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IN MEMORIAM
JORGE LUIS DIVINO
Jorge Luis Diviño, or "Luis," as
he was known to his many friends and colleagues, was quite possibly
the best-loved professor ever to grace the halls of the School of Architecture
at The University of Texas at Austin. There he taught and inspired hundreds
of students for 20 years, from the fall semester of 1961 until his retirement
in the spring of 1980. Professor Emeritus Diviño died April 25,
1999, at the age of ninety.
Jorge Luis Diviño was born in Havana, Cuba,
on November 14, 1909. He received a bachelor of science degree from
Georgia Tech University in 1934 and a bachelor of architecture degree
from the University of Havana in 1937, later completing a master of
architecture degree at Princeton University, where he also engaged in
post-master's work. In the summer of 1935 he was an intern with noted
American architect Richard Neutra.
Diviño practiced and taught architecture in
his native Cuba until his move to the United States in 1961. His teaching
positions included assistant professorships at both the University of
Havana and Villanova University between 1937 and 1960. In his thriving
architectural practice in Cuba, Diviño designed numerous buildings,
including residences, schools, and churches. But it was architectural
education that seemed to be his greatest love, and it was truly his
great gift. After arriving in Texas he resumed his teaching career at
UT, first as a visiting lecturer and then as an assistant professor,
receiving his first promotion in 1963. He was promoted in 1969 to the
position of associate professor and became a full professor in 1974.
After his retirement he was given the lifetime honor of professor emeritus.
At that time the Jorge Luis Diviño Centennial Scholarship in
the School of Architecture was established to provide continued assistance
to students in perpetuity.
During his 44-year teaching career in Cuba and Texas,
Luis Diviño was the recipient of numerous awards, including the
Teaching Excellence Award from the Students' Association, the Cactus
Award, and the Student Government of the School of Architecture Award.
In 1981, the organization known as El Colegio de Arquitectos de Cuba
en el Exilo presented him with a dual award as an outstanding professor
and for his excellence in the practice of architecture.
Students recall Jorge Luis Diviño as relentlessly
punctual, fastidious, and demanding. At the beginning of each studio
class he would remove the desk broom from his satchel and carefully
sweep off the table at the front of the room before neatly laying out
his course materials. There was always one ten-minute break in the middle
of each session. Aside from that, the students remained in the studio,
working with great concentration at their drawing boards as Luis circulated
among them. His students bore only the purest respect for him, and as
has been mentioned, much love. Because of this, they produced an amazing
amount of first-rate work for him.
Luis Diviño's personal life was as rich, complex,
and fulfilling as his professional life. In 1942 he married Ana Ortiz.
Their union was blessed with four children: Cecilia, Anita, Carmen,
and Louis. Luis's widow, Ana Ortiz Diviño, and his son and youngest
child, Louis D. Diviño, have remained in Austin. His eldest child,
Cecilia Diviño, died in 1996. His two surviving daughters live
in other parts of Texas. Dr. Anita D. Cleveland and her husband Dr.
Donald B. Cleveland reside in Denton. Carmen Prodoehl lives in Houston.
Also surviving are Diviño's three grandchildren,
Austin L. Diviño of Austin, and Paul Jerome and David A. Prodoehl
of Houston, his sister Emma Diviño of Havana, Cuba, and his sister-in-law
Mrs. Pedro Cue and her children.
Jorge Luis Diviño will be remembered as a kind,
compassionate, private man, an example of integrity to his colleagues
and students alike.
<signed>
Larry R. Faulkner, President
The University of Texas at Austin
<signed>
John R. Durbin, Secretary
The General Faculty
This memorial resolution was prepared by a special committee consisting
of Professors Owen Cappleman (chair), Gerlinde Leiding, and Richard
P. Swallow.
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