Nov. 6, 2019 — Frank Pino Jr., professor emeritus in UTSA’s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, passed away on Oct. 10 at age 76. Considered one of UTSA’s founding faculty members, Pino served 39 years on the faculty until his retirement in 2012.
Recruited by former UTSA faculty member Tomás Rivera, Pino joined UTSA’s Division of Foreign Languages in 1973 as an associate professor. He served in various administrative roles, including 16 years as director of the Division of Foreign Languages, where he also taught upper-level and graduate classes in Hispanic culture and literature, including Chicano literature.
“We remember Dr. Frank Pino mostly as one of the longest serving faculty members in our department,” recalled Marita Nummikoski, associate professor and most recent past chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. “The department faculty used to call him the oral historian of the university, as he was always referring to the early years of UTSA. Most of the programs we now have in the department were created under Dr. Pino’s leadership. He was an advocate of communicative language teaching and issues of Spanish heritage students. He loved his students, and students loved him. He was especially interested in teaching Mexican American Literature and History of Ideas, two courses he had created.”
He met his future wife, Barbara Gonzalez-Pino, in 1975 when she was hired as an assistant professor jointly appointed in the Division of Education and the Division of Foreign Languages. They married after 10 years of working together in a variety of capacities. After retiring as active faculty, together they participated in UTSA’s Retired Faculty Association until recent years.
Pino was involved in the civil rights movement and in the field of Chicano literature, creating short stories and poetry of his own in both English and Spanish.
“He was always very interested in social justice issues and sought to expand diversity and fair treatment in every setting,” recalled Gonzalez-Pino. “He also sought to broaden the study of languages beyond literature so that students of Spanish heritage could have additional advanced applications for their knowledge and skills.”
He was also active in several professional organizations and community groups, such as El Patronato de la cultura Hispanoamericana, the University Roundtable, Sembradores of San Antonio and the International Black and White Ball.
“Connections with the community were important to him as well,” Gonzalez-Pino said of her husband. “He was an outgoing person with many friends and was someone who influenced many students and others in the community through his broad participation in it.”
Pino served on the faculty of Michigan State University prior to coming to UTSA. He held bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Arizona State University and a Ph.D. in Romance languages from Northwestern University.
Celebrate UTSA’s 50th Anniversary and share social media posts about the 50th using the hashtag #UTSA50.
Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Learn to use the simple but powerful features of EndNote®, a citation management tool. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to setup an EndNote library, save references and PDFs, and automatically create and edit a bibliography.
Virtual EventLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThe UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures welcomes historian Rebecca Sharpless, author of “Grain and Fire: History of Baking in the American South,” to discuss how food customs shape cultures.
Room 1.01.01 on the 1st Floor at ITC, UTSA Institute Of Texan CulturesOur GSAW Research Symposium begins with lunch and a Poster Presentation Competition. Faculty, staff, and graduate students are welcome to attend and review the exceptional research from UTSA's best and brightest.
Student Union Ballrooms 1 & 2, Main CampusHear from UTSA doctoral candidate in environmental science, Andre Felton, as he discusses best practices to discuss scholarly research in non-academic settings. Our 2023 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) winners will also share their winning presentations.
Student Union Ballrooms 1 & 2, Main CampusJoin this fun event if you want resume and interview resources, a job or internship, a snow cone from Kona Ice and to socialize.
Sombrilla PlazaIn partnership with San Antonio Metro Health, join us for a special lecture series during Public Health week! An esteemed panel will discuss the job market’s impact on public health departments in Texas municipalities.
Retama Auditorium (SU 2.02.02,) Main CampusThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.