Juan Jose Hermosilla '57
Renowned Structural Engineer also Made Mark in Athletics
Juan Jose Hermosilla '57 was honored at the 75th anniversary celebration of MIT's squash program in November 2005.
The Tech called him a deadly marksman and "a slight, quick Guatemalan with cat-like reflexes, outstanding court strategy, and a peerless backhand." That description of Juan Jose Hermosilla's '57 squash game is about 50 years old, but it foreshadowed the phenomenal athletic career he has had in squash and four other sports: tennis, golf, table tennis, and bowling.
None of these sports is his primary career, though: Hermosilla is a renowned structural engineer in his native Guatemala. Shortly after finishing his civil engineering degree, he started an engineering firm that designs buildings able to withstand earthquakes. He has performed structural analysis for, designed, and constructed scores of office buildings, residences, warehouses, and shopping malls in Guatemala and Central America. Hermosilla is particularly proud of his work on 152 of Guatemala's tallest buildings, some of which rise to 30 stories. Visitors to the U.S. Embassy or the Westin Camino Real hotel in Guatemala City can thank him for the structural integrity of these buildings—a reassuring feature in a seismically active area that suffered a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in 1976. Now Hermosilla has a partner in the firm and also consults in the civil engineering field. He loves his work and, at 72, has no plans to retire anytime soon.
Hermosilla's success as an athlete in Guatemala is equally impressive. National champion in squash for 26 years. Four-time national champion in tennis. Three-time national champion in golf. National champion in table tennis, bowling, tennis, squash, and golf in the same year. Gold medalist in tennis at the World Masters Games in Denmark and Australia. He is one of nine members of the Guatemalan sports hall of fame. And those are just some of the highlights.
Hermosilla recently received another honor: a watch with a gold-faced MIT seal, awarded by Director of Athletics Candace Royer. She recognized him as the all-time best MIT player at the 75th anniversary celebration of MIT's squash program in November. No player has advanced as far as Hermosilla did, placing second at the 1956 squash intercollegiate championship.
"This is a great honor for me to be among such an elite group," Hermosilla says. He cherishes the watch and wears it often—except, that is, every day at noon, when he plays tennis.
By Elizabeth Durant
(First published in Technology Review, May/June 2006)
