Kent State University at Salem recently held its annual awards ceremony, during which students were recognized for their academic excellence, scholastic achievements and service to the campus. Also, during the event, Flor “Shorty” and Elba Lillian Navarro received the 2023 Friends of the Campus award, the highest honor presented annually to non-students.
The award recognizes community members and businesses that support increasing access to higher education in Salem and surrounding communities. The Navarros and the Kent State Salem Campus have a long-standing partnership that includes scholarships and supporting Hispanic students.
Joe Sedzmak, chair of the Salem Campus Advisory Board, presented the award to the Navarros, along with Dr. Brad Bielski, interim dean and CAO.
“I cannot overstate how important the relationship with the Navarros is to our campus,” Bielski said. “Shorty Navarro’s success comes from his grit and determination to make his success his own and his wife, Elba, is with him each step of the way. Through their generosity, it is obvious that they understand how higher education can open doors for individuals and they are willing to help make it possible for our students to walk through those doors.”
Upon accepting the award, Shorty Navarro encouraged the Kent State students to take advantage of the opportunities provided them and to pay it forward.
“Don’t look away because people speak a different language or come from different places,” he said. “Give them a chance and be helpers. That was me many years ago. People helped me and gave me opportunities. I’m telling you: help others; give them opportunities.
“I sat here tonight and saw many students receiving awards for wonderful achievements,” he continued. “This is a special place and there is impressive work being done here by students and professors. Keep it up and keep helping others.”
Navarro owns Stadium GM in Salem, a GM Superstore. His wife, Elba Lillian, retired after a 30-year career of teaching English as a second language and Spanish. She began at Roosevelt Elementary and retired from Chaney High School.
When he was a child, his family moved from Puerto Rico to the Youngstown area because of job opportunities with the steel mills. The oldest of 11 children, Shorty was 14 years old when he knew he wanted to help support his family and, so, began looking for ways to earn money.
Speaking no English, he approached the owner of a local gas station and asked for a job. The owner thought Navarro was “just a boy” because of his short stature and when he provided him with his uniform, the name “Shorty” was stitched on the shirt. The nickname stayed with him.
Also staying with him was the desire to work and be successful. Two years after being hired at the gas station, Navarro learned that the owner was selling the business. At just 16, Navarro took out a loan and bought the gas station on the east side of Youngstown. He turned it into a full-service gas station and soon began selling used cars from the site.
Since that time, he owned up to 11 car dealerships in the Mahoning and Columbiana county areas, providing jobs and opportunities for hundreds of individuals over several decades.
After graduating from East High School, Navarro joined the Marine Corp. in 1959 and remained an active member of the Marine Reserves for 44 years. He and his wife have been married 57 years and met when they were teenagers. She also moved from Puerto Rico with her parents when she was 2 years old.
Cutline A: Accepting the Kent State University at Salem Friends of the Campus Award were (seated) Flor “Shorty” and Elba Lillian Navarro, with Joe Sedzmak, chair of the campus advisory board.
Cutline B: (From left) Advisory Board Chair Joe Sedzmak; Interim Dean Brad Bielski; Elba Lillian and Shorty Navarro
Cutline B: Many of Shorty’s employees from Stadium GM showed their support by attending the banquet.