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 foundational figure in the Industrial Engineering program in the province, according to the condolence note published on the UPR page on Facebook.
"Elio Govea was an integral professional and a fundamental pillar in the history of our institution of higher education," he emphasized.
Govea accumulated more than 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 Teaching Department, a merit that the university itself acknowledged as crucial for enabling "countless young people from Pinar del Río to train in that specialty."
Throughout his career, he held nearly every position within university life: Program Director, coordinator of the Weekend Course, Associate Dean, Instructor, Assistant, and Auxiliary, as well as Director of Human Resources at UPR.
In that last position, the institution emphasized that it "was characterized by its humane treatment, work ethic, and constant concern for the well-being of its workers and students."
Most recently, he had worked as a methodology specialist responsible for foreign investment business in the Department of Exports at 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 an accident.
"If there was anyone from our generation in Pinar del Río who embodied talent without pretense, a cheerful spirit resilient to misfortune, and the ability to give oneself to others as effortlessly as one breathes, it was my friend Elio Antonio Govea Rodríguez," wrote Arencibia Lorenzo.
The passing of Govea occurs in a year that is particularly painful for the UPR, which also mourned the death of Professor Mayra Carmona González, a Doctor of Economic Sciences and former dean of the eponymous Faculty at the same institution, in May 2026. On a national level, 2026 has been a year marked by the loss of several academics in Cuban universities, including CUJAE, the Universidad Central de 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 on every responsibility he undertook," stated in his farewell message, in which he extended his condolences to family, friends, and colleagues.
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