After teaching at the University of South Florida, Dr. Dominguez joined the Delaware faculty in 1970, teaching Spanish language and literature, including upper-level courses on “Medieval Spanish,” “Prose and Lyric Poetry of the Spanish Golden Age,” Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote and courses on “Culture and Civilization of Spain.”

He was the author of two books on Cervantes’ Don Quixote and his Novelas Ejemplares,  He also published several articles in periodicals from the U.S., Spain, England, México and Uruguay and gave numerous lectures on the literature, culture and civilization of Spain and Latin America at national and international conferences. 

Dr. Dominguez was a pioneer in study abroad, developing and initiating both full semester and Winter Session programs in Spain, Costa Rica and México.

His honors included being nominated for the University’s Excellence-in-Teaching Award and being named Delaware Hispanic Man of the Year in 1988.

A loyal fan of the UD’s football team, he attended all home games and traveled to most away games. He was an active member of the Blue Hen Touchdown Club and the Basketball Club of UD..

Dr. Dominguez retired in 2001 after more than 30 years of teaching and service to the University. After retirement, he continued teaching at UD for several years until 2012.

Colleagues remember

Some of Dr. Dominguez’ colleagues shared memories.

Richard A. Zipser, professor emeritus of German and former chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures:

“In 2023, UD celebrated the 100th anniversary of our nation’s first study abroad program. The Delaware Foreign Study Plan in France was created for eight male students in 1923 by WW I veteran Raymond Kirkbride, an assistant professor in the Department of Modern Languages. The program was suspended during the war years and in 1948 transferred to Sweet Briar College in Virginia. In 1971, UD resumed sending its students abroad on its own newly created programs. The introduction of a five-week Winter Session between the fall and spring semesters provided the impetus for short-term study abroad activity.

“High on my agenda, when I became chair of Foreign Languages and Literatures in 1986, was the creation of programs abroad for lower-level language learners in our French, German and Spanish courses. In Spanish, Ivo Dominguez had already laid the groundwork and taken groups of students to Costa Rica beginning in the early 1980s.  Ivo and I became friends right away, and we worked together to make UD the leading US university in study abroad during the 1990s. Given the robust enrollments we had in Spanish, programs at all levels for those students became a priority. Ivo masterfully designed and directed programs initially in San José, Costa Rica; Granada, Spain; and Mérida, Mexico. Later on, we added programs in Argentina (Buenos Aires), Mexico (Puebla), Panama, and a short-lived one in Cuba. Looking back, with regard to Ivo’s overall achievement, I think one could assert without exaggeration that he was one of the most innovative and impactful pioneers for study abroad in Spanish in the post-WWII 20th century.

“Ivo was a good friend, a loyal friend, and I was fortunate to be a recipient of his friendship. The fact that the two of us had similar views in many areas helped us to bond. Ivo was a warm and caring person, who was admired by his students and colleagues alike. He was always cheerful and upbeat, even though he had experienced much adversity in his long life. It was always a pleasure to be in his company. My wife, Ulrike, and I admired Ivo, and we both miss him very much.”

Cynthia Schmidt-Cruz, professor emerita of languages, literatures and cultures:

“Dr. Ivo Domínguez was a beloved teacher and a cherished and respected colleague. He is an example of the hardy exiles from the Castro regime who successfully remade their lives in the United States. A practicing lawyer in Cuba, he went back to school in the U.S. to complete a Ph.D. in Spanish literature. Beyond his specialization in Medieval and Golden Age Spanish literature, he possessed a wide-ranging knowledge of Spanish and Latin American literature, civilization and culture. 

“The department has a vibrant study abroad program, thanks in great part to Ivo. Along with Dr. Julian Valbuena, he traveled to various cities in Spain to assess them as potential study abroad sites, choosing our very successful Granada location. Ivo dedicated himself to expanding and nurturing the department’s relationship with the University of Granada, developing the visiting professor program and graduate student exchange. He also established study abroad programs in Mexico and Costa Rica, and served as faculty director many times, allowing countless students the opportunity to study in a Spanish-speaking country. An insatiable traveler, Ivo enjoyed many more trips to Europe and Latin America after his retirement.” 

Lisa Chieffo, retired assistant director of Study Abroad:

“Ivo and I were office neighbors in Smith Hall when I first began working at UD as study abroad coordinator in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures (now Languages, Literatures and Cultures). I quickly learned that he played a pivotal role in the establishment and development of UD's study abroad programs in Spanish-speaking countries, including in Costa Rica and in Madrid and Granada, Spain (the latter of which continues to this day as the longest-running UD study abroad program). And he knew so many people in all of these locations! Over the years he led numerous programs, both during Winter Session and for full semesters,and thus influenced the lives of dozens, if not hundreds, of UD students. Ivo was a delightful colleague, always ready to help, with a smile and warm-hearted greeting--it was clear why so many students wanted to travel with Professor Dominguez. His impact on education abroad at UD cannot be underestimated.”

About Ivo Dominguez

Born in Palma Soriano, Cuba, he lived in Santiago de Cuba for 10 years where he studied and completed a bachelor of arts degree at the Instituto of Santiago and a doctoral degree in civil and business law at the University of Oriente. He practiced law for five years until dictator Fidel Castro closed the law schools and declared lawyers potential enemies of the Cuban Revolution.

He was accused of being a counter-revolutionary and, without a trial, was put in jail. As a collateral penalty, the Cuban government confiscated his law firm, his properties and everything of value that he owned at that time. He was released from prison in June 1961 and the next month left Cuba for Madrid, Spain, where his parents were living. He decided to emigrate with his family to the United States, arriving in New York City in late September 1961. The next year, he moved to Tampa, Florida, where he worked and studied at the University of South Florida and received a bachelor’s degree in Spanish literature in 1965. From 1965-70 he lived in Tallahassee, Florida, where he completed graduate studies at Florida State University, receiving a master’s degree in 1967 and a Ph.D. in Spanish literature in 1969.

Dr. Dominguez is survived by his daughter Carmen Finnicum and her husband, Bruce, of Newark and his sister Ivia Junco of Tampa, Florida, as well as two grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and many friends.

A celebration of Dr. Dominguez’ life will be held at a later date.

Donations may be made in Dr. Dominguez’ memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or online by clicking here.

To read his obituary or leave online condolences, visit Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes Inc..