Thank you, Ronald Fernandez (1944-2011)

Ronald Fernandez, born on June 30, 1944, was a professor, author and lecturer. He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. to parents who immigrated from Spain. He attended Hunter College, received a master’s degree in sociology from the New School for Social Research and his doctorate at the University of Connecticut. He taught sociology at Central Connecticut State University where he also established the Center for Caribbean and Latin American Studies.

Fernandez' 1987 book, "Los Macheteros: The Wells Fargo Robbery and the Struggle for Puerto Rican Independence", brought out the many historical truths that led to the robbery. His passion for the truth was displayed throughout the book via his detailed writing. He wrote several other books on the U.S./ Puerto Rico relationship, colonialism and the independence struggle. Race and the struggle for cultural identity among Latinos in America were also issues he spoke and wrote about.

For all his work and dedication to the truth, he is truly an honorary Boricua. I am sure, that those who knew him personally and those who followed his work will miss him. My regret is only but one, that I never had the pleasure of meeting him for I have so much to thank him for. Ronald Fernandez passed away on August 27, 2011.

Los Macheteros Biographer, Colonial Expert By Serafin Mendez-Mendez, The Hartford Courant

 Books by Ronald Fernandez:

• Los Macheteros: The Wells Fargo Robbery and the Violent Struggle for Puerto Rican Independence 
• The Disenchanted Island: Puerto Rico and the United States in the Twentieth 
• CenturyPuerto Rico Past and Present: An Encyclopedia  
• America Beyond Black and White: How Immigrants and Fusions Are Helping Us Overcome the Racial Divide  
• Prisoners of Colonialism: The Struggle for Justice in Puerto Rico 
• Cruising the Caribbean: U.S. Influence and Intervention in the Twentieth Century
• Mappers of Society: The Lives, Times, and Legacies of Great Sociologists
• Excess Profits: Rise of United Technologies
• America's Banquet of Cultures: Harnessing Ethnicity, Race, and Immigration in the Twenty-First Century