Jaime L. Drew
Jaime Leopoldo Drew Henriquez was an early twentieth-century Puerto Rican educator, civil servant, writer, and engineer from Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Early years
Jaime Leopoldo Drew Henriquez was born in Barrio Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico, on 16 September 1876, the son of Carlos M. Drew, a Dominican, and Matilde Henriquez, a Puerto Rican woman born in Naguabo. He lived in Ponce until age seven, when his family moved to the Dominican Republic. His family moved back to Ponce when Drew was eleven, and a year later, he moved to England where he completed his elementary and high school education.Education
After completing his high school training, he entered Wesleyan College of the University of London where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Arts and Civil Engineering, graduating cum laude. He studied in London, England at Oxford University, becoming the first Puerto Rican to graduate from that university.Career
After completing his Engineering degree, Drew practiced engineering in Puerto Rico and Venezuela. However, he became interested in the teaching profession instead. His first teaching jobs were in economically deprived rural areas of the Puerto Rican country side, including Adjuntas. He subsequently moved to Ponce to teach in schools in Ponce's urban zone. His teaching subjects included physics, English as a second language, French, and Spanish. Drew spent his life teaching at the Ponce High School, starting under its first principal, Charles H. Terry. He spent 15 years teaching at the Ponce High School, and during his spare time he also taught courses at various business schools in Ponce.For several years, Drew also held positions as school principal, public schools inspector, and advisor to the Languages Department of the Puerto Rico's Departamento de Instruccion Publica, now Department of Education. Drew wrote several books, including "Liga de Bondad", "English Idiomatic Expressions", "Short Stories", and "Libro de Poemas en Ingles y Espanol".
At age 41, on 18 July 1918, Drew entered the United States Armed Forces during World War I conflict and held the rank of lieutenant teaching various military courses to the incoming military personnel.