José Guilberto Guerrero

by Valerie Kimble

José Guilberto Guerrero had a smile that could light up a room, a smile that attracted people to his gentle nature, and he to them. “That’s what I’ll always remember about him, his smile,” said a friend and former classmate of José's, as members of the New Mexico Tech community learned of his unexpected death on March 16, 2005. He was 29 years old.

The death of a young man with such promise and potential brought with it shock and sadness. Noted Tech President Dr. Daniel H. López: “The passing of such a young and talented researcher, who was well-liked and respected throughout the campus community, has been a devastating blow to all of us here at New Mexico Tech, particularly the staff, faculty and students he worked with on a daily basis.”

José was born in Pachuca, Mexico, the eldest of six children, and was raised in Ixmiquilpan, a semi-arid region northwest of Mexico City, with a population of approximately 100,000 people. Both cities are in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. He was such a serious student that he didn’t really discover sports until he arrived in Socorro. Graceful and agile, Jose turned out to be a natural athlete, easily moving from soccer to basketball to volleyball.

But it was the game of tennis that he excelled at best. Gayle Rhodes, longtime member and former president of the Socorro Tennis Association (STA), said José showed up some six years ago for a tennis clinic she was teaching. “Here I was the teacher, but Jose was just one of those persons with a natural aptitude for the game – he had a magic touch with the ball. “

José joined the association right from the start, and was president of STA at the time of his death. His most visible feat was winning the Grand Prix tennis tournament in Albuquerque in a comeback victory.” Everyone from Albuquerque came to see him play,” said Rhodes. She remembered Jose as “a really great kid, always very sweet, very kind.”

José’s journey to New Mexico Tech began in August 1997 when he was selected as an exchange student from the Monterrey Tec university system in Queretaro, Mexico. At the end of the exchange year, during the Summer of 1998, José elected to continue his academic training under the mentorship of Dr. Stephen Bruder, an associate professor in the Electrical Engineering Department.

In January, 1999, Jose was accepted into New Mexico Tech’s Computer Science program, and he received his Master of Science degree in CS in May 2001. José continued to take courses as he found time to do so, meanwhile working in robotics research under Bruder, together with Dr. Kevin Wedeward, also of the EE Department, more recently.

One of the highlights of his academic career took place in Beijing, China in the Summer of 2001 when José took first place in the Second Annual Regional Fire-Fighting Home Robot Competition; fellow New Mexico Tech student Steve Wasson took third. Both students were invited to China by the competition sponsor, after Tech’s exceptional showing at the international competition in Hartford, Conn. earlier that year.

During an interview conducted after the students’ return, José said he found it fascinating to travel to a different country and see their technology, and explain western technology to the Chinese contestants. “My view of China changed after this trip,” he said. “It is a very nice and safe place to visit. The Chinese people are very friendly to tourists.” He added that he expected the competition to be something totally different from the International Competition in Hartford, but it was not so. “The only problem,” he reported, “was that all of the announcements were in Chinese. It was hard to know when it was our turn, and when we were supposed to go on stage to receive our awards, but our fellow participants helped us.”

José formed friendships from the classroom to the volleyball court; people were drawn to his sunny nature and affable charm. He always had a warm greeting for people, and an embrazo for his friends. He found a home away from home with his host family in Socorro, and a true and lasting affection for the family members.

One of José’s finest gifts was his rapport and patience with children of all ages, and his work with ROBORAVE, a program developed to show high school students that math, science and engineering are fun and challenging. José was always eager to share what he knew with others, one of the hallmarks of a good teacher.