A man of letters has turned the last page. Alberto Romero of Snellville, Georgia, or ‘Señor’ as thousands of students knew him, passed away June 20, 2020, after a long battle with cancer.

Alberto lived an abundant life for over 84 years. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 54 years, Tina, in October 2019 and is survived by their son, Andrés, and his three children, Mary Alexandra, William Andres, Isabelle Josefina; their son, Horacio, and his wife, Rupal, and their son, Vijay Samuel; and their niece who they raised during her most formative years, Maria Luisa Parra, and her husband, Carlos Mora, and their sons, Nicolas Mauricio and Daniel Felipe.

A native of Bogotá, Colombia, Alberto went on to study philosophy and theology in Spain, Italy, and Switzerland as a monk, priest, and friar in the Dominican Order over ten years. When he came back from Europe to the Americas, that is when he made the very difficult decision to change his vocational path. Alberto moved to New York City in 1964. Tina reconnected with him there and they were married in 1965. After three years in New York City, Alberto launched his teaching career, accepting a position as a professor at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

With Fortuna guiding his career, Alberto and Tina arrived at The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania in the summer of 1974. For the next 31 years, until his retirement in 2005, Señor Romero served as department chair and instructor of modern languages, dedicating his life to the students in his charge. Not only was he a teacher of Spanish and Spanish Literature and department chair who brought Chinese instruction to the Hill, he was a dorm parent, student adviser, coach, and mentor, who did it all with kindness, compassion, patience, passion, and good humor. Ever the educator, Alberto continued teaching students on many trips around the world during spring breaks and summers in Spain.  Many of his students and colleagues and his fifty-seven nephews and nieces fondly recall his bright smile, wicked sense of humor, hearty laugh and signature beard.

Alberto and Tina, were a dynamic duo who epitomized the spirit of The Hill School, The Family Boarding School. Not only proud, supportive, and loving parents of their two boys and niece, the Romeros also were mom and dad to the hundreds of students fortunate to live in the dormitory with them and those far from home seeking refuge and reminders of home.

Alberto and Tina retired from The Hill in 2005 and moved to Snellville, Georgia to be closer to their sons and grandchildren. Indulging his passion for reading, attending an abundance of his grandchildren’s sporting events, writing his memoirs, and caring for light of his life, Tina, Alberto filled his days in retirement.  

During a spring 2005 Chapel Talk he delivered a few weeks before retiring from The Hill, Señor Romero urged students: “Try to imprint in your hearts the words that the great John Paul, II used to repeat especially to young people: NON AVETE PAURA: Don’t be afraid, that is, be brave, love life, be positive . . . Life is full of surprising contradictions, full of paradoxes, which often are a source of headaches, bewilderment, perplexity, but your positive mindset can change them into a source of energy and learning.”

Celebration of Life Mass will take place virtually on Saturday, August 1, 2020 at 11am Eastern Daylight Savings Time. Go to Facebook page of St. Matthews Episcopal Church of Snellville, GA, USA Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/stmatthewssnellville/.

In memoriam contributions can be made to The Hill School in memory of Alberto Romero online here:
https://alumni.thehill.org/AlbertoRomero or via US mail to The Hill School, 860 Beech Street, Pottstown, PA 19464 USA.