Premio José Martel
The José Martel Award commemorates the service of Dr. José Martel, who died August 22, 1979, at the age of 96, after serving Sigma Delta Pi loyally and unselfishly for over half a century in many capacities: Chapter Adviser, Vice-President, Honorary President, faithful counselor, orator on national occasions, and polished author in the rewriting of parts of our ritual and in the preparation of certificates of award. The Premio José Martel, proposed by then President T. Earle Hamilton in 1968 and subsequently made possible in part by the generous donation of Martel himself, was first presented to Dr. Lucía D. Bonilla of Hunter College, CUNY in 1972. Once every three years, at the national triennial convention, Sigma Delta Pi honors our most outstanding chapter adviser with a cash award and a beautiful plaque. A call for nominations for this distinction is announced the fall prior to the national triennial convention. The above photo was taken during the summer of 1929 when Dr. Martel taught in the Spanish School at Middlebury College.