BY JOSÉ JAIME DAZA HINOJOSA/SPECIAL FOR EL PILÓN
Professor César Pompeyo Mendoza Hinojosa deserves to be praised as a supportive, altruistic, selfless, educational, generous and loyal vallenato. Of values and principles, with great gifts of gratitude, exemplary, helpful citizen. He was the founder of the prestigious Ateneo El Rosario College, in 1963, a 50-year project to train leaders, its pillars were “Science and Virtue”.
ITS ORIGIN
This distinguished and distinguished man was born in Valledupar, of peasant lineage, who was characterized by radiating great love for his family, for his city, his main concern was to create an educational institution, where leaders were trained, who in the future will move this city forward .
He was born on September 4, 1936, in the home formed by Cesar Juvenal Mendoza Gutiérrez, a man educated by Franciscan priests, in the historic population of La Sierrita, corregimento of the municipalities of San Juan del Cesar, La Guajira, and Antonia Máxima Hinojosa Mendoza. From this marriage were born 13 siblings: Justa, Rosario, Tarsicio, Guido, Rosario, Maria Antonia, Maria Del Pilar, Sophia, Esther, Martha, Cecilia, Laureano, Jose, Angel, Vincent, Francisco, Jesus, Antonio, and Carmen Julia Mendoza Fennel.
He married Lilia Esther Vargas Villareal, with whom he brought four children into the world: Cesar Augusto, Cesar Pompeyo, Liliana Sofía, and Lily Esther. His death occurred on September 12, 2003.
Caesar Pompey He was born in the Cañaguate neighborhood of Valledupar, in the house of ‘Quinche’, later his parents bought the lot, whose house is on the corner of the seventh race, with ‘El callejón de la Purrututú’, in that old house he spent his years of childhood, he organized the games of the time and his leadership capacity was already manifested. He played roasted corn, rounds, dressed as a priest and celebrated masses, baptized dolls, also played with little bones, a beautiful childhood. His primary studies were carried out in the parochial school of the time, said school later became what is today the Pablo VI School; He completed secondary school at the Colegio Nacional Loperena, up to fifth grade, as the tenth grade is currently called. He belonged to the Loperena war band, and was also an active sportsman, and a very dynamic leader of his class; He had to move to the city of Barranquilla to complete his baccalaureate, since Loperena still did not issue bachelor’s diplomas, all those who studied there had to go to graduate at the Liceo Celedón, in Santa Marta; to the Pinillos School, in Mompox; to Medellin, Bogota, etc.,
César chose the Barranquilla School for men, from said institution is his high school diploma, he graduated in 1955. In Barranquilla he continued with his joy, he was a dancer, a lover of carnivals, he let his forelock grow, which was fashionable in that time, a healthy boy, but very happy.
THE BEGINNING
He finished his secondary school, and realized that there were no conditions to go to the University at that time, he preferred to dedicate himself to the organization of the farm, which his father had in the Azúcar Buena region, and even thought that his inclinations for a university career they could be around agronomy, well, he put his chest into agriculture, and livestock, collaborating with his father in these matters, but something important, when he graduated from high school, he had been preselected to provide military service, and at After a few months he was required, he went to serve his country, he paid for his service in Bogotá with honors, he was a presidential guard in the famous Miguel Antonio Caro Infantry battalion, MAC.
When he finished his military service, he returned to his agricultural work and one day, on the road that leads to the farm, he met Professor Leónidas Acuña, who owned the El Carmen school, in Valledupar, he asks him, where are you going? ? César replied: “to the mountains, to some lands that my father has and I collaborate with him”.
Professor Acuña told him: “your dad was a great teacher, and the idea that you could be too comes to me. Why don’t you support me at my school?”, to which César replies: I already have my project to work with my dad, I’m going to think about it and then I’ll tell him.”
Several days passed and after talking with his parents and siblings he decides to accept and work with Professor Acuña at his school, thus beginning his successful career as a teacher.
THE TEACHER
Already in the struggles of a teacher, he decides to prepare himself better, he became fond of teaching, he went to his neighbor from Cañaguate, Aníbal Martínez Zuleta, who was the government secretary of the department of Magdalena, in Santa Marta; at that time the departments of Cesar and La Guajira did not exist, he told him that he wanted to study, Dr. Aníbal directed him to the education secretary, where they told him that a scholarship was available for Tunja, Boyacá, and they awarded him said scholarship, The University is called Tunja Pedagogical and Technological University, in this renowned institution he studied education and philosophy.
It is there where he defines that his vocation is to be a teacher, he prepares very well and when he returns he already has in mind the creation of a College, which would be called Ateneo El Rosario. He had suggested to his sisters that they study at the Normal de Santa Marta, since the project was a family one, his father was a pedagogical advisor, and her mother administered the boarding school, since they also provided that service.
Most of the brothers participated in that ambitious family projectall those who graduated were linked as teachers in different subjects.
THE FIRST PROMOTION
In 1970 the first class of high school graduates came out from the prestigious Ateneo el Rosario school.
Talking about this illustrious son of Valledupar in a breaking latest news is really insufficient, there are many things left to mention, and precisely his adored wife is writing a book, where he explains and makes known to those who did not have the honor of personally knowing his great life. and work, that publication is eagerly awaited.
His wife tells an unpublished anecdote, of the professor ‘Checha’, as they called him out of affection: “Cesar was expelled from the University of Tunja, they accused him of being a communist, because together with other students they demanded a series of academic adjustments that the faculty needed. , there were strikes, strikes, riots and he actively participated in these student movements, he was an eloquent speaker, the strike moved to Bogotá and the National University supported them and joined the paralysis.
He came to La Javeriana University, in Bogotá, and applied for a place, because he wanted to finish his degree, the movement continued in Tunja and they demanded reinstatement to end the protests, they admitted him to Javeriana, in Tunja they did not explain themselves as a student a revolutionary communist had accepted him at a University of Catholic Jesuit priests, in the end they reinstated him in Tunja and he returned triumphant, since he had obtained all the just requests of his student movement, he substantially improved the University of Tunja, thanks to this organized revolution that César and Several more colleagues did “.
PROFESSIONAL LIFE
Graduate in educational sciences and philosophy, from La Pedagogical University of Tunja, 1962. Postgraduate, PNUA-UNESCO program. Col 36- educational administration – National Pedagogical University, Bogotá, 1973.
POSITIONS HELD
Director of the Teacher Training Division (DICMA); He worked at the Colombian Institute of Pedagogy (INCOLPE) – Cesar Sections – Guajira. Founder of the Cesar Pilot Experimental Center. Professor at the Liceo Universitario, Liceo Champunat, Normal Nacional Jose Eusebio Caro, Universidad del Cauca, Popayán. Teacher in several schools such as the Industrial School, in Prudencia Daza, Loperena and El Carmen, in Valledupar.
He was founding rector of the Ateneo El Rosario De Valledupar, rector of the Popular University of Cesar. He belonged to the Club De Leones, Red Cross, Colombian Academy of Pedagogy, Bolivarian Society, Cesar History Center, among others.
Professor César, with his school, Ateneo El Rosario, achieved his purpose of training great professionals who today are leaders in different fields, the current president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Aroldo Quiroz, is a graduate of this institution, as well as Tomás Darío Gutierrez Hinojosa, Elias Ochoa, and Roman Pavajeau. There he was trained under the motto ‘Science and virtue, education as a source of improvement’.
César Pompeyo Mendoza Hinojosa is recognized as the promoter of his family, he helped his father and mother so that all his brothers became professionals, a great citizen, he had an enormous love for his land, on one occasion he was offered a job in Brazil and he did not want to abandon his homeland, he preferred to stay, he was a natural leader of his soul Valledupar, welcomed by various organizations to be their representative.
That is why in Valledupar there is a megacolegio which has the name of César Pompeyo Mendoza Hinojosa, as a tribute to this eminent and unforgettable man of excellent qualities.