- Date Of Birth: May 4, 1948
- Date Of Death: May 16, 2018
- State: Pennsylvania
Alicia Norma Sevilla, 70, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, died on May 16, 2018. She was born on May 4, 1948 in Mendoza, Argentina the daughter of Moises Sevilla and Amelia Vargas.
She is survived by her husband Clifford Queen of Bethlehem; son Alexander Queen of Maryland; step-children Peter Queen of Pennsylvania, Steven Queen of Arizona and Christina Gordon of Florida and their families; identical twin Elena Sevilla of Connecticut and siblings Graciela Sevilla and Guillermo Sevilla both of Mendoza, Argentina as well as six nephews and nieces.
Alicia studied mathematics at the Universidad de Cuyo in Argentina and earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Cornell University. She was a professor at Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA from 1984 to 2013 and served as Chair of the Mathematics Department there for six years. Alicia was a co-author of two mathematics textbooks: A Companion to Calculus and Quantitative Reasoning: Tools for Today’s Informed Citizen.
She taught a wide variety of undergraduate mathematics courses and was highly regarded for her ability to motivate and involve students. Alicia was an effective mentor for generations of student teachers during her career.
While Alicia was a graduate student at Cornell University, her sister Elena became a political prisoner of Argentina’s military dictatorship. Alicia waged a tenacious campaign, with help from Nobel laureates and others at Cornell and the Jimmy Carter administration, to liberate her sister from prison.
With the same tenacity she fought a long battle with cancer. Despite her disciplined scientific approach to the problem, she ultimately lost that fight. Alicia was generous, loving and compassionate. She willingly shared her time and expertise with friends, colleagues, students and family.
