Prof. Debra Castillo, comparative literature, was announced dead at 72 on Oct. 5.
In the wake of her death, Castillo's children, colleagues, former students and collaborators remember her with affection, admiring her welcoming nature, compassion and commitment to mentorship.
Originally from Wisconsin, Castillo moved to Ithaca in 1985. During her time at Cornell, Castillo extended open arms to her students. Her daughter, Melissa Castillo-Garsow, told The Sun that she would host students who did not have a place to spend the holidays in her own home.
Melissa also mentioned how Castillo, although not of Hispanic heritage herself, would mix elements of her children’s Mexican heritage into everyday life, teaching them Spanish and Mexican traditions and holidays. She recalls Castillo serving mole poblano and home-made cranberry sauce mixed with chilies for Thanksgiving.
“I learned about being Latina and to be proud from my mom,” Melissa said. “I also heard from other students, like Latino students [who] took her classes, that they also say the same thing.”
Kety Esquivel ’97 is one of those students. Esquivel met Castillo in the wake of the 1993 Day Hall takeover — a student protest movement by Hispanic and Latino students responding to hate speech incidents on campus. She wrote to The Sun about Castillo’s hospitality during her time testifying to the New York State Assembly about the protest.
“I found solace in Debbie's home,” Esquivel wrote to The Sun. “The smell of the delicious Mexican food she would make for us, and the wonderful Mexican music she would play for us while cooking, was so healing.”
Among Castillo’s appointments on campus, she served as the past director of the Latina/o Studies Program. Esquivel wrote that Castillo advocated for the creation of the LSP and the Cornell Latino Alumni Association and said Castillo was a “champion, advocate and ally” following the Day Hall takeover.
Castillo was also part of several community engagement projects involving students. Former student Ana Drake ’11 collaborated with Castillo years after graduating to run Teatrotaller, a Spanish-language theater troupe created by students that toured across the country and presented plays abroad. She wrote to The Sun that she was inspired by Castillo’s engagement with underrepresented communities in academia.
“She was a person with the truest enthusiasm I have ever seen, and there's something to be said about someone getting excited like a 4-year-old when they're in their 60s,” Drake wrote.“[It’s] loudly understated. She was a rock in the community and the biggest ally the Latine community has had in its existence.”
Ana Ortiz, organizer of the non-profit No Mas Lagrimas, described how Castillo offered her support when she first started her organization and mentored her into community service. They knew each other for over 20 years, Ortiz told the Sun she considered Castillo as a mother.
Her academic work has produced over 150 articles and over a dozen books in a variety of fields. According to Melissa, her main focus during the latter part of her career was on collaboration. Alongside Prof. Liliana Colanzi, Spanish, Castillo published a collection focused on Latin American horror titled Regiones Inquietantes. Castillo was also Colanzi’s advisor when she got her Ph.D. at Cornell.
“I have never met another person with that inexhaustible capacity for work, that ever-expanding intellectual curiosity, that kind and compassionate gaze toward others, and that unwavering sense of service,” Colanzi wrote to The Sun. “Her life was devoted to building community, both within and beyond academia.”
Another interest in Castillo’s career was science fiction, which her son, Carlos Castillo-Garsow, said his mother shared with her children. According to him, she became fascinated by the genre as a child, watching Star Trek films despite her parents prohibiting her from watching them.
“We would watch old Show-era Godzilla movies and eat tuna salad. Giant monsters in rubber suits, exploding miniatures, and aliens in silver jumpsuits have been part of my life since before I could remember,” Carlos wrote.
Melissa, now a professor herself, said she hopes higher education will take lessons from her mother’s approach to academia and be more student-centered, collaborative and in service of the communities they study.
“My mom always came into communities, and that's whether it was the Ithaca community, the farm worker community upstate,” Melissa said. “She also worked a lot in Chiapas, [Mexico] these last years because she had an exchange program and is always listening first.”
A memorial will be held for Castillo on Nov. 2 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Community School of Music and Arts in downtown Ithaca.
Support services are available to all members of the Cornell community. Students may consult with counselors from Cornell Health Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) by calling (607) 255-5155.
Gabriel Muñoz is a member of the class of 2026 at the College of Arts and Sciences. He serves as city editor for the 143rd editorial board. He previously served as city editor for the 142nd Editorial Board and news editor for the 141st Editorial Board. He can be contacted at gmunoz@cornellsun.com.
