Carmen Pérez Romero died on May 17, 2012. She was English professor for the Colegio Universitario de Cáceres, which was the seed of today’s Universidad de Extremadura. Romero helped establish the university’s first international programs in the 1980s, which brought students from several different North American universities to the classrooms of the Universidad de Extremadura.

Kalamazoo College signed an agreement with the University in 1992, creating a program of Spanish language and culture studies that was directed by Romero until her retirement in 2002.  She devoted herself to books, articles and conferences on English literature, and North American literature, and she was a pioneer in the Spanish university system on comparative literature.

She was also a writer and translator. Her passion for poetry and her love for knowledge inspired many students. Her dedication to her students, her intellectual and personal honesty, and her integrity made her an exceptional human being. She will be greatly missed by the College and the many Kalamazoo students who studied in Cáceres.