Elisa Asensio, 101, who taught Spanish at Haverford and Swarthmore, died August 23 at the Quadrangle. Burial is scheduled for Friday, August 27th, at 10 a.m. at St. Peter and Saint Paul Cemetery, 1600 Sproul Road, Springfield, Pa.
Elisa Asensio, 101, of Haverford, died on August 23 at the Quadrangle. Asensio taught Spanish at both Haverford and Swarthmore for many years. She retired from Swarthmore in 1974.
Asensio and her husband Manuel came to the U.S. from their native Spain in 1939 during the Spanish Civil War. Manuel Asensio's support of the anti-fascist forces had made him a target of General Francisco Franco's regime, and the couple was forced to flee leaving all of their possessions behind. The Asensios found their way to Haverford College through florist Robert Pyle, a Quaker from West Grove who was a friend of Elisa Asensio's father.
Manuel Asensio, who died in 1992, founded the Spanish department at Haverford College and also taught aesthetics. Like her husband, Elisa Asensio enjoyed a long and distinguished academic career and was beloved by her students. Known for her gracious hospitality, for many years she and Manuel ran a regular Sunday night open house devoted to Spanish conversation in their art-filled apartment in Spanish House.
Burial is scheduled for Friday, August 27th, at 10 a.m. at St. Peter and Saint Paul Cemetery, 1600 Sproul Road, Springfield, PA 19064-1134. A memorial service will be held on campus at La Casa at a future date still to be determined. More information to come.
