Florence Hernández-Ramos grew up in the small town of Lamar, Colorado and went on to be the first Latina president and general manager of a Jazz public radio station in the country.
Florence Dolores Hernández was born in Lamar, Colorado on May 3, 1950. She attended Lincoln Elementary School, where she was an athletic child who won first place in the 75-yard dash in 6th grade. By the time she got into high school, Florence was excelling at subjects related to history. As a senior at Lamar High School, the Daughters of the American Revolution gave her an award for outstanding work in American History. In 1968, she served as Valedictorian of her graduating class. According to a letter from the superintendent of Lamar Public Schools,
“Your record of achievement to our knowledge has been equaled but few times in the past twenty-five years.” - Alfred R. Young May 28, 1968
Florence received a full scholarship to attend University of Colorado, Boulder. She planned to major in history and go on to become a teacher.
Florence graduated from the University of Colorado in 1973, with degrees in education and Spanish. She used her education to work with the National Council for Chicano Studies, which promotes scholarship amongst Latino students. Her love of education led her to pursue a law degree, after which she worked as an intern with the Colorado Rural Legal Services program. Eventually, Florence was hired in the Attorney General’s office. Her life was, however, about to make a significant turn.
With no background in media, she began to volunteer for a bilingual radio station that was not even on the air yet. Florence was able to further educate herself with a training grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and was made project director in 1983. That same year, she married Manuel Ramos, a lawyer who would eventually become deputy director of the Legal Aid Society. Even before the station went on air, the organization was hosting diverse groups of musicians and artists within the community. In 1984, Florence was part of a group of 20 people representing bilingual radio stations in the US. This group was invited to Havana, Cuba by the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television to exchange ideas and learn about Cuban culture. The following year, in August 1985, she had the honor of powering up the new station as its official general manager. Denver’s KUVO 89.3 FM would become known for its rich mix of Jazz, Latin rhythms, and other diverse artforms. That same year, Florence and her staff were awarded the Mary Bach Award for women in broadcasting.
“Coming here was the biggest challenge of my life… and the day we signed on the air it was kind of scary because someone said, ‘Flo, now you have to keep this [station] going every second for the rest of your life.” Odyssey West July/August 1990
In 1989, the station began broadcasting 24 hours each day and Florence was honored by the Colorado Hispanic Media Association. She was often cited as the first Latina president and general manager of a Jazz public radio station in the country. By the next year, the mostly Latino board of directors had an annual budget of $350,000.00. She had also grown the staff to six paid positions and 198 volunteers. By 1993, she was offered much more money to go work for National Public Radio in Washington, but she felt she could have a bigger impact in Denver. She decided to stay in Colorado.
While she did not move to Washington, D.C., she did become a spokesperson for Latino-managed radio stations around the country, and helped the Corporation for Public Broadcasting find better ways to distribute community service grants.
While Florence Hernández-Ramos worked to serve the national community as well as Denver’s, KUVO continued to be recognized nationwide. During its 20th anniversary in 2005, Jazz Week Magazine recognized KUVO as Jazz Station of the Year. The station also upgraded their offices from Denver Mayor Frederico Peña’s old law office to a modern studio in the Five Points Media Center 2900 Welton Street. It was around this time that Florence stepped down as general manager, but continued to host the Canción Mexicana program on air. In 2013, she was honored with the Five Points Jazz Festival “Tribute” award, and, in 2017, she was inducted into the Colorado Latino Hall of Fame. Florence was able to see KUVO moved to a brand new building it shares with Rocky Mountain PBS in 2020. After KUVO, she spent time as CEO of the Latino Public Radio Consortium and, in retirement, serves as a Board Member Emeritus with Rocky Mountain PBS.
“As a Hispanic youth, I believed I was limited in what I could do because of my ethnicity. As I grew older, I accepted the challenge that I could do whatever I set my mind to do. I learned that no doors were closed to me – the horizon is unlimited.” Urban Spectrum May, 1990
Valedictorian - the top student of a graduating class who often gives a speech at graduation
grants - funding given to further a cause or goal
CEO - chief operating officer of a company or organization
emeritus - someone who is retired but is given an honorary title as one respected. for their advice within their field
Do you think growing up in a small town helped or challenged Florence's future success? How do you think the place you live will give you advantages or challenges in life?
Why do you think Florence was so inspired by history and how do you think it helped in her future career?
What subjects inspire you?