A husband, father and innovative teacher, Juan Carlos Robles-Emanuelli devoted his life to loving his family and improving the learning experience of veterinary students.
Juan Robles-Emanuelli was a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology where he taught in the undergraduate program. He had recently completed a doctorate in biomedical sciences.
His wife, Heather Wilson-Robles, associate professor of oncology, said Juan Robles-Emanuelli enjoyed dancing, watching movies and spending time with their 2-year-old and 4-year-old sons.
“He was a real big media person,” Wilson-Robles said. “He loved movies, and he was a perfectionist about that. He set up this amazing movie room with all this amazing technology that I have no idea how to work but it’s still in my house.”
James Herman, clinical professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, said he knew Juan Robles-Emanuelli since 2012 and witnessed the love he had for his family.
“He just absolutely adored his wife and children,” Herman said. “We’d be working together on things and I’d try to just cut him loose so he’d go home. My children are older now and off and all that sorts of stuff, so I sit there and say, ‘You need to spend time with them now.’”
Herman said Juan Robles-Emanuelli was also caring and committed to his students and their education.
“He was amazingly patient,” Herman said. “He would end up having to explain things to students over and over again about some sort of technical aspect of the material and there’d be a line outside his door and he would still greet each one with the same degree of respect and patience, always doing his best.”
Wilson-Robles said his students repaid that dedication and respect by attending his memorial services.
“He only taught for two years, but there were probably 10 or 15 of his students at the wake,” Wilson-Robles said. “And even more at the funeral. So I mean he just really tried really hard to relate to them on any level that he could. He just wanted to reach out and make everybody feel like they could be what they wanted to be if they just tried.”
Wilson-Robles said her husband was not afraid to stand up for what he believed in.
“I remember, he’s Puerto Rican, and one time we were in Puerto Rico and a guy at the mall pushed past me to get through the door, and he actually pulled the guy aside and said, ‘Hey, be respectful,’” Wilson-Robles said. “He was just very careful about other people’s feelings and being inclusive and making people feel welcomed.”
Kenita Rogers, associate dean for professional programs at the College of Veterinary Sciences, said Juan Robles-Emanuelli was a close friend and a big hit with her kids.
“As I go to a lot of Aggie sporting events, he often went with me and I really enjoyed those times with him, because he was an incredible sports fan,” Rogers said. “So it was a lot of fun to go with him to games and to talk to him about sports because he was so knowledgeable but he also treated everyone around him like they were knowledgeable too.”
Rogers said in addition to being a friend, Juan Robles-Emanuelli showed her compassion and kindness by example.
“I think I learned a lot about friendship and how to treat people and how to make people feel like they are something special every time they walk in a room,” Rogers said.
