Seymour Menton, professor emeritus of Spanish and Portuguese, joined such literary figures as Carlos Fuentes and Carmen Laforet this month, when he was named to Sigma Delta Pi’s Order of Don Quijote. This is the highest honor from the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society and is conferred annually to less than 10 people around the world. “Menton’s exemplary record of scholarship has earned him this international distinction,” the society announced. Menton has taught at UC Irvine since 1965, serving as founding chair of the Department of Foreign Langauges and Literatures, and later of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.