The UPLB College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Building has been formally named after the late CAS Dean Edelwina C. Legaspi for her significant contributions to UPLB.

The naming of the building, held on September 8, 2023, was approved by the UP Board of Regents at its 1379th meeting on April 3, 2023.

Legaspi was the founding dean of CAS and served as its dean from 1973 to 1977, 1977 to 1982, and 1985 to 1991. She was a respected scholar recognized in the local and international scene and known for her heart and intellect.

She graduated AB English, magna cum laude, from UP Diliman and finished her MS at Radcliffe College and PhD in Rhetoric and Public Address at Cornell University. 

To her students, colleagues, and family, Legaspi was simply an epitome of warmth and goodness.

“Ma’am was not a pader na masasandalan because she had influence in this university. She was never after any kind of power. With the powers-that-be, she was respectful but did not cower and stood her ground on matters of principle and dignity. 

But with the powerless, those who most people would look down on and treat as inferiors, she was always loving,” said Dr. Layeta Bucoy, award-winning playwright, professor at the UPLB Department of Humanities and a proud “Legaspi baby.”

During the unveiling, Dr. Eric Legaspi, one of the children of the late dean, also described their mother as a modest person. “She would always introduce herself as “Mrs. Legaspi” in her numerous after-hours phone calls; never Dean Legaspi or even Dr. Legaspi. She was a modest woman who did not seek recognition or material possessions – declining several lofty opportunities to remain with the College during its early years.”

To this day, the former dean’s most remarkable contribution to the University is reflected in the presence and the upholding of liberal arts education in UPLB. She was one of the pioneer humanities professors at UPLB and is credited for spearheading the institution of the BA Communication Arts at the University in 1974.

University officials gathered to witness the program, where the commemorative marker bearing Legaspi’s name was unveiled. Chancellor Jose Camacho, Jr., CAS Dean Maribel Dionisio-Sese, and National Scientist Dolores Ramirez joined the event. 

Also present during the program were Legaspi’s children, Al Legaspi, Benjie Legaspi, who was represented by his wife Susie, and Dr. Eric Legaspi. (Allane Desiree D. Arganda/Information from the UP Gazette: https://osu.up.edu.ph/the-up-gazette/?entry_year=)