Frank Bonilla
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Professor Frank Bonilla (born 1925) is an American academic of Puerto Rican descent who became a leading figure in Puerto Rican Studies. After earning his doctorate from Harvard University, he had held faculty positions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and the City University of New York. He is a key figure in the establishment of the Puerto Rican Hispanic Leadership Forum and the Center for Puerto Rico Studies at the City University of New York.[1]
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[edit] Biography
Bonilla was born in New York City in 1925. His parents were both from Puerto Rico and had moved to the United States early in their lives. His mother emigrated to the United States in hopes of attending college, and his father had been a cigar maker and had served in the U.S. Cavalry. They were on the same boat going to the United States, and it was here that they met and began their courtship.
Bonilla was raised around East Harlem, a neighborhood full of diversity of culture and race. He said that children were very often exposed to multiple languages at an early age and that they became bilingual to interact with people in their day-to-day lives. Bonilla spent his first years of high school attending a Franciscan high school in Illinois, where he showed abundant academic and leadership skills. He excelled in courses of classical Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, and German. He was also elected President of his class and was very well liked. Bonilla then transferred to Morris High School, a school near the South Bronx. After he graduated from Morris in 1943, he was soon drafted and assigned to a weapons platoon due to his strong academic background.
Bonilla was taught to be a mortar gunner and was assigned to the 290th Infantry Regiment, 75th Infantry Division.
[edit] World War II service
| Frank Bonilla | |
|---|---|
 Frank Bonilla |
|
| Place of birth | New York City, New York |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Unit | 290th Infantry Regiment, 75th Infantry |
| Battles/wars | World War II - Battle of the Bulge |
| Awards | Silver Star |
| Other work | Professor |
The 290th Infantry Regiment, 75th Infantry Division was soon involved in the Battle of the Bulge. Frank served in this battle at the front of the line for nearly a month.
After serving at the front lines, Frank sustained an injury and had to be hospitalized in France. After a brief three week hospitalization, Bonilla was reassigned to a replacement depot in France. It was here that he was invited to join the Puerto Rican National Guard near Frankfurt. Bonilla was ecstatic about joining and was designated the company clerk.
Frank’s enthusiasm only lasted so long, however, because he soon realized that the Puerto Rican soldiers had a divide. The Puerto Rican soldiers raised in the United States were looked down upon by those who had grown up in Puerto Rico, and referred to the emigrated Puerto Ricans as "American Joes". Bonilla said of this experience, "The military experience helped to consolidate my sense of being Puerto Rican and also a sense of wanting to study and be a scholar."
[edit] Post-war career
Soon after return, Bonilla used the G.I. Bill to attend the College of the City of New York. He graduated cum laude in 1949 with a B.A. in business administration. He went on to pursue a master’s degree in sociology from New York University, which he earned in 1954. He attended Harvard University and received a doctorate in sociology soon after.
Dr. Bonilla was key in the formation of the Puerto Rican Hispanic Leadership Forum to help manage the needs of Puerto Ricans in New York. He also was an instrumental part in the formation of the Center for Puerto Rico Studies at the City University of New York.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Frank Bonilla became major figure in Puerto Rican studies. US Latinos and Latinas & World War II. University of Texas. Retrieved on 2007-05-17.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- 'Frank Bonilla became major figure in Puerto Rican studies. US Latinos and Latinas & World War II. University of Texas. Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
- Commission on Research in Black Education. (2006). Retrieved March 3, 2007 from www.coribe.org.
- Ernesto Galarza Applied Research Center. (2006). Retrieved March 3, 2007 from http://www.clnet.ucla.edu/egarc/projects.html.
&Economic Importance of Puerto Rico for the History of the US. (2005). Retrieved March 3, 2007 from lap.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/3/3/46.
