I learned of Dr. Castro's passing from Dr. Selbin, but I hadn't found this page until now. Dr. Castro joined the faculty at Southwestern University when I was a sophomore. I loved his classes. My major was International Studies with a focus on Latin American history, so I took many of his courses. Dr. Castro was the one who inspired me to found La Voz--a student literary magazine featuring the writings of Latine students. He also inspired me to be a better student. He was the kind of professor that without saying a word gets his students to rise to the occasion--to do better in class because we want to make him proud. I didn't become a history professor as I thought I might when I was a student. Instead I became a writer--a playwright and screenwriter. I draw a lot of inspiration from what I learned from my history classes at Southwestern. My very first play featured La Llorona. And it was Dr. Castro, in his Conquest of the Americas class, who said that one of the Aztec omens foretelling the coming of the Spanish was a woman in white, wandering the streets of Tenochtitlan wailing. Dr. Castro paused saying, "This is the first appearance of La Llorona." I will always remember the mischief in his eyes, his story of "liberating" grapes during a boycott, and the story of punching a Spaniard who got a little too fresh with his wife. He was a big part of my time at SU that I cannot think of my time as a student without thinking of him and Dr. Selbin. My deepest condolences to his family.


In Peru, Daniel Castro was the irreverent cousin with the striking blue eyes. In Peru I was the cousin that left Arequipa to study in the United States. Then, I was the girl at UCLA. Other cousins made their way North. Daniel decided to come also and, in Los Angeles, we met and became friends. In time, when my wedding day came around, Daniel was my best man. Then, he moved further North in California and we lost touch. I found him again, many years later, when in a bibliographic search I found a book on Las Casas authored by a Daniel Castro. Could this be my cousin? It was, and as scholars and dear friends we renewed the bonds. His trenchant intellectual interventions were always food for thought. Daniel had so much to give and he gave it liberally, with open hands and open heart. His brilliance, the laughter that combined the joy of insightfulness with an ironic sense of life, will remain with us, for it was an everlasting gift of incalculable value. Daniel; Peter, Ali and I love you. Rest in peace.



I took a grand total of one class with Dr. Castro as a 19-year-old undergrad. His influence on me went beyond that. Over the years as I've read books about economics, sociology, oppressed classes and history in both North and South America there have been countless instances to where I'll have flashbacks of sitting in Dr. Castro's Latin American Civilization class as a sophomore at Southwestern University in the spring of 2001. Dr. Castro introduced me to Eduardo Galeano as Galeano was required reading for that class. Years later as I read books by C. Wright Mills, Naomi Klein and Howard Zinn, I began to make connections that would've been impossible without Dr. Castro. His sense of humor, intelligence and passion for his field were noticeable. 

In the summer of 2011, while with family on a trip to Alaska, I re-read two of Galeano's books (Faces and Masks; Century of the Wind) during the span of about a week. It's telling that even though I was a decade removed from his classroom, Dr. Castro was still looking for ways to teach me.



Mi querido hermano Daniel, te voy a extraÃ±ar mucho, pero me consuela saber que te encuentras en un lugar mejor. Siempre te voy a recordar como el hombre bueno, noble y fuerte que fuiste. 
Siempre admire tu vehemencia, tu sed de justicia y ese espÃ­ritu indomable para defender a quien lo necesitara. De ti aprendÃ­ que nuestros actos deben ser consecuentes con nuestros pensamientos, que se debe dar amor ilimitadamente y que la defensa de los mÃ¡s necesitados, es un deber de todos. 
Quiero agradecer a Mariellita por haberte cuidando tanto. Su fortaleza, solo se compara al amor que te tiene.
Descansa en paz Dani, ya nos volvemos a ver, mi hermano favorito.



Daniel  cultivated an insatiable curiosity in me, with an open door policy that I took great advantage of. I recall with delight the many conversations we had on subjects both academic and personal. I always think of him whenever I listen to Miles Davis or read certain Latin American poets â€“ both cultural portals that he opened for me. He also opened his home, his heritage, and his family to me. When I had the idea to do independent travel study to Peru, he embraced the idea when others thought I was crazy. Thus when I embarked on a one-month journey to Peru, he put me in contact with his family, who welcomed me on a journey that was life changing.  

He taught me how to be a scholar. He taught me how to read history critically, and showed me the importance of paying attention to detail and perspective. Our many conversations stayed with me through the years, and I often circled back to them as I pursued my PhD. It is a testimony to his lasting influence that my first book (published 15 years after finishing my senior thesis) revisited the same themes as my senior thesis, a continuation, as it were, of the thought-provoking conversations that we had over the years, the powerful thread of his legacy in my intellectual endeavors.

Daniel was a tremendous teacher, and I have incorporated so much of what I experienced as his student into my own teaching philosophy â€“ his enthusiasm for ideas, his passion for learning, his piercing intellect, his sense of humor, his critical eye and attention for detail, and above all his ability to inspire and dream with his students.  Thank you for this and so much more. Your legacy lives on in the lives of so many students you never met, passed on by those whom you deeply influenced. Forever your apprentice, I salute you, my most influential mentor.

 




Daniel and I have been friends since 1964 when we were 19 years old at UCLA in Los Angeles when he first came from Peru.  I was his sister, Marta Castro's, roommate.  Daniel and I became instant friends.  He had a profound influence on me as we became involved in the struggle against the Viet Nam war, the fight for Civil Rights, the pursuit of Social Justice and many other movements of the 60's.  We and our comrades spent hours and years discussing politics, attending avant-garde films and plays, we were avid chess players, we listened intently to Bob Dylan, Pablo Neruda, Cesar Vallejo and other poets of the time, we had lists of the best novels which we read non stop, our homes pulsated with the music of John Coltrane, Miles Davis and other jazz geniuses.  We were a collective although we did not know it at the time.  We did almost everything together.  We went on camping trips to Big Sur, Mendocino county and many other places.  We were serious about changing the world   After many years of the life I have described some of us relocated to Berkeley, CA where we rented a large house.  We all lived together.  It became a hub of activity there.  We put on a monthly film night, we raised money for the Peruvian earthquake victims, we stood up against the occupation and curfew by the National Guard of Berkeley during the People's Park disaster.  We had chess tournaments, endless well attended meals, underground railroad draft evaders fleeing to Canada, house guests from all over the world.  Daniel was the heart and center of all this activity.  He had the gift of moving people to action.  It was based on love and respect for humanity.  It has made a lifelong impact on me.  He was the best friend I ever had.  He was a role model for us all.  I was so proud of him when I heard that he had become a professor.  How appropriate.  Thank you Mariella for keeping me informed about his final days and his passing.  All my love and thoughts go out to you in this difficult time.  




Realmente, como hermano de Daniel me siento muy  honrado y agradecido por esa expresiones de tanto cariÃ±o hacia su persona y su sentimientos de tristeza por su partida, Daniel fuÃ© una persona muy especial  de aquellas personas que trascienden los fÃ­sico porque su memoria siempre estarÃ¡ presente, como hermano y amigo siempre lo he admirado, realmente no tengo palabras para expresar mi cariÃ±o y admiraciÃ³n por Ã©l, a todos , etrnamente agradecido por sus expresiones ,,DESCANSA  EN PAZ QUERIDO HERMANO, HASTA PRONTO
MARIELA, MUCHAS GRACIAS POR HABERLE BRINDADO TANTO AMOR 



TÃ­o Daniel,fuiste una persona excepcional la cual admire mucho desde muy pequeÃ±a siempre recordaba a la Mama chela hablando de las experiencias contigo. Un fuerte abrazo tia Mariella . Te queremos mucho. 



Dr. Castro was an amazing teacher and mentor, with a fiery spirit that is unmatched in my life experience. His influence and friendship in my life and others is a wonderful legacy. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. When I think of him, I will always think of what it truly means to love another human being well and how that love empowers and challenges us to fight injustice.



He was the most gifted storyteller Iâ€™ve ever met, born to teach and to share his passion with all he encountered. His love, wisdom, and humor brimmed over and infected his students and colleagues alike, and we are all the better for it. His mark on my life and work is indelible, and I am but one of many. Iâ€™ve thought of him every day since my last class with him, I remember our conversations whenever I meet with a student, and I see his handwriting whenever my hand touches the chalkboard. I will never forget the wit that shone in his eyes, the beauty of his love for Mariella, and his unflagging commitment to his social justice. Â¡Hasta la victoria siempre, Daniel! Thank you for the honor and privilege of your teaching. Thank you for believing in me before I did. I understand it now, and I will honor it forever. The work continues, and you will never be forgotten.



Mariella, I'm sending positive thoughts your way. I wrote these words after learning of Dr. Castro's passing: I became a filmmaker because you encouraged me to follow my dreams. Your teachings will continue to guide me and inspire me throughout my life. Few people in this world had the light and strength you carried. You always told me to roll with the punches. I have and continue to do so. You introduced me to Bebo y Cigala, Pixote, Havana Blues...you always said women hold up half the sky. Thank you for your wisdom, kindness and believing in me. I will always be grateful. It deeply saddens me I wasn't able to say goodbye, but I'm aware of how fortunate I was to have had the absolute honor to be your student and your friend. You changed my life in so many ways and for that I'm forever grateful. Like you used to say, "It is better to know where to go and not to know how, than to know how to go and not to know where." Words cannot express the phenomenal person you were and they cannot fill the significant void you have left. Hasta la Victoria siempre, Daniel. Que descanses en paz. Con mucho respecto y admiracion, Iliana 



TÃ­o Daniel, se me vienen varias cosas a la cabeza...sÃ³lo puedo decirte gracias gracias gracias tÃ­o, por tu cariÃ±o, tu conexiÃ³n con nuestra familia y porque pese a la distancia, fuiste el mÃ¡s cercano y querido para nosotros. Me da gracia recordarte diciÃ©ndole "hermanito" a mi padre (tÃº pequeÃ±o, Ã©l grandote) y pasando dÃ­as y tardes llenos de historias de familia, de debate, de viejas luchas, de mÃºsica y de mucha risa las veces que llegabas a Lima. Me quedo con eso, con tus correos, contÃ¡ndote sobre mis temores y y mis hallazgos literarios...cuando te contÃ© que no me gustaba mucho Arguedas y me mandaste tremendo jalÃ³n de orejas. En fin, es raro imaginar que pese a la distancia, te sintiÃ©ramos tan cercano, pero creo que eso fue lo mÃ¡s bonito en la relaciÃ³n que tuviste siempre con mis padres, hermanos y conmigo. Hasta siempre tÃ­o querido, hasta siempre. 

TÃ­a Mariella, gracias por ser la compaÃ±era de mi tÃ­o. Ã‰l siempre nos hizo notar todo lo infinitamente bueno que significabas para Ã©l. Gracias por llegar a su vida y hacerlo feliz. 

Un abrazo enorme.



Daniel was/is/will be a force of nature, a wonderful man who believed in love, justice, jazz, and the struggle. Hasta la victoria siempre; la lucha sigue. Daniel Castro, siempre presente!



Mariella,
Know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.



My uncle Daniel, "Danielito" to my mother, was an inspiration to me and my family. To me, he was a most passionate, genuine, honest, and courageous role model and uncle. His passing is a great loss not only to Mariella and his close family, but to his community of fellows and the larger world. I only wish I could have attended one of his classes to watch him discuss, with sustained vigor, the struggle for liberation with his college students. His piercingly blue eyes and dramatic facial features were enough to draw you in with intense curiosity. He had this incredible personable dynamic that communicated both gentle love and rousing passion/compassion. When my parents wed in Los Angeles in 1963, he was right there in support of my mother, his cousin Sarita, in the small wedding party, looking dashing in his black suit and 60s crew cut (see photo). He inspired many to think about the world around us in a critical way; one memory I have is of Daniel at our breakfast table in Virginia engaging me and my ex-husband (we were young grad students) in a rousing conversation about social justice and American politics in the present moment. He wasn't afraid, in the least, to speak truth to power. His passion for life, his personal acts of care and concern, and his overwhelming love of humanity and belief in the dignity of the human person placed him in a unique category of men, widely admired and deeply respected. I will miss you, Uncle. Thank you for your love and support, always. May you rest in everlasting peace.

(Photo: Peter and Sara's wedding, Los Angeles, September 1963. Handsome Daniel at far left.)


OBITUARY

Daniel A. Castro

10 December, 1945 – 27 July, 2015

Weed Corley Fish Funeral Homes and Cremation Services

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