International Students at Dickinson College
Snapshots III

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Focus on the Americas
profiles compiled and presented by
Daniel J. Fleischmann and Jared Tullio

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Lieutenant Colonel Henry C. Rexach Dickinson College, class of 1904 born: Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

photograph courtesy of the Dickinson College Archives

A graduate in 1904, Henry C. Rexach was born 11/29/1875 in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.  He began prep school in Puerto Rico, but finished in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, at the Dickinson Preparatory School.  He entered Dickinson College in 1900, and graduated in 1904.  He was at Dickinson while still a resident of Puerto Rico.
He then entered the Dickinson Law school, but soon withdrew to join the Puerto Rico Provisional Regiment of Infantry in March of 1905.  Only a month later, he became a first lieutenant.  He served until 1916, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  Still on the eligible list, he was on duty in 1930 in Indianapolis.  In that year, on March 27th, he died.
 

photograph taken from the Dickinson College yearbook,  Microcosm (1953)

Alavar O. Antillon Jr. Dickinson College, Class of 1953  born: Barrio Escalante, Costa Rica

Alavar Antillon came to Dickinson from Barrio Escalante, San Jose, Costa Rica.  Antillon was encouraged to come to Dickinson by Professor W. Wright Kirk of the romance languages department, who was vacationing in Costa Rica in 1949.  He was a major in political science, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. During his years at the College, Antillon took interest in the activities of the International Relations Clubs.  For all four years of his college career  he was part of the Spanish Club, and in his freshman year he was its president.  In his junior year, he also was active in the French Club.  He acted as a delegate from Dickinson in a model United Nations Assembly at Cornell and Middle Atlantic States conferences of the International Relations Clubs.  Antillon was a brother of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, and was also the fraternity's historian.

After graduating from Dickinson in June of 1953, he returned to his native Costa Rica were he made his home in San Jose.  From there, he went on to head the International Conference Section of that republic's new Department of Internal National Organizations.  At 22 years old, he was the youngest man in an important post in his government.