Pilar Barbosa
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Dr. Pilar Barbosa de Rosario (July 4, 1898-January 22, 1997) born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, was an educator, historian and political activist.
Barbosa was exposed to politics at a young age. Her father was Jose Celso Barbosa, also known as the "Father of the Puerto Rican Pro-Statehood Movement". Her father was a member of the Puerto Rican Senate from 1917-1921. Barbosa received her primary and secondary education in Bayamon and as a teenager she enjoyed teaching others. After she graduated from high school, she enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico.
Barbosa earned her Bachelors Degree in Education and then went on to Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts where she earned her Doctorate Degree in History. In 1921, she returned to the island and was offered the position of history professor at the College of Liberal Arts of the University of Puerto Rico, thus becoming the first woman to teach in that institution.
In 1929, she established the Department of History and Social Sciences in her Alma Mater and was its' director until 1943. She continued to teach at the university until 1967, the year she retired. Barbosa was also very active in her father's cause and served as political advisor and mentor to many of the politicians who shared her fathers dream, most notably those from the New Progressive Party. Her goal for the party was that it became known as the party of statehood and social justice. Among the many awards and recognitions bestowed upon her are the following:
- Professor Emerita - University of Puerto Rico - 1973
- Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa - Interamerican University - 1975
- Outstanding Leadership Award - President Ronald W. Reagan - 1989
- Golden Book - Exchange Club of Rio Piedras
Barbosa was also a member of various organizations, including The Royal Spanish Academy of History, Dean of Puerto Rican Historians and The Academy of Arts and Sciences in Puerto Rico. In 1993, she was named by the Legislative Assembly to the position of Official Historian which was re-established that year. Among the books written by Barbosa are the following:
- De Baldorioty a Barbosa: La Commission Autonomista de 1896 (From Baldorioty to Barbosa: The Autonomist Commission of 1896)
- La Politica en los tiempos (Aleto Manuel F. Rossy ciudadano cabal) (Politics in the times (Aleto Manuel F. Rossy cabal citizen))
- Raices del Progreso Politico Puertorriqueño (Roots of the Puerto Rican Political Progress)
Pilar Barbosa de Rosario died on January 22, 1997 in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the age of 99.
On July 27, 1997, the Senate of Puerto Rico approved law #53, authored by Sen. Kenneth McClintock, a Barbosa protege, which created "The Pilar Barbosa Program of Educational Interns". The program offers teachers education-related internships in Washington, DC. Over 100 teachers have already benefited from the program.
