Margaret N. Ramos |
Margaret N. Ramos, Professor of Modern Languages
I trace my career back to September 1959, Saturday, 8 a.m., in a classroom in Old West
where Margaret Ramos conducted Spanish 101. Four times a week at that early hour, Mrs.
Ramos faced the challenge of capturing the attention of sleep-deprived students long
enough for them to absorb the basics of the Spanish language. She was very well organized
and persistent in her effort to help everyone get beyond the early hour. Her knowledge
and enthusiasm for the Spanish language and its cultural heritage were contagious, delivered
in a low-key but motivating manner.
As a freshman, I took Spanish 101 to help fulfill an academic requirement. I had no
prior background or apparent interest in modern languages. But by the end of my first
semester, Mrs. Ramos had me hooked. I found myself listening to Spanish-language programs
on the short-wave radio, trying to strike up conversations with Cuban refugees, and walking
in Carlisle, practicing out loud twirling my “r’s.”
In my sophomore and junior years I took more advanced Spanish classes with Mrs. Ramos
and others and began integrating my developing language skills into research projects
in political-science courses.
Senior year ended with a double major in Spanish and political science. With great support
from Professors Don Flaherty and Bob Nilsson I went on to a two-year master’s program
at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and, in 1965, joined Citibank
as an executive trainee in the Latin American Division. For the next 35 years I worked
with Latin American entities, enabling me to live for 17 years in Ecuador, Peru, Brazil
and Mexico and to travel to Latin America for business until I retired in 2000.
I had a fulfilling, rewarding and exciting career in Latin America, thanks to the inspiration
I received from Margaret Ramos.
Albert G. Miller ’63
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