| Nilita Vientós Gaston | |
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Nilita Vientós Gaston |
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| Born | June 5, 1903 San Sebastián, Puerto Rico |
| Died | July 10, 1989 Santurce, Puerto Rico |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Occupation | educator, writer and journalist |
| Notes
In 1946, Vientós Gastón became the first woman president of the Puerto Rican Athenaeum
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Nilita Vientós Gaston [note 1] (June 5, 1903 - July 10, 1989) was an educator, writer, journalist and the first female lawyer to work for the Department of Justice of Puerto Rico.
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Vientós Gastón was born in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico, a town located on the western region of Puerto Rico. Her parents moved to Havana, Cuba when she was only a child, where she received her primary education. After living in Cuba for various years, they moved to New York City where she received her secondary education. In 1923, Vientós Gastón returned to Puerto Rico.[1]
She entered the University of Puerto Rico where she studied law and earned her degree. In 1945, while she was a student, she founded and directed the magazine Asomante. She was granted a scholarship from the Rockefeller Foundation and studied literature at Kenyon College at Canton, Ohio.
When Vientós Gastón returned to the island, she was hired by her Alma Mater to teach literature. She was also hired by the Department of Justice of Puerto Rico, becoming the first woman to receive such a distinction.[2] She worked as an auxiliary prosecutor general for three decades. Vientós Gastón defended the use of the Spanish language in the courts of Puerto Rico, before the Supreme Court, and won.[1]
Vientós Gastón was a founding member of the Puerto Rican Academy of the Spanish Language. In 1946, Vientós Gastón became the first woman president of the Puerto Rican Athenaeum, a position which she held until 1961. In 1966, she was also named president of the Puerto Rico Pen Club.[2]
Vientós Gastón had a column in the newspaper "El Mundo" where she became a renowned literary critic. In 1956, she published Introducción a Henry James (Introduction to Henry James) and in 1957 Impresiones de un Viaje (Impressions of a trip). For many years she was editor of the prestigious literary journal "Asomante". In 1970, she founded the journal Sin Nombre (Without a Name).[1] She was also the author of Apuntes Sobre Teatro.[3]
In 1996, the Association of Graduates of the University of Puerto Rico, dedicated the 50th anniversary issue of Asomante to Vientós Gastón and to the memory of Margot Arce de Vázquez. Vientós Gastón died on July 10, 1989 in Santurce, Puerto Rico.[1]
The Nilita Vientós Gastón Foundation was founded in 1995 and Vientós Gastón's house was converted into a museum-library. The Foundation together with the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture manages her publications and documents. The Puerto Rican Bar Association annually present the Nilita Vientós Gastón Medal to the person whose principles exemplifies that of Vientós Gastón's. The Bar Association also honored her memory by naming a Hall after her.[2]