (7 January 2011). "Frank Bonilla, Scholar of Puerto Rican Studies, Dies at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Frank Bonilla became major figure in Puerto Rican studies". US Latinos and Latinas & World War II. University of Texas. Archived from the original on 2006-09-01. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  3. ^ Behavioral Sciences and the National Security: Report No. 4, Together With Part IX of the Hearings on Winning the Cold War: The U.S. Ideological Offensive by the Subcommittee on International Organizations and Movements of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, December 6, 1965
  4. ^ "UC Davis NAS Professor receives Frank Bonilla Public Intellectual Award". www.nas.ucdavis.edu. UC Davis. Retrieved 12 November 2018.[permanent dead link]

External links

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