Dr. Ronald FERNANDEZ

FERN NDEZ, Dr. Ronald

Leading Figure in Latino and Caribbean Studies.
Ronald Fernández, a Professor Emeritus of
Criminal Justice at Central Connecticut State
University, and a leading figure in Latino and
Caribbean studies in the United States, died on
August 27 at the age of 67. The cause was cancer. His legacy at Central
Connecticut State
University is vast. In a
career that spanned four decades, he was teacher, mentor and friend to
hundreds of students and
faculty alike. He was the most prolific writer at the
institution, having written 14 books and scores of
articles. Fernández was a frequent speaker at national and international forums, such as the United Nations and the Commonwealth Club. He also founded the Latino and Caribbean
Studies Center at Central Connecticut State
University in 1992. Though Fernández published a
variety of textbooks on
sociology, he came to
national attention in 1987 with the publication of Los Macheteros: The Wells Fargo Robbery and the Struggle for Puerto Rican Independence. He was
considered the leading scholar in the study and analysis of the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States and in the field of race, immigration and ethnicity in the US.
Ronald Fernández is
survived by his wife, Brenda Harrison, the love of his life. His three children, Adam from New York,
Carrie from Philadelphia, and Ben from West
Hartford; and three
grandchildren: Jacob, Dylan and Lucy. He is also
survived by his sister, Sally, at times sister, mother and friend.
Funeral services will be private. The family has
established the Ronald
Fernandez Memorial
Scholarship at the Hartford Foundation for Public
Giving in Hartford, CT. Please send donations to: Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, 10 Columbus Boulevard, 8th Floor,
Hartford, CT 06106. A
celebration of his life will be held in Hartford during the Fall.