A five-minute walk across Harvard Yard could take nearly 40 with Emanuel “Manny” B. Aguiar. After more than three decades working at Harvard, there was hardly anyone he didn’t know.

Aguiar, a longtime Harvard HVAC operator who helped coordinate Commencement, died Oct. 13 after a short illness. He was 53.

Aguiar had an “institutional knowledge about the Yard and all of the people in it,” according to Jocelyn L. Rice, a first-year proctor and friend of Aguiar’s.

“He just knew all the ins and outs of every building and tunnel,” Rice added.

It was Aguiar’s ubiquitous campus presence that earned him the nickname of “the mayor of Harvard”.

“He knew everybody whenever there was an issue, whether it was with electric or signage or restrooms. He knew who to call to get it fixed or or get the job done,” said Christine R. Haverty, Director of Events Management at Harvard, and Aguiar’s coworker.

Aguiar is survived by his wife, three children, father, two grandchildren, and five siblings.

Hundreds of Harvard affiliates — from dining hall workers to security guards and College administrators — gathered for Aguiar’s funeral at Memorial Church last month. The service was followed by a celebration of life outside Tercentenary Theatre.

“No Job Too Small”

Though he oversaw building heating and cooling for Harvard’s Energy & Facilities, Aguiar was best known for his role in coordinating Commencement, the University’s largest annual event.

Aguiar’s wife of nine years, Viviane Aguiar, said that as each spring semester came to a close, he would go into “Commencement mode.”

“He loved work with the Commencement,” she said. “He would say, ‘Now I’m Commencement mode, I don’t have time to get home.’”

Haverty, who worked alongside Aguiar during Commencement for four years, said he was one of the leaders behind the transformation of the Yard as festivities approached. In the weeks before the ceremony in Tercentenary Theatre, Aguiar coordinated much of the setup — organizing signs, opening restrooms, and liaising with vendors.

Haverty said Aguiar was there “all day, early morning, late night” during the weeks of Commencement and the following alumni reunions.

“He did everything. I mean, no job was too small for Manny,” Haverty said.

Aguiar was honored with a Harvard Heroes Award in 2024 for his exceptional work and dedication to planning and carrying out Commencement. In an interview with the College after winning the award, Aguiar said he was “honoured” to work on Commencement proceedings and be part of the team.

Haverty said Aguiar was also helpful to families and students who tried to “sneak” onto the platforms before the ceremony to take pictures.

“Manny would always let them come up,” Haverty said. “Manny would always take the time to answer their questions, and sometimes he would even walk people to places where they were trying to get to.”

Aguiar’s contributions were not limited to Commencement. He also played a key role in organizing year-round student traditions — including Convocation, Crimson Jam, and Yardfest.

But beyond his seemingly endless to-do list at Harvard, his coworkers said Aguiar was always looking out for the people in his life. Haverty, who has two young children, said Aguiar would walk her to her car each night during Commencement to make sure she got home safely.

“He was such a gentleman. He took care of everybody, and he just really cared. He wanted to know about my kids. He wanted to know about work,” she said. “And when he asked those questions, he really, really cared and wanted to listen to the answer.”

‘Let’s Call Manny’

Aguiar’s help extended to the staff and students who worked in Harvard’s buildings. Odete G. Barbosa, a custodian in Lehman Hall who had worked with Aguiar for 25 years, said his work was irreplaceable.

“I don’t know how to explain it, how big Manny is, how special Manny is, but Manny means everything to us. Nobody gonna replace Manny, nobody,” she said.

Barbosa said Aguiar would regularly check on the building to make sure everything was running smoothly.

“Manny was there for me to fix everything. Sometimes he called me early in the morning. he said, ‘Odete I want you to do a favor for me. Let me know if the building is cold. Let me know if the building is hot.’ I would say, “Manny, everything is perfect,” she said.

Aguiar and Barbosa were around the same age and often talked about their families, lives, and retirement plans.

“He told me ‘I’m gonna retire because I’m kind of tired.’ I said ‘Manny, don’t retire. We’re gonna leave together. We’re gonna leave together. Wait for me,’” she said.

Tess E. Sumner ’29, one of the student managers of Cafe Gato Rojo in Lehman Hall, said Aguiar was the “go-to guy” for any building-related issue. When the cafe had problems with its espresso machine, the managers’ response was always “let’s call Manny.”

Sumner, a Crimson News editor, said Aguiar was “somebody that I looked forward to seeing in the mornings.”

“He just had this way of making people feel welcome and appreciated, and I feel like that’s something that’s really rare nowadays,” she added.

A “Once in a Lifetime Friend”

Aguiar’s generosity extended beyond Harvard to his friends and family.

Aguiar and his wife, Viviane, met in 2014 and had been “inseparable” ever since, she said.

“He became a great father for my daughter, who was eight years old by that time.” she said.

Even after work, he was always ready to lend a hand as a neighbor, father, and husband. Melissa A. Silva, a close friend of Aguiar’s, recalled a time when he visited a relative’s house in the middle of the night to fix a water heater.

“He would take the shirt off his back for a stranger that needed it,” she said.

Silva said Aguiar was also known for his unique, made-up phrases, which friends and family called “Manny-isms.”

“You know that phrase ‘You hit the nail on the head’? He would make it. ‘Oh, you hit the hammer on the head.’ He would do things like that, and it’s always things that we laugh about when we hear the phrases and we go, ‘oh, he would say it this way,’” Silva said.

Silva said her family spent nearly every weekend with Aguiar’s, and she and her husband both participated in Aguiar’s wedding ceremony.

“There’s not one person that’s crossed Manny that hasn’t liked Manny,” she said, calling him a “once in a lifetime” friend.

Jason R. Meier, associate dean for student engagement, remembered Aguiar as a devoted member of the Harvard community. In a statement, he said Aguiar is “deeply missed.”

“He never wanted thanks, only to know that people were having a good time. It’ll be impossible to have events in the Yard without thinking about his deep laugh, big smile and endless kindness,” he wrote.

For Viviane Aguiar, it was the people who kept her husband coming back to Harvard for more than three decades.

“He loved the job itself, but the people the most.”

—Staff writer Alexa M. Schmitt can be reached at [email protected] or Signal at alexaschmitt.15. Follow her on X ​​@alexa_m15_s.

—Staff writer Celine Muir can be reached at [email protected] or Signal at celinem.33. Follow her on X @celinemuir1.