Efraín Sánchez Hidalgo (April 29, 1918 – 1974) was an educator, college professor and a former Puerto Rico Secretary of Education.

Early day and military service

Hidalgo was born in Moca, Puerto Rico on April 29, 1918. His parents were Zenón Sánchez Avilés and Pelegrina Hidalgo Pérez. He studied at the Elementary School in Moca and High School in Aguadilla. Served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

from 1941 to 1946, assigned to the

65th Infantry Regiment The 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed "The Borinqueneers" during the Korean War for the original Arawak Native American name for Puerto Rico (Borinquen), is a Puerto Rican regiment of the United States Army. The regiment's motto is ''Honor et ...

. In the

Maritime Alps The Maritime Alps ( ; ) are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between the regions of France, French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and the regions of Italy, Italian regions of Piedmont and Liguria ...

as a Captain he commanded in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the first all-Puerto Rican military unit that engaged in combat with the enemy. He was decorated with a

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

for he's duty in combat.

Education career

He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...

. He obtained a Bachelor of Education Magna Laude, and a PhD in psychology at the

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. He devotes his life to education, dedicating 31 1/2 years to teaching. In his "role" as a professor at the University of Puerto Rico and other universities outside of Puerto Rico, Dr. Sánchez Hidalgo taught, among others, the following courses: Educational Psychology, Educational Sociology, Child Psychology, Adolescent Psychology, and Old Age Psychology. In 1971 he was selected by Outstanding Educators of America as a Distinguished Educator. Was appointed

Secretary of Education of Puerto Rico The secretary of education of Puerto Rico is responsible for the development and management of all educational matters in the government of Puerto Rico and heads the Puerto Rico Department of Education, Department of Education. There have bee ...

from 1957 til 1960. He retired from the university classrooms on February 4, 1974.

Legacy

A middle school in Moca, Puerto Rico was named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sánchez Hidalgo, Efraín 1918 births 1974 deaths Columbia University alumni People from Moca, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican educators Puerto Rican Army personnel Secretaries of Education of Puerto Rico University of Puerto Rico faculty United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army officers University of Puerto Rico alumni