Carmelo Virgillo

Carmelo Virgillo, age 82, passed away peacefully on November 26, 2016 in Gilbert, AZ, surrounded by his family. Born in Reggio Calabria, Italy on September 4, 1934 of Domenico and Dolores Andriello, Carmelo immigrated to the United States in 1950. He received his High School diploma at Newburg Free Academy, Newburg, NY in 1952. In undergraduate and graduate school, he pursued studies in Portuguese and French, while continuing to cultivate the language literature and culture of his native country. His teaching career began at Indiana State University Bloomington, Ind., in 1956 as a Teaching Assistant in Spanish, a language he was to teach at IU until 1962. Later that same year, he joined the faculty of the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind., where he taught Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. In 1965 he transferred to ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, TEMPE, AZ. While at Arizona State University, he taught Spanish, Portuguese and Italian at the undergraduate and graduate levels, having introduced the study of his native language there in 1968. In addition to serving as coordinator of Portuguese and Hispanic Literature, he also served as Director of ASU's studies programs in Florence (1982) and Sienna (1989), Italy. Among his many publications in the United States, and in Brazil, he co-authored the acclaimed "APROXIMACIONES AL ESTUDIO DE LA LITERATURA HISPANICA” with Ed Friedman and Teresa Valdivieso, and "Woman as Myth and Metaphor", with Naomi Lindstrom. He was also the recipient of several nominations for excellence in teaching. Carmelo retired from ASU in 1993 with the title of (full) Professor of Romance Language. He is survived by his children, Sergio and Gina, and by Ana, his wife of 24 years, who gratefully remembers the beautiful piano songs he played, their unforgettable trips together, and the delicious meals this accomplished "chef" cooked for friends and neighbors. Never to be forgotten!