Sponsored by the Marquette chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the national Hispanic Honor Society, the crowded event featured about 50 students and faculty reading passages from the author's works, predominantly from the 1967 novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude.,”

Those paying homage to Gabriel García Márquez at Marquette Tuesday afternoon weren't surprised the Nobel Prize-winning author, currently in the literary world's spotlight, did not make a personal appearance in the Brew Bayou.

Sponsored by the Marquette chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the national Hispanic Honor Society, the crowded event featured about 50 students and faculty reading passages from the author's works, predominantly from the 1967 novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude."

Rumors that García Márquez would be reading at Marquette were the result of miscommunication between the society and university administration, according to German Carrillo, associate professor of Spanish and Sigma Delta Pi national president.

"The honor society public relations personnel never meant to tell the university he was going to be here," he said. "I don't know which side is responsible for the miscommunication, but the issue took care of itself. We had a large turnout and the students and faculty were able to pay homage to García Márquez, and that is what is important."

Carrillo said many people interested in García Márquez's rumored appearance called and left messages for the Spanish department, as well as for Carrillo and his wife Consuelo Carrillo, adjunct Spanish instructor.

"A lot of people were calling and asking if he was really going to be here," he said. "Faculty, students, people in the community – even a man claiming to be a distant relative who wanted us to help him to get in touch with his cousin."

Fans around the globe this year, especially in the Spanish-speaking world, have been celebrating the life and literary works of Gabo, as he is lovingly known by his fans. This year is special because of the author's "triple anniversary," Carrillo said.

"García Márquez turned 80 years old this year, which is a very big event throughout Colombia," Carrillo said. "In addition, it's been 40 years since the publication of 'One Hundred Years of Solitude,' and 25 years since he won the Nobel Prize for Literature."

The event was streamed live online through Skype, an online network with free international voice and video conferencing. On the other end was an applauding group of students in an auditorium at Pontifica Universidad Javeriana in Cali, Colombia, Carrillo said.

He said the Colombian university is in the midst of a three-day festival paying homage to Gabo – a celebration Marquette students and faculty were invited to take part in.

Colleen Coffey, adjunct Spanish instructor, said her students and the Colombian students have been collaborating online all semester, exchanging videos about each other's culture and language.

After watching the Marquette event, the Colombian students, who Coffey said applauded Marquette students' performances, held a similar ceremony.

"This partnership with the Cali students really helps people get educated," Coffey said. "The feedback from students has been amazing."

After a steady stream of Marquette students read the first and last chapters of "One Hundred Years of Solitude," the novel about a family's struggle in the fictional town of Macondo, honor society members chose to read their favorite passages from the novel and short stories Gabo wrote before the age of 25. Several faculty members from the English and history departments also took turns in front of the microphone, some reading the original Spanish version of the text, others from English translations.

College of Arts & Sciences senior and Sigma Delta Pi member Jason Bolton read from "One Hundred Years of Solitude."

"I wasn't aware that people thought he was actually going to be here," Bolton said. "But I'm glad so many people showed up. It was a really great to be a part of this homage to such an amazing person."

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