Miguel Garci-Gomez

Miguel Garci-Gomez, father, teacher, scholar, dreamer, died on December 26, 2021 at age 89. He was born in 1932 in Almoharín, Spain to the late Jose García Vázquez and Maria Gómez Collado. When he was 12 years old, he entered a diocesan seminary in Badajoz, studying humanities and philosophy. In 1952, he moved to Madrid where he continued his theological studies and was ordained as a priest in 1956. After working in the diocese of Badajoz for two years, he moved to the diocese of St. Augustine, Florida in 1959. During his 8 years in Florida he also taught Latin and Spanish in Catholic high schools in Daytona Beach, St. Petersburg, and Orlando. He enrolled in graduate studies at the Catholic University of America, earning a master’s degree in Latin and Greek in 1969 and a Ph.D. in Spanish literature in 1971. Professor Garci-Gomez taught at the University of Maryland and Gettysburg College before joining Duke University in 1973. His joy at Duke came from teaching undergraduate students. He founded the Duke in Spain summer program in 1975, hosting hundreds of students in Spain for over 30 years and teaching them about Spanish language, culture, art, and history. He was also passionate about his scholarly work in linguistics and literary criticism of texts from medieval Spain, including works by the Marqués de Santillana, the Cantar de Mio Cid, and La Celestina. He often said his head was in the clouds, and even in his last days he was reciting poetry from memory. In his final years at Duke, he became a pioneer in the application of computational statistics to the analysis of literary works, establishing a website “Cibertextos Interactivos” that archives over 11,000 works.  

Miguel Garci-Gomez was a loving husband, father, and abuelo, always able to crack a smile with a witty turn of phrase and forever changing the way we think about words. His flower garden brought him great happiness as a place for creative expression and as a beautiful, peaceful place for contemplation. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Jane (Waehrens) Garci-Gomez, his sister Florencia Garcia Gomez of Madrid, Spain, his children Erik Garci, Maria Garci Juenger, and Michael Garci, and grandchildren Nolan, Nina and Maya Garci and Benjamin and Cecilia Juenger. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Heart Association or the Durham Rescue Mission.  

The Garci-Gomez family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service.