Louise Slaughter: “The term ``renaissance man'' is tossed around far too casually because people do not truly understand what it means. The…”

“The term ``renaissance man'' is tossed around far too casually because people do not truly understand what it means. The artist and scholars in the Italian Renaissance venerated people who were accomplished in many different fields. Present diversification rather than specialization, was the ideal of the time. As a term of admiration, ``renaissance man'' has few peers. It is a term that was often used to refer to Luis A. Ferre, the former Governor of Puerto Rico, who passed away in October of 2003. Mr. Ferre, in addition to being the Governor, was a successful businessman and a philanthropist and engineer, a classically trained musician, a political pioneer, and a patron of the arts: a renaissance man indeed. Luis A. Ferre was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on February 17, 1904, the son of an engineer of French descent. After spending his early childhood in Ponce, he attended high school in Morristown, New Jersey, before enrolling at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received degrees in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. In addition, he studied at the New England Conservatory of Music where he became an accomplished classical pianist.”