4 May 2011
Dr. Fernando Picó selected as Opening Session Keynote Speaker
IFLA is proud to announce that the IFLA WLIC 2011 National Committee has selected Dr. Fernando Picó S.J., a highly-respected Puerto Rican humanist, historian, and professor to be the IFLA WLIC 2011 Keynote Speaker at its Opening Session.
Dr. Picó has has made outstanding contributions to the rescue and documentation of Puerto Rican historical patrimony, to its literature, as well as to the work with the needy in the community, particularly to prison inmates.
Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico on August 15, 1941, Picó had his primary education at the Colegio San Ignacio, where his ecclesiastical interests started. He moved to the United States to study for a BA at the University of Springfield and then continued his studies at Johns Hopkins University. His religious propensity led him to join the Jesuits and become a priest. Picó distinguishes himself through his total dedication to the cause of the less fortunate and the study of the history of Puerto Rico.
Picó is an expert on Nineteenth-century Puerto Rico and is considered the highest authority in this area of study and more generally in the field of the island’s history.
In 1971, he made his final vows as a priest—shortly thereafter completing his doctorate in history. He has studied in Spain, Italy and the United States.
For more than 30 years, Fernando Picó has also served as Professor of History at Universidad de Puerto Rico. Picó is considered one of the great intellectuals and historians of the island, and has written and published in several magazines and newspapers, both in Puerto Rico and abroad.
His work “Puerto Rico: a general history” is compulsory reading for any student of Puerto Rican history. In 1997, the Week of the Library at the University of Puerto Rico, was dedicated to him in honor of his academic scholarship. His articles in ‘Claridad’ (a Puerto Rican periodical) and ‘El Nuevo Dia’ usually carry a positive message on how to help improve the quality of life in Puerto Rico. He has also written children's stories which include 'The Red Comb.'
In light of his dedication, commitment and deep devotion to his work, Fernando Picó is seen as a model of a contemporary historian.
Dr. Picó will speak on 14 August, 10:30 - 12:00 in Grand Salon A
