YBOR CITY, Fla. — Hillsborough Community College Ybor City is honoring an esteemed professor, the late Dr. Luz Lono, by renaming a room on campus in her honor, a room full of artifacts already synonymous with her legacy at the college.
- Dr. Luz Lono a longtime HCC Spanish professor
- Lono passed away in January
- Many artifacts in Luz Lono Room reflect Tampa's Hispanic Heritage
When Lono, a longtime HCC Spanish professor, passed away in January, her friends and colleagues knew they had to keep that legacy going.
A small glass room, nestled in the HCC Ybor City library, currently holds decades worth of artifacts, all collected by Lono. Some she picked up during travels, while others she received as gifts from students.
On Monday, her room of treasures was officially renamed. It's now the "Luz Lono Room."
“She was so proud to work for so many years creating this little museum,” said Tampa Hispanic Heritage president Odette Figueruelo said.
Artifacts tied to Hispanic heritage
Many items reflect Tampa’s rich Hispanic heritage.
The room is filled with historical photos of Ybor City, old books, and previous THHI poster contest winners dating back to the 1970s.
Lono herself was extremely involved in the Tampa Hispanic community. She served as a board member and president of Tampa Hispanic Heritage, Inc.
For years, she also served as a role model for current Hispanic community leaders like Figueruelo.
“She was my mentor 20-something years ago,” she told us.
A fitting tribute
“I wish she was here to give us a tour, and I wish we had done that,” retired math professor and former colleague Liana Fernandez Fox said. “I wish we had videotaped her walking around the room and telling us about each and every case.”
Fox was a longtime friend of Lono’s, and recalls her immense love and dedication to her students.
“I would leave here sometimes at 7, 8 o’clock at night and she was still here,” she said.
Fox says renaming the room is a great way to continue remembering her memory.
“I’m sure that she would say, ‘Document your legacy and make sure you carry it on to the next generation.’”