Efrén Pérez Rivera (March 10, 1929 – May 15, 2011
) was a
Puerto Rican environmentalist leader and
college professor. He got married at the age of 28 with Pezinka Berenguer, till the day he died. He had three children with her, Efrén Pérez Berenguer, Manuel Pérez Berenguer, and José Luis Pérez Berenguer
Biography
Efrén Pérez Rivera was born on March 10, 1929, at
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, where he lived during his first years. At the age of four, he moved with his family to
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. He attended the College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts (known today as the
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez), obtaining a bachelor's degree in
biology in 1952. Pérez later became a professor of biology and
chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
at the
Peñuelas High School.
Pérez did his obligatory military service in the
U.S. Army during the
Korean War, during which he was stationed in
Hawaii.
In 1953, he worked at the Agricultural Experimental Station at both
Isabela and
Lajas. He later obtained a master's degree in
environmental health from the Tropical School of Medicine at
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
.
Community involvement
During the 1960s, Pérez became a member of Cabo Rojo's Credit and Savings Cooperative( Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito de Cabo Rojo) and joined its Education Committee. As a member of this committee, he visited the communities of Cabo Rojo and worked to make the public aware of the philosophy and advantages of the
cooperative movement. Also, he was the president of the Supervision Committee. During the first half of the 1970s, he worked in the Cooperative Development Administration. In December 1977 he obtained a master's degree in Horticulture from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. He then went on to become a professor in the College of Agricultural Science from that institution. During this time, he also took an active role in the organization of Cabo Rojo's Cooperative Pharmacy (Farmacia Cooperativa de Cabo Rojo) and became the president of its board of directors.
In 1983 he became the president of the
Puerto Rican Independence Party's (PIP) Cabo Rojo committee. In 1988, under his presidency, the party obtained the largest percentage of local votes for the governor's seat in the history of Cabo Rojo (11.2%). He also obtained the largest percentage of votes for a district representative seat, compared with the rest of his fellow candidates.
His knowledge and convictions led him to join the environmental crusades against the
Adjuntas copper mines, the construction of
Club Med in
Guánica, the installation of a
Voice of America transmitter in Cabo Rojo, the construction of the Cogentrix
carbon-based
electrical plant
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...
in Mayagüez, amongst others.
In 1990 Pérez organized
Caborrojeños Pro Salud y Ambiente This organization was designed to encourage and promote the well-being, the conservation of natural resources and the sustainable economic development of the Cabo Rojo region. ''Caborrojeños pro Salud y Ambiente'' along with
United States Fish and Wildlife Service were the primary promoters of a research and visitors center located at the Cabo Rojo
salt mines. The center is named ''Centro Intepretativo Las Salinas De Cabo Rojo don Efrén Pérez Rivera'' in his honor.
In a joint venture with the
Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the committee had a major role in the restoration project of
Isla de Ratones, a small key by the coast of Cabo Rojo that is rapidly losing its surface area due to
erosion. Pérez has occupied the presidency of ''Caborrojeños pro Salud y Ambiente'' several times from its inception through 2005 when he was succeeded by fellow professor
Pedro Valle Carlo
Dr. Pedro Valle Carlo (born 1944 in San Juan, Puerto Rico), is a retired college professor and noted environmentalist leader based in western Puerto Rico.
Pedro Valle Carlo was born in Santurce. His mother was Blanca Carlo and his father Pedro Va ...
. Pérez died on May 15, 2011.
Awards and recognitions
Pérez has been recognized by several institutions and organization for his civic work and pro-environment values. Some of the institutions and organizations that have recognized his work are:
* The
University of Puerto Rico
* The
Ana G. Mendez University System
* Jornada de Betances
* ''Cooperativa de Ahorro y Credito de Cabo Rojo''
* ''Farmacia Cooperativa de Cabo Rojo''
* The municipal government of Cabo Rojo
* The
Puerto Rico Tourism Company
The Puerto Rico Tourism Company ( es, Compañía de Turismo de Puerto Rico, or simply ''Turismo'') is the government-owned corporation in charge of tourism matters and regulations in Puerto Rico. The company was created during Governor Luis A. F ...
* The
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Pérez has also received several awards, including:
*1999 - ''Public Awareness Award, Conferencia de Bosque de Puerto Rico''
*2000 - ''Environmental Award, Universidad Interamericana of San Germán''
*2003 - ''Environmental Quality Award,
Environmental Protection Agency
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
(E.P.A.)''
*2005 - ''Named part of the E.P.A.'s Environmental Justice Advisory Council
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
References
External links
Bio Page at Pro Ambiente Puerto Rico''(In Spanish)''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez Rivera, Efren
1929 births
2011 deaths
Puerto Rican scientists
People from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
United States Army soldiers