The month of June takes on enormous prominence for the residents of the Villa de San Juan de la Rambla, as the famous Patron Saint Festivities take place in honor of San Juan Bautista; days of celebration in which the welcoming character of the ramblero is revealed, offering hospitality and friendship to the stranger to enjoy these centuries-old festivities together. And it is, precisely in these days of celebration, when Armando Pérez Luis comes to mind, a prominent figure in the contemporary history of our town and who was the promoter of many activities related to the educational, social, religious, cultural and even economic aspects. , favoring in this way to give an enormous role through his effort and dedication to his beloved Villa ramblera.
As Official Chronicler of the Villa de San Juan de la Rambla, I fulfill the task of informing the new generations so that the vast events of this pro-rambling man, Armando Pérez Luis, are not forgotten, and that despite having died in 1991, three decades later, he is still remembered for all the good he did to the municipality.
Armando Pérez was born in this Villa, in the La Rambla neighborhood, in 1928. He was the youngest of six siblings and, unfortunately for him, his father died with just a few months to live, which will mark the future of his family. From a very young age, he moved to La Laguna to study with his brothers, there he established a great friendship that he kept forever with Alberto de Armas García, a prestigious doctor, senator and ambassador in Venezuela, and also with Alfonso García Ramos Fernández del Castillo, graduate in Law, writer and director of the newspaper La Tarde. After finishing high school, his dream was to study medicine and for that he had to move to Madrid, but economic difficulties prevented his dream and he had to study Industrial Engineering in Gran Canaria.
In 1954, together with his friend, the priest Francisco Hernández García, they carried out a project that would change the socio-cultural course of the town: the foundation of a school where they could study up to the fourth year of high school and even prepare for free teaching. Thus, the San Alberto Magno school, popularly known as La Academia, was born. Several generations of young people from the municipality passed through this center, having a training that gave them a future with great possibilities of personal progress.
We also highlight his love for the family, he married Rosa Cándida Montes Hernández. Still alive and a great lady from the rambles that she knew how to raise her five children with her husband.
Armando Pérez felt great concern and affection for his people and with the daily evolution of La Academia, numerous cultural activities were organized, such as theatermusical evenings, sporting events and whose acts were attended by the entire staging neighborhood.
Around the sixties of the last century, he joined several enthusiastic neighbors and founded the Casino Rambla, renting a house on Calle Estrecha that serves as the headquarters of the society. It was kept in this place for many years, until the change of headquarters to the old Aurora Cinema and which became the nerve center of the ramblera society.
He had strong religious convictions, which is why he presided over the Nocturnal Adoration in the Parish of San Juan Bautista. An association of faithful recognized by the Catholic Church, whose main purpose is the adoration, during the night, of the Blessed Sacrament. He was also the protagonist for many years of the making of Corpus Christi carpets, putting his vehicle to go to Las Cañadas to look for colored lands and, as if that were not enough, when Christmas arrived, he participated with a group of Lo Divino singing Christmas carols through the streets. and in the realization of the Bethlehem of the Church. His burial brought together hundreds of people in a ceremony that is still remembered and with the assistance of brotherhoods, priests and a wide religious representation.
He was also a born collaborator of the Patron Saint Festivities and, from his privileged position as director of the Caja General de Ahorros since 1972, and for almost two decades, he carried out numerous cultural activities with the participation of leading musical and theater groups in the Canary Islands. and national. A long cast of artists such as the Mieres Choir (Asturias), the Voces Blancas Choir, Mestisay or Taburiente, among others.
At that time, the Patron Saint Festivities took on enormous relevance thanks to the collaboration provided by Armando Pérez. Together with a group of music fans, they even managed to reorganize the music band, turning it into what is currently the Alcaraván Artistic Association.
His passion for helping the rambleros led him to be a councilor for many years. Without being a politician, his objective was to improve the living conditions of the municipality with the few means available at that time.
So much so that his noble kind heart and risking his position as a bank executive, helped and fostered loans, guaranteed with his signature, so that many families could get ahead.
May this article serve as a well-deserved tribute to the memory of an illustrious ramblero, Armando Pérez Luis, who despite his goodbye in 1991, today remains in the memory of many neighbors for the affection and love he offered to San Juan de la Rambla to be a reference place in the entire region.
