Obituary of Georgina Ballina Ringo

Georgina Ballina Ringo, 99, of Iowa City died, Wednesday, March 23, 2011, at Oaknoll Retirement Residence. Georgina was born in 1911 in Matanzas, Cuba: her parents were from Oviedo, Spain and she came to the United States at the age of 11. Her family includes her three daughters, Rolanda Whiting of Naples, Florida, Paula Abraham of Geneva, Switzerland, and Jennifer Conlon of New York City and five grandchildren; Stephen Whiting, Livia and Cosima Abraham, Luisa and Emma Conlon. Georgina studied languages at Middlebury College in Vermont where she met her husband, Elbert W. Ringo. They were married in 1933 and moved to Alfred, New York where Professor Ringo taught Spanish at Alfred University, then to Champaign-Urbana, Illinois where he taught at the University of Illinois and finally to Iowa City in 1947, where he was a distinguished professor in the Spanish Department at the University of Iowa. Professor Ringo died in 1997, in Iowa City. Shortly after their marriage, Georgina spent part of her time, during a three-year period, touring extensively through many parts of the United States and Latin America, lecturing and performing Latin American and Spanish ethnic dances and songs to great acclaim. The Ringo home in Iowa City became a social haven for Spanish speaking students at the University, many of whom could not return to their countries during holidays. When Cuba opened the emigration floodgates, many exiles came to the University of Iowa where Georgina and her husband were active in the Cuban Institute teaching demonstration classes for future Spanish language teachers. She also worked as a volunteer interpreter at the University Hospital in Iowa City. Remarkably, in 1954, at the age of 43, Georgina received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and French at the University of Iowa. She taught Spanish and French at the University High School and later at West High School in Iowa City from 1958 to 1970. In accordance with Georgina’s wishes services will be held in the privacy of her family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent in Georgina's name to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America at www.alzfdn.org.