Last week, shortly after his 90th birthday, I interviewed architect and painter Gilberto Oliver Campos. What follows is a brief summary of the thoughts he shared with me that day.
For some of us, the 1932 San Felipe hurricane is a footnote in some old history book. However, this hurricane changed my [Oliver Campos’] life; for you see, my family owned and operated the coffee producing Hacienda Gripiñas, and overnight, it ceased to exist.
My grandfather, Jaime Oliver Mayol was a banker in Ponce. He purchased Gripiñas along with its 1,400 acres in 1900. It became the largest coffee producing Hacienda in Puerto Rico. I remember that at the time, there were no roads leading up to Gripiñas, nor was there electricity or telephone service. However, there were plenty of mosquitoes and snakes. After the hurricane, the bank took over the Hacienda as it was unable to pay its debts.
My father left Puerto Rico for Haiti, never to return. He settled in a small town by the name of Jacmel, and with the help of some friends, started exporting coffee to Europe. Fortunately, I was able to continue my education and pursue my interest in architecture. I was accepted at the Georgia Tech architecture program, where I commenced my studies.
As with most members of my generation, the World War II interrupted my studies. I was probably one of the few Puerto Ricans to be sent to India, as the Japanese threatened to invade that country. As this threat subsided, I was sent to Burma. Fortunately, I was used to the heat and the snakes, as in both India and Burma there were lots of them.
At the war’s end, we were taken aboard a military transport that made stops at Saudi Arabia and Tripoli. Flying over the battle scarred Tripoli, we could see the remnants of Rommel’s Panzer Tanks which the British had destroyed.
The benefits provided to veterans, including the GI Bill, helped me complete my architecture studies at the Kansas State. Upon graduation, I returned to Puerto Rico. In 1953, I started to work at Ramey Air Force Base (formerly Borinquen Air Field) as a resident architect. I helped select the architects for the landmark Officers Club, and was responsible for the design and management of most construction programs. I worked at Ramey until 1970, the year the base closed. After 17 years of working at Ramey, I found myself with no employment!
Fortunately, architects were in demand during the early 1970s, as Puerto Rico was experiencing a construction boom. However, it would be short-lived. The 1973 OPEC oil embargo and the resulting calamity it caused the local and stateside economies stalemated most construction projects. Nevertheless, I was able to continue to work as an architect and take up my hobby of drawing. I retired at 75, but continue to draw and look forward to my next exhibition.