María Emma Torrenegra  Verified by the Torre Team. Click for details.

María Emma was born in Barranquilla, Colombia in 1913. Her father, Olimpo Torrenegra, worked at the town’s port. Her mother, María Alvarez, was a homemaker. María Emma was the eldest of five children and raised in an extremely strict Catholic domestic environment. At the time, of course, this was common practice in Colombia because the separation of powers between church and state had not yet been implemented. María Emma didn’t finish high school. While there were primary schools for both boys and girls, only boys were given access to high schools. As a consequence, girls couldn’t go to university; attendance required a high school diploma. Fortunately for María, a lady by the name of Lady Chauvin founded the Universidad Comercial del Atlántico in 1929. It was the first university for women in Barranquilla and it didn’t require a high-school qualification. María Emma was one of their first students. In 1933, she graduated with the only degree the institution offered: Stenography. Soon after getting her first job, tragedy struck. María's father died in a train accident at the port. As her mother had never worked outside the home, and her four siblings were still in school, she suddenly had to support the entire family. This must have been quite a challenge for a 22-year-old woman living in such an authoritarian and patriarchal society. Nevertheless, she met the challenge head-on: not only did she support her family, but — rather ironically — she financed her male siblings’ university education. She helped them obtain the degrees she wasn't allowed to study for. Since Maria Emma was so focused on work, she only married when she was 40-years-old. At 42, she gave birth to her daughter, Katia — and three years later, her husband abandoned them. Despite being a single parent and the sole provider for a family yet again, she brought up her daughter well. One can only wonder what other professions María Emma might have pursued had she been enabled to do so by her society — perhaps an engineer, a scientist, a doctor, or even a professor. Of course, we will never know; discrimination against women was so rife back then! Her only other choices were homemaker or factory worker. But what an example she set! Such an example, in fact, that Torre, co-founded by her grandson, is named after her...