Facundo Bueso Sanllehí

Facundo Bueso Sanllehí (February 5, 1905 – January 24, 1960) was a physicist, educator, science communicator and athlete. He was born on February 5, 1905, in Mexico City, Mexico. His family was forced to flee to Spain in 1915 because of the Mexican Revolution. Later in 1917 the family moved from Spain to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In 1927 he obtained a B.S. degree in Physics (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. He became a Teaching Assistant of Physics before obtaining his B.S. degree (1926–1927). He obtained an M.S. degree in Physics from the University of Chicago in 1929.

He worked at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus from 1926 to 1960. He was a Physics Professor, Chairman of the Department of Physics, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1943 he was named Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences. Facundo Bueso was the first person to hold that position.

He was an excellent communicator of science and participated in many radio and TV programs. He was inducted into the Puerto Rican Sports Pavilion, also known as 'El Pabellón de la Fama del Deporte Puertorriqueño,' in 1950,("El Pabellón de la Fama del Deporte Puertorriqueño") and the Hall of Fame of Sports in Puerto Rico ('El Salón de la Fama del Deporte en Puerto Rico') on January 25, 1958.

Early life and education He was born in Mexico City on February 5, 1905. His father, Francisco Bueso, was a master carpenter from Valencia, Spain, and his mother was Eulalia Sanllehí, hailed from Cataluña, Spain. He had an older brother named Francisco ("Paco") and a younger brother named Andrés, who became a painter. In 1915, due to the Mexican Revolution, his family was forced to flee to Barcelona, Spain. Later, they moved to Puerto Rico to work for Rafael Margarida in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico.

Bueso and his brothers, Francisco and Andrés, were enrolled in the Escuela Modelo de la Universidad. and became a member of the Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity. He obtained a B.S. degree in Physics from the University of Puerto Rico in 1927 graduating Magna Cum Laude. Upon graduation, he was awarded the Scoville Medal from the Department of Physics and the Proficiency medal from the R.O.T.C. His thesis advisor was Robert S. Mulliken who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1966 six years after Facundo Bueso's death. Facundo Bueso received the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 1940 and 1941.

He worked at the University of Puerto Rico as Assistant Instructor in Physics (1926–34) before he had completed his Bachelor degree. He occupied the positions of Professor of Physics, Chairman of the Department of Physics, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences.

Facundo Bueso married Carmen Luisa Nieva Heyliger from Mayagüez in 1936. She obtained a Bachelor's degree from the University of Puerto Rico (1935). She accompanied Facundo to Chicago where she studied to obtain a Master's degree in Home Economics with a minor in Textiles at the University of Chicago. She did not complete her degree. They had three children: Héctor Rafael, Luis Francisco ("Gugo") and Carmen Eulalia ("Carmín").

Professional associations and other organizations Facundo Bueso was a member of: American Physical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was President of the Science Section of the "Ateneo Puertorriqueño" (1942). Bueso was listed in the "American Men and Women of Science Editions 1-11 Cumulative Index" (1983). Bueso was President of the civic organization "Club Rotario de Río Piedras" (1943-1944).

Amateur radio Facundo Bueso became interested in radiotelegraphy as a teenager . He obtained a US government certification of amateur telegraphist in 1921. He shared this hobby with important figures in Puerto Rico like Joaquín Agusty, Jesús T. Piñero, Ramón Mellado Parsons, Luis Rexach, J. Maduro Ramos and Enrique Camuñas among others in the Porto Rico Radio Club. This group of people were pioneers of radio since the first radio station arrived in Puerto Rico in 1922. The first AM radio station in Puerto Rico was WKAQ (it was the fifth in the world ) and it was directed and administrated by Joaquín Agusty. During the summer of 1924 Facundo Bueso was hired as Radio Operator on board the ship named "S. S. Catherine." While he was a student at the University of Chicago he practiced tennis. He played tennis in tournaments in singles and doubles in Puerto Rico. During his tenure as a faculty member the amount of time dedicated to sports decreased, but there are records of soccer games between Faculty and students. He was selected to be in the Puerto Rican Sports Pavilion ("El Pabellón de la Fama del Deporte Puertorriqueño") (1950) and the Hall of Fame of Sports in Puerto Rico ("El Salón de la Fama del Deporte en Puerto Rico")(January 25, 1958) together with Cosme Beitia, Hiram Bithorn, Rebekah Colberg, Sixto Escobar, Isidoro García, among other prominent Puerto Rican athletes.

Educator Facundo Bueso distinguished himself for being an excellent educator, not only clear in his presentations but also with a joy and sense of humor that also can be seen in his science outreach essays or in accounts by his former students. Facundo Bueso wrote two Physics textbooks for use in High School ("Ciencias Físicas" ). He contributed to a science section in a journal aimed at school teachers "Escuela". He wrote together with other prominent academics (Emilio S. Belaval, Ramón Lavandero, Arturo Morales Carrión, María Luisa Muñoz, and others) a comprehensive survey of Puerto Rico in a book with the title "Puerto Rico".

Public Communication of Science Facundo Bueso had a commitment to improving the science literacy of the public, in particular the people of Puerto Rico. He presented hundreds of conferences on radio, TV, schools, clubs and universities. He wrote hundreds of science outreach essays for radio, TV, newspapers and magazines. He participated of public conferences, radio and TV interviews. In 1935 the government of Puerto Rico initiated a project of and educational series of programs called "Escuela del Aire." They transmitted educational programs through radio Monday through Friday's 9:30 am – 10:00 am and 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm. Bueso participated of this project "Escuela del Aire". This Institute gathered 35 universities of the south of the USA. Facundo Bueso was selected as Councilor for Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies (1951). His burial took place on January 25, 1960, with a funeral procession that started at the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico. The Chancellor, all the Faculty, University administration staff, thousands of students, representatives of cultural circles, scientists, government officials and others participated of the funeral procession. His remains were buried at "Buxeda Memorial Park Cemetery" in Río Piedras. The Spanish sculptor Francisco Vázquez Díaz "Compostela" (1898–1988) made a bust of Facundo Bueso (1961) of marble from the city of Caguas which is displayed in the Facundo Bueso building at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. This historical building of the Natural Sciences Faculty was designed by Henry Klumb. The building has an interesting "K" shape when seen from an aerial view. The artist Miguel Pou Becerra painted a portrait of Facundo Bueso that belongs to the Faculty of Natural Sciences. There is a public school with the name "Dr. Facundo Bueso" in San Juan. The "Premio Facundo Bueso" (also known as "Medalla Facundo Bueso") is a yearly award from the Department of Physics, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus to the most distinguished student in the area of Physics. This award is sponsored by the Bueso family.