Oscar Fernández received his B.A. degree from the University of Washington - Missouri in 1937 and his M.A. degree in 1940. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1953. Professor Fernández came to The University of Iowa Department of Spanish and Portuguese in 1967.

Professor Fernández had a varied career as a teacher, administrator, and researcher in Spanish and Portuguese. He was the first chairman of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at The University of Iowa, and also served as member and chairman of numerous committees of the American Academy of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), Modern Language Association (MLA), the Midwest Modern Language Association (MMLA), and other organizations. He edited several scholarly publications, served as a member of various editorial boards, and performed distinguished service as a book reviewer, translator, newspaper theatre critic, language coordinator for the Peace Corps Program, president of a theatre group, and acting director of an Ibero-American Language and Area Center.

Professor Fernández published successful basic textbooks for Spanish and Portuguese and was a pioneer in Portuguese studies in this country. A specialist in theatre, with a broad knowledge of world theatre and particular dedication to Spanish and Latin American theatre, he was a top authority on Brazilian theatre in this country and wrote a documentary history and critical evaluation of this theatre. For these and numerous other publications, activities, and contributions, he received awards and recognition in the United States and abroad.

In the spring of 1986 Professor Oscar Fernández retired from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at The University of Iowa after 49 years of dedication to education, foreign languages, and related activities. In his retirement, he stayed active by offering an annual Oscar Fernández Scholarship to incoming first-year students majoring in Spanish or Portuguese.

Professor Fernández died in February 2001 after a short illness.