Hermenegildo B. Reyes, KGCR (March 31, 1898 – 1982) co-founded the

University of the East The University of the East ( fil, Pamantasan ng Silangan), also known as UE, is a leading private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the ...

, was a

Boy Scouts of the Philippines The Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) is the national scouting organization of the Philippines in the World Organization of the Scout Movement. The Scout movement was first introduced in the Philippines on 1910 during the American Occupat ...

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

notable, Filipino

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, mechnical and

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

. Reyes served on the

World Scout Committee The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOSM ...

of the

World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOS ...

from 1961 to 1967.

Early life

Reyes was born in

Malolos Malolos, officially the City of Malolos ( fil, Lungsod ng Malolos), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to th ...

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Metr ...

, to Vicente Tantoco Reyes and his wife, Olympia San Agustin-Reyes.

Education

Reyes graduated from

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_aff ...

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

'' with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1914. He earned his

Ll.B Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...

; thereafter being admitted to Integrated Bar of the Philippines on November 18, 1935. He graducated in Mechanical Engineering with a certificate in Electrical Engineering in 1918 and graduated with a Master of Mechanical Engineering from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, New York in 1919. Reyes was a junior member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and a member of the

American Institute of Electrical Engineers The American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) was a United States-based organization of electrical engineers that existed from 1884 through 1962. On January 1, 1963, it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) to form the Instit ...

(AIEE). Reyes was a member of the Cornell chapters of Tau Veta Pi engineering honour society,

Eta Kappa Nu Eta Kappa Nu () or IEEE-HKN is the international honor society of the Computer Science and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). "The organization promotes excellence in the profession and in education through an emphasis ...

honour society of the

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

(IEEE) and

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...

The Scientific Research Honor Society. From 1947 to 1949, Reyes was President of the UP Alumni Engineers Association.

Career

In 1918, Reyes was appointed Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Department. In 1919, Reyes was a tester for

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

Co. From 1919 to 1920, he was an assistant electrical designer at The Philadelphia Electric Company. From 1920 to 1921, Reyes was an assistant mechanic and electronic designing engineer ath the Bureau of Public Works. In 1934, Reyes was a member of National Research Council of the Philippine Islands. In 1939, Reyes was Chairman of the Division of Engineering and Industrial Research for the National Research Council of the Philippines and was based in

Malate Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms (L ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. Reyes served as the

Far Eastern University Far Eastern University (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Pamantasan ng Malayong Silanganan''), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a Private university, private non-sectarian Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Manila, Philippines ...

's second University President from 1945 to 1946 when it re-opened after the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

. In 1951, he co-founded the

and served as one of its Board Members. From 1955 to 1956, Reyes was a member of the Executive Committee of the Second National Eucharistic Congress of the Philippines which was held in 1956, in Manila, from 28 November to 2 December. Reyes and fellow electrical engineer and acting Chief Scout and President Don Gabriel Daza were in charge of planning the event. As electrical engineers Reyes and Daza also managed the lighting and P.A. system for the event. In 1969, he served as the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the

Central Colleges of the Philippines The Central Colleges of the Philippines, Inc. ( fil, Sentral Kolehiyo ng Pilipinas) also referred to by its acronym CCP is a private, nonsectarian coeducational higher education institution located in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. CCP ...

. Aside from the academe, Reyes was involved with national institutions. In 1952, President

Quirino Quirino, officially the Province of Quirino ( ilo, Probinsia ti Quirino; tl, Lalawigan ng Quirino), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Cabarroguis. It is named after Elpi ...

appointed Reyes Vice President of the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO). In 1955, Reyes was a member of both the Economic Planning Board and National Power Board under President

Magsaysay Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was a Filipino statesman who served as the seventh president of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an aircraft disaster on March 17, 1957. An automo ...

. Reyes was also a Trustee of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Inc.

Personal life

Reyes married Pacita "Paz" T. Adriano on November 2, 1920, in Manila. They had a daughter named Rosario.

Death

Reyes died in 1982.

Awards

: *

Supreme Commander and

Knight Grand Cross Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...

of the

Order of the Knights of Rizal The Knights of Rizal is an Order of Chivalry from the Philippines, created to honor and uphold the ideals of Philippine national hero José Rizal. The civic organisation of the "Order of the Knights of Rizal" was established in 1911 by Colonel An ...

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...

: *

Bronze Wolf The Bronze Wolf Award is bestowed by the World Scout Committee (WSC) to acknowledge "outstanding service by an individual to the World Scout Movement". It is the highest honor that can be given a volunteer Scout leader in the world and it is the ...

awarded by the

World Scout Conference The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOSM ...

in1967.

Legacy

Central Colleges of the Philippines Hermenegildo R. Reyes Campus

The main

(CCP) campus is named after Reyes.The campus also has a Dr. Hermenegildo R. Reyes (HR) Hall which houses, among others, the President's Office and College of Computer Studies and Architecture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Hermengildo B. Recipients of the Bronze Wolf Award Scouting in the Philippines World Scout Committee members Ateneo de Manila University alumni University of the Philippines Diliman faculty Cornell University alumni University of the Philippines alumni Filipino engineers