![\"Juan](\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Juan-Fernandez-703x1050.jpg\")
Juan Fern\u00e1ndez in more recent years doing what, according to his family, he loved most \u2014 speaking with others.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cThe entire Brock community was saddened to learn of the passing of lifelong supporter and founding faculty member Juan Fern\u00e1ndez recently. While I didn\u2019t have the privilege of knowing him myself, I know that he touched the lives of hundreds of Brock students \u2014 starting with those first Badgers who learned in the basement of a church and inside a former refrigeration factory before the University moved into its current campus,\u201d said Lesley Rigg, Brock University\u2019s President and Vice-Chancellor. \u201cIt\u2019s not a stretch to say that there wouldn\u2019t be a Brock University today were it not for people like Juan, to whom we owe an immense debt of gratitude.”<\/p>\n
With specializations in literatures and cultures,\u00a0Fern\u00e1ndez taught Spanish Literature and was founder and Chair of the Department of Romance Languages \u2014 now the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures (MLLC) in the Faculty of Humanities.<\/p>\n
MLLC Professor Irene Blayer (BA \u201981), then an international student from Azores, Portugal, first crossed paths with Fern\u00e1ndez when she enrolled in one of his language courses during her undergraduate years at Brock.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my recollections, I hold dear the countless conversations we shared. Our discussions often revolved around the intricacies and comparisons between Portuguese and Spanish, as well as exploring the etymological threads that connected both languages,\u201d Blayer said.<\/p>\n
Upon completion of her PhD, Blayer returned to Brock as a faculty member and colleague to Fern\u00e1ndez in the Department of Romance Languages. They became close friends, with Blayer treated as part of his family.<\/p>\n
She fondly remembers the great joy Fern\u00e1ndez would take in preparing his special espresso or in offering a taste of his latest cured \u2018jam\u00f3n ib\u00e9rico\u2019 (Iberian ham).<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Professor-Juan-Fernandez_Brock-U-1050x843.jpg\")
Brock University’s first-ever faculty stand in front of the original Administration Office at 15 Welland Ave. prior to the opening of the Glenridge Campus. From left: Ernest E. Goldsmith, William Ormsby, John Hart, James Gibson, Michael Hornyansky, Juan Amadeo Fern\u00e1ndez and Guy Gauthier. The Administration Office was relocated to the Glenridge Campus in October 1964. The University had occupied the Welland Avenue location since May 1963.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cAs natives of the Iberian Peninsula, we had a deep understanding of the shared cultural traditions and influences that shaped our respective identities,\u201d Blayer said. \u201cHe played a pivotal role as a mentor in my life and, above all, he became a cherished friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Current Chair and Professor in MLLC, Carmela Colella, expressed condolences to Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s family on behalf of the department he championed and established.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Fern\u00e1ndez. He is fondly remembered as a true gentleman, exceptional colleague and a tireless contributor to Brock’s early years,\u201d Colella said.<\/p>\n
A visitation and service will be held on Monday, July 24 at George Darte Funeral Home at 585 Carleton St. in St. Catharines. The visitation will be held from 11 to 1 p.m. and the service, a \u2018Final Tribute for Juan,\u2019 will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. In addition to being held in person, the service will also be streamed online<\/a> to allow guests to also attend remotely. More details are available on the George Darte Funeral Home website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brock University’s flags will be lowered to half-mast in honour of Fern\u00e1ndez on Monday, July 24.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Brock is mourning the loss of Juan Amadeo Fern\u00e1ndez, who was among the first seven faculty members to teach at the University when it was founded in September 1964.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":86893,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,37,1],"tags":[9371,12798,30,3609,12797,9742,139],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86892"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86892"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86902,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86892\/revisions\/86902"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}