Manuel González Pató (3 March 1913 – 10 November 1973) was a Puerto Rican

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. w ...

, writer, and sportsman.

Precocious years

González Pató was born in barrio

Maragüez Maragüez (''Barrio Maragüez'') is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Ponce, Puerto Rico, Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués (Ponce), Portugués, Montes Llanos, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, Ponce, Pue ...

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce ( , , ) is a city and a Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The most populated city outside the San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan metropolitan area, Ponce was founded on August 12, 1692Some publ ...

, on 3 March 1913. He was the third of four children. He attended schools in Ponce and graduated from

Ponce High School The Ponce High School is public educational institution in Ponce, Puerto Rico, offering grades nine through twelve. The school's main building is a historic structure located on Cristina Street, in the Ponce Historic Zone. From its beginning t ...

Schooling and career

In 1931 he studied agricultural education at the University of Louisiana. While there, he

boxed Boxed may refer to: * Boxed.com, a wholesale on-line shopping site. * ''Boxed'' (Eurythmics), an eight album box set * ''Boxed'' (Mike Oldfield album) * Boxed warning In the United States, a boxed warning (sometimes "black box warning", coll ...

on the college varsity team as a welter weight. In 1937 he worked teaching vocational agriculture in Puerto Rico until 1939. In 1939, he 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 ...

during

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 ...

, where he reached the rank of second lieutenant. In 1949 he became corporal education teacher at the

, where he rose to mass supervisor for physical education curriculum within the

Puerto Rico Department of Education The Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDOE; ) is one of five jurisdiction-wide public education systems in the United States, with Hawaii, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa being the others. The PRDOE is the state education ...

. In 1953 he entered the precept staff at the

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico) is a private Roman Catholic university with its main campus in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It provides courses leading to Bachelor's, Master's and Docto ...

, where he stayed until his death. At the PCUPR he taught track and field athletics, and he coached physical education students into world champions. He attended the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

in Los Angeles in 1952 and the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

in 1954, 1958, and 1959. He was a trainer and chief of athletics at the Central American Games in San Juan in 1966, and a delegate from Puerto Rico to the British community Games in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

Writings

González Pató wrote several books. His ''Tratado de la Educación Física y los Deportes Atléticos'' was used by the O.E.A.

Family life

González Pató married Fellita Argüelles, with whom he had two children: María del Pilar y Manuel Rafael.

Death

González Pató died in Ponce on 10 November 1973.

Legacy

* There is a bust of González Pató at the Student Center of the Universidad Catolica de Puerto Rico. * The 1975 ''"Olimpiada Jíbara de la Vivienda"'' was dedicated to him (1975). * In Ponce, there is an intermediate school ("middle school") named after him. * He is recognized at Ponce's Parque de los Ponceños Ilustres in the area of sports. * The athletic track at the Villa del Carmen residential community in Barrio Playa is named after him. * In Ponce, he is recognized at the Park for the Illustrious Ponce Citizens.''Education.'' Travel Ponce.
Accessed and retrieved 22 February 2011.

Precocious years

Schooling and career

Writings

Family life

Death

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading