A shared tribute to honor the man, his art, and his work

Those of us whose lives have been touched by Julio, may not know of all his accomplishments. This website is designed to celebrate the life and work of Julio Lugo- Burgos.

Some people go through life without leaving much behind. But Julio was one whose light shone brightly, throughout his life, and whose creative mind found much to explore and celebrate. He left for us — his work so that we may understand and appreciate.

We marvelled at the magic that came from his hands as he formed the faces of his subjects in clay. His hands flew as though programmed to do so. He was not only a gifted sculptor, but played his guitar like no other. He was once invited to perform on the Johney Carson show but did not show up. I asked him why, but he said he felt he was not good enough. He was very humble in that way. His photography skills received accolades, but one of his greatest gifts was his ability to fix things small and large, from a broken tool to projects to solve the energy crisis and he did this long before we were aware that there was an energy crisis.

Back in the early 70’s, Julio recognized that LED lights could save energy and developed a prototype with solar energy that could have been used as a source of free light for millions worldwide. Today nearly 50 years later, similar units are finally being manufactured. He was one of the lead scientists with H Power, a company leader in the field of developing on-demand hydrogen fuel cells and retrofitted his land rover with a fuel cell that turned his car into a hybrid that got 61 miles to the gallon while pulling a trailer through Mexico to Belize where he spent the last years of his life. During those years he worked tirelessly on perfecting his inventions which included an amazing magnetic engine. 

But Julio’s greatest commitment in his last years was saving the parrots whose habitat was being threatened by agricultural over development. The many parents he rescued were not caged but left to fly in and out of his house through open portals. He even installed a tree in his living room for their perching enjoyment. When fully healed, his parrots would find partners in the wild, but always returned to greet him in the mornings. 

To honor his memory we have started the Julio Lugo-Burgos Parrot Feeding Station where we provide sunflower seeds, peanuts, bananas and other fruits for the remaining local parrots whose habitat continues to be at risk.  If you would like to help in this endeavor, please let us know via email.