The University of Pinar del Río "Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca" (UPR) announced the passing of engineer Elio Antonio Govea Rodríguez, Assistant Professor at the institution and a founding figure of the Industrial Engineering program in the province, according to the condolence notice published on the UPR's page on Facebook.
"Elio Govea was an upstanding professional and a fundamental pillar in the history of our institution of higher education," he emphasized.
Govea accumulated over 20 years of academic life at UPR and 14 years of teaching experience.
He was the founder of the Industrial Engineering program in Pinar del Río and its first Head of the Academic Department, a merit that the university itself recognized as crucial for allowing "countless young people from Pinar del Río to be trained in that specialty."
Throughout his career, he held nearly every position within university life: Head of Program, coordinator of the Intensive Course, Associate Dean, Instructor, Assistant and Aide, and Director of Human Resources at UPR.
In that last position, the institution highlighted that it "was characterized by its humane approach, work ethic, and constant concern for the well-being of workers and students."
Most recently, he had worked as a methodologist in charge of foreign investment affairs in the Export Department of the Ministry of Higher Education.
The death of Govea also prompted farewell messages on social media. The writer and journalist Jesús Arencibia Lorenzo, who described him as a personal friend, noted on social media that Govea died in a traffic accident.
"If there was anyone from our generation in Pinar del Río who embodied talent without pretensions, a resilience that defied misfortune, and the ability to give oneself to others as simply as one breathes, it was my friend Elio Antonio Govea Rodríguez," wrote Arencibia Lorenzo.
The passing of Govea occurs in a year that has been particularly painful for the UPR, which in May 2026 also mourned the death of Professor Mayra Carmona González, a PhD in Economic Sciences and former dean of the same-named Faculty at that institution. Nationally, 2026 has been a year marked by the passing of several academics at Cuban universities, including CUJAE, the Central University of Las Villas, the University of Havana, and the University of Oriente.
For its part, the University of Pinar del Río highlighted Govea's legacy after more than two decades associated with the institution. "He left an indelible mark in every role he took on," was stated in the farewell message, in which condolences were conveyed to family, friends, and colleagues.
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