Berardo Valdes, foreign languages and literatures professor at Iowa State, died Jan. 30 after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 61.

Valdes, who had been a professor at ISU since 1971, was a pioneer in “teaching Spanish for business,” said Madeleine Henry, chairwoman of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.

He also taught upper-level Spanish courses such as grammar and composition.

Valdes had an interesting past that contributed to his mysterious personality, Henry said.

Valdes was born in Camaguey, Cuba, and as a young man he fought against communism in Cuba. According to an obituary, he fled Cuba during the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Henry said Valdes did not talk much about his youth in Cuba.

“I think as a young man, he had some harrowing experiences,” she said. “But they formed an intriguing part of him and contributed to a little bit of mystique about him.”

Henry said Valdes wanted his students to get a feel for Hispanic culture. He was known for his work in the Spanish programs at Burgos, Spain; Valladolid, Spain; and Cuernavaca, Mexico.

“He was superb at directing our program in Mexico and Cuernavaca,” she said. “He would take students down there in January and make sure that the students were placed with families.”

However, Valdes was forced to leave teaching and the program last year because of his cancer.

Henry said Valdes “cared very much about new faculty, especially ones that had come from another country.”

“He sort of took care of them; he’d help them out with problems they might have as newcomers to the United States,” she said.

Kimberly Deeb, senior in accounting and Spanish, is a former student of Valdes’ and was his assistant in the Cuernavaca program.

Deeb said as a teacher, Valdes was laidback and had an off-beat sense of humor.

“He made the class interesting; he was always willing to help,” she said. “[He was] a very easy-to-like guy.”

Deeb said Valdes taught her many things, including “don’t be confined in what you’re doing” and “take advantage of every opportunity.” In teaching these philosophies it helped that Valdes also lived by them, Deeb said, calling him “a very carefree spirit.”

“He’s been around the world and back again,” she said. “Every job you can think of … he’s done it. [He was] always looking to do new things and try new things.”

Henry said Valdes “had a sense of style” she’ll miss.

“He had kind of a flair,” she said.

Valdes received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He was a member of both the Modern Language Association and the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

He is survived by wife Marie, of Ames, and son Rafael, of Omaha, Neb.

To make a contribution to the foreign languages and literature scholarship in Valdes’ name, contact the ISU Foundation.