Jon Andoni Franco Elorza graduated in English Philology from the University od Deusto in 1986 and received his PhD in Hispanic Linguistics from the University of Southern California in 1992, with a thesis on Object Agreement in Spanish. A year later he began working as a professor at the Faculty of Philology and Letters at the University of Deusto. From that moment on, he devoted himself to those students in whom he sensed a vocation for linguistic studies. He encouraged them to continue their education in the field, to carry out postgraduate studies abroad, often at US universities. He also supervised their first professional steps.

Jon’s remarkable contribution and his outstanding recognition in the scientific field are part of his footprint. Thanks to his dedication and constant work, there exists now, also, an informal international network of professionals dedicated to the studies of Basque linguistics. Jon Franco, tenured professor at UD, is now remembered by his peers at the university and by multiple generations of students who followed in his footsteps in the study of language. It all constitutes the great legacy of a unique linguist.