Elmy Edgardo Martínez Reboyras was born in 1950 in Utuado, a small town in the heart of the island of Puerto Rico. Utuado is a valley surrounded by the “Cordillera Central” ridge mountains.
Family:
He is the son of Walter Martínez Irizarry, from the Barrio Pellejas in Adjuntas, and Josefina América Reboyras Sella, from Utuado.
His father Walter was the fourth of nine children born to Lorenzo Martinez Noriega and Luz Maria Irizarry Fernandini. He was a businessman who owned a couple of bakeries and two iconic restaurants during his long career. He also worked as a provision distributor, a trucker, a manager in a hardware store, and as a technician in the water purifier plant in Utuado at the conclusion of his working years. He passed on March 16, 2007 at age 84.
His mother Josefina was the seventh of twelve children born to Francisco Reboyras Román and América Sella González. She was the consummate teacher… the teacher of teachers. She was a legendary principal of the Félix Seijo Elementary School for 20 years during the 50s and 60s. She was promoted to Assistant School Superintendent for the District of Utuado where she retired from in 1973. She passed on May 5, 2012 at age 94.
Elmy is the adoptive father of three children: Luis Elmy, Juan Edgardo and Nelson Steven. He also has two foster children: Terry and Jorge. His sons have given him four beautiful granddaughters.
Education:
Elmy attended his hometown Catholic school – Colegio San Miguel – since kindergarten (1955) to High School, where he graduated May 24, 1968.
During his high school years, he spent time in three seminaries: Capuchin Seminary in Trujillo Alto (1964-1965), San Ildefonso Seminary in Aibonito (1966-1967) and briefly at Porta Coeli Seminary in Ponce (1967).
In December 1971, he graduated with a B.A. degree in Political Science at Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Ponce. Later on, he did post-graduate studies on Journalism in the School of Communications of the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras.
Career:
Elmy began his journalistic career as a reporter for El Vocero newspaper in 1974. A year later he joined the excellent team of reporters of El Nuevo Día newspaper. By 1977, he joined WIPR-TV as its news director.
He also published sports magazines as well as a bi-monthly newspaper in his hometown.
He founded and owned a small public relations and advertising firm and was an associate professor in the School of Communications at Sacred Heart University in Santurce.
In late December 1983 he relocated to Washington, DC and began a career with the U. S. Information Agency working on radio and TV projects aimed to Latin America. At the same time, he spent years as a Washington Correspondent for several media in Puerto Rico as well as held a 25 year-career as a Major League Baseball Writer. He is now retired.
Residences:
Elmy has been living in Springfield, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC since 1988 and in his current home since April 1992. In May 2021, he established a second residence in San José, Costa Rica where he now lives half of his time.