Lina: Okay, so we're driving to Robert is here and I want Grandpa to tell me about some of his happy memories with Eloisa in Cuba.

Lolo: I was a good friend of the family. My brother was a student of engineering at Villanueva University in Havana and Manuel Suarez Carreño was the Dean. So Alberto was one of the best students and he became very good friend of the Suarez that they call him Dr. Suarez. He like to have barbecues at the farm and it was about ten miles from my grandfather's farm Finca Justina. So whenever there was a barbecue or something like that. I went with Alberto to the farm, by the way, that farm didn't have a name. 

Lolo: Then Suarez gave my brother Alberto a job one summer as a chemical engineering student to work in an experimental plant that he had to recycle oil so he would buy oil from truck companies and busses And then he refined it and put additives. And so he was ahead of his time In the environment. And then after refining it then they put it in cans And the name was Kuboil. So anyhow, when Alberto was working that summer. At the farm. I used to go with him almost every day. Wow.

Lina: And was that because of Ellie, or you just liked being there?

Lolo: Ellie was too young. She was only, like, 12. So mainly I went with a bunch of kids, like they were my cousins. I mean, we had that relationship. And they had a swimming pool and a basketball court, and we had model airplanes that had a real motor and we we flew them. With a string and that didn't have it like Mel with radio control. And we did a lot of things, mainly with the boys. Xavier was number nine and Eloisa number six. So Xaview was younger than Ely, but I kind of hang out with the boys and with Mel, but they were much younger than me. And then. I became very good friend of the family. And I remember Ely was tough. So I didn't pay any attention to her. But she grew up. By the time she was 13, she was flirting with me. She was flirting with you. You weren't flirting with her. She was too young for me. Okay. Okay.

Lina: So how would she flirt with you?

Lolo: Oh, she pay attention to me. And then one time, we had a barbecue, and I remember I had a plate with salad, croquetas, sandwich and she came and stole from me one croqueta.

Lina: And how did you react? 

Lolo: I like it. And she always remember after we have been married. Sometimes she said to me. I remember when I took a croqueta from you. And she must have been like 13. No more than 14. In a way She was flirting? Because for me, she was too young. I was like four and a half years older than her. And when I started going to the farm, I was already in junior high school. So. Then the friendship continued with her father. And then her father founded that democratic movement called Democracia Organica Cristiana that later merged with Movimiento Democrata Cristiano And then the two got together initially. To fight Castro through democracy. So before fighting Castro by a war things. We thought that we could restore the democracy. So I used to go to those meetings. I remember I went to two meetings at Melchor Gaston House, who was the father of Maria Luisa. And. And I was the youngest. The people that went to those meetings mainly were university professors. But I was so interested in democracy that They invited me to go to those meetings. And by then I was already starring in the ACU and the ACU We studied the encyclicals. All the social issues. So I remember before they move to the Biltmore near Villanueva they moved to a  a house in el Vedado and one time we were meeting in the living room discussing strategy for the Movimiento Democrata Cristiana y todo eso and As I said, I was the youngest. And she came from the house to the kitchen. And when she passed, I said, Hola Ely. Ella se corto because In front of all those men including her father. I pay attention to her. And she never forgot that.

Lina: And did she say hello back?

Lolo: Of course.

Lina: But you didn't get in a conversation.

Lolo: Oh, no we were having a serious meeting about Christian democracy. 

Lina: And so what made you say Hola Ely

Lolo: Because I knew her from the farm. And she came through. The houses long and the patio was on the side. So to go to the kitchen, you had to come through a hallway and make a U-turn and go to the kitchen. I spontaneously said, Hola Ely. And she was so happy. She was in heaven.  And the other members. Oh, they didn't notice that. Her father was very distracted. He never found out until we became novios that I really like her. Wow. Because he lived in his world. University. The inventions. He was always inventing something. 

Lina: And was he surprised when he found out thatyou guys were dating? O 

Lolo: Oh, he was very happy. He was happy? Yeah, because I was an ACU member a Belen alumni.

Lina: Were you intimidated by him?

Lolo: Not at all

Lolo: Then, They moved to the housing in the Biltmore next to Villanueva. And it was a real nice neighborhood. Next to the house was a Tennis court of the university. Suarez used to play tennis with the president of the university. Father Kelly, who was an Augustinian the Villanova in Havana belonged to the Villanueva in Pennsylvania. So this priest had come from Pennsylvania to be the president of Villanova. By then, we were not going to the farm anymore.  And then when I was a sophomore at the university. I visited their house occasionally, but as a friend of the family. And one day. He sent me a message. I don't know how because we didn't have cell phones, but she sent a note. That she had to cook a lemon pie. A lemon pie.

Lina: Not a not a key lime pie. A lemon pie?

Lolo: Yeah a Key Lime pie! For me to stop by after the university and the university were we were from 6 to 10, and I was so shy that I invited a classmate that I also knew him from Belen. His name was Ricardo Coronado, so I invited Coronado to go to Ely's house right across the street to eat that key lime pie. Yeah And yeah knew I liked her and then invited Ricardo because I was shy to go by myself.

Lolo: When she became 16. She went to a studio to take a nice picture. And I have the picture in my room. I had three pictures one 16, 18 and 20. And when she became 16. She asked one of the maids. They have several maids. And she had one that was most friendly. Se llamaba Ursula And she said to take this photo to Diaro de la Marina which was the most famous newspaper in Havana. The director was an ACU member too. And she wanted to publish her picture in the social pages.

Lina: It's kind of like a dating app, but back in the 1950s.

Lolo: To see if I saw it. And I saw it so I called her by phone. And she was 16. I was 20.5 So she was flirting.

Lina: And what'd you say when you called her?

Lolo: Oh, I called her. I said, Oh, what a beautiful picture. So. Then she was growing up. And something I was telling Sofia last night that the girls in Cuba when they were 16, 17 They look much older that. At 16 you look 19, at 18 they look 21.  Maybe because Hispanic heritage. They were more developed physically and mentally. So I invited her to a dance at the university.

Lolo: She was.. in how do you say blue sky. She was in heaven? She was over the moon. Because here was a sophomore at the university inviting at 16 year old to a dance. So we went to the dance right across the street from her house. And then sometimes in the group. We're a group of friends who go on like excursions. One time we went to Tarara which was a beautiful beach about an hour and a half from Havana. One of her aunts had a beautiful house there at the beach and then on the way to Tarara. I think we were in two cars, but it was a group of boys and girls. Nobody was dating each other. Instead of girlfriends they were friend girls. And we all enjoy each other's company. So I remember we stopped at the covers. It was like, Had you been to the caverns. I remember I was so shy that going I would hold her elbow to go down the the Cavern. 

Lina: But were you scared? 

Lolo: I was. I was shy. To hold hands 

Lina: Did other people notice that you were. You guys were flirting?

Lolo: I don't know.

Lina: Did you ever talk qith your guy friends about it, or were you ever like I'm very interested in Ely?

Lolo: No. No.

Lina: Or your brother Or did you keep to yourself?

Lolo: I think Alberto was like my father-in-law. He was up in his engineering and chemistry. So he wasn't too aware either. 

Lina: And so how did Ely react to you holding her elbow at the caverns? 

Lolo: Oh, she was fascinated. And then we spent a day in Tarara. We had lunch we dance. But mixing couples. Another time we went to Mariel. But back then it was very normal. It was a naval base. 

Lina: What was your favorite kind of dancing?

Lolo: Slow dancing.

Lina: Like, what kind of artists did you like?

Lolo: Julio Iglesias wasn't around yet. But some Americans Well, you remember the hokey pokey? Yeah, something like that.

Lina: Do you know how to salsa?

Lolo: I don't think Salsa was popular. 

Lina: What kind of dances were Popular in Cuba?

Lolo: Por ejemplo “en un arbol una niña” (lolo sings)... una cancion Romantica. Later I may remember others.

Lina: But like what kind of what type style of dance?

Lolo: It was a slow Slow dancing, but Romantic songs. And very pretty. So then we continue The friendship. Something funny happened that's the day I fell in love with her. At the retreat house that the Jesuits had in Havana at The top of a hill. And there you can see the whole city of Havana. At night all illuminated. Was on the other side of the bank. So you can see the bay and the city. And there they had a novitiate and a retreat house outside. And Father Llorente there was the director retreat house there once a year on Good Friday, he organized a procession. And then the Stations of the Cross. I guess they were made of marble, but there were real size. So people go through all these stations and I will show you photos. Thousands of people went in line.

Lolo: And Fr. Llorente directed the stations of the cross. And. Then I was talking with a friend. Girl That I remember Her name was Noni. and I like her. And I was talking with Noni. And then Ely had what we call in Spanish a Cara dura. Do you know what it is? Tu sabes la palabra in ingles "Osadia" 

Lina: Was she jealous?

Lolo: No she was so paliente. That I was talking with Nani, who was a friend Girl. And she also was media enamorada de mi. And then Ely comes and says, Manolo, happy birthday. So that year good Friday was on April 15th. and she remembered it And then she gave me one of those prayer cards that on the back It says I have offer you so many rosaries, so many masses, so many communions. And that was called ramillete espiritual like a spiritual flower arrangement. But they weren't prayers. So she gave that to me. And then that did it. I  fell in Love with her.

Lina: That's beautiful. So it's her bouquet of prayers that made you fall in love with her. How many how many rosaries had she prayed for you?

Lolo: Oh, a bunch. She had spent probably two months doing it. After that I never went out with Nuni. But this is interesting, the girls I went out with before, Different girls. They were all my age. So when I was 18, there were also 17 or 18. When I was 19 or 20. They were my age, too. And then here I am falling in love with a 16-year-old. And that was very pretty because I had the opportunity to go with other girls and she became interested in me and became interested in her.

Lina: So what do you want to talk about?

Lolo: When? Okay. The beginning of Castro. There were two tendencies. One to derrocar through the underground and militarily. But they were too strong, too. The other was the theory of democracy. Try to implant democracy while they were trying to implant communism. So then one idea came up was to have ... I think this started in the ACU, The ACU was very related to the history of Cuba since it started in 1932, but the idea was initially to put key people in the like in Cuba they didn't call Secretary of State or Secretary of Commerce. It was Ministro de Comercio Ministro de la Fuerza Armada, Ministro de Cultura, which sounds more official because Secretary like they tell, you know the Secretary Hillary it's confusing.  So there was Minister.

So the idea was to put key people mainly from the ACU, Belen, religious organizations to kind of invade the government from within To try to change Communism. By then Fidel has not said that it was a communist revolution But you could smell it. So we had to be about 56 people between Villanova University, ACU, La Salle University. Mainly it was Catholic organizations. And we were able to get positions within those ministries. So. I had the opportunity to work for the Ministry of Commerce Then one of my professors of economics at Villanova, he became the director of import and export. Another friend from ACU was, but these were people already professional people. I know there was director of Supply and Demand. And those kind of subdivisions within the Ministry of Commerce.

So we tried to como invade to try to implant democracy within the government. And then I started at the Ministry of Commerce. I think, in 59, the first year. And would you believe, of all the jobs that I have had in my life. One that was the most interesting and I was able to implement inovations was there. I  started in the division of statistics and then my professor promoted me, and I was like 20 years old.  I left Cuba at 21, so I must have been 19 But I was very mature. And my professor gave me a promotion to be the chief of the export division. Then export was everything that exported Cuba exported except  sugar, tobacco, coffee. Those were three different institutions, but all the rest went through my office. So I did a lot of innovations there. Back then, Fidel did away with Congress. There was no Congress. No Senate. So the way he passed laws was similar to Trump here. Through executive orders. But the way they did it was the Council of the cabinet together, met once a week and then studied the bills that were submitted to them. And then became law. And then they modifications and so forth.

I got to be at that level. I wrote a draft for legislation. And I used to tell Ely all the details. One of them was the Ley de la Papa. Regarding potatoes. And rules to export potatoes. And then, for instance, had to coordinate with the permanent supply and demand. Because if we exported too many potatoes, then the price in the national market will go up. So we had to balance between the national consumption And the exports. So it was super interesting. And I used to tell Ely all those things. And she was 17 or 18 and I could talk to her about those things. What I'm trying to get is it was, for me, a very complicated life. Because here I was working at the Ministry of Commerce, which was a government position then I was in the Christian democracy trying to promote democracy. But when the president of the Christian Democracy had problems with the government of Fidel, He had to go into exile and then they group kind of dissolve.

So then at the ACU, a lot of people were ready doing counter revolution in the underground. And the first people to go to the training camps organized by the CIA were a lot of agrupados and the name of the landing force that landed in Bahia de Cochinos The number was 2056 y esos muchachos eran agrupados los que estaban en los campamentos de Nicaragua and his jeep went down a hill. And he died. So it was the first casualty in the training camp. So in honor of him. They name it la Brigada de 2056. But just to show you how complicated things were.. So here was working within the government I was trying to implement democracy and democracy didn't work and then I was helping in propaganda The underground and the student group that was part of another group MRR Movimiento de Recuperacion Revolucionario. And it was a group that had been with Fidel in the mountains. They realize that the revolution had been treasoned by Fidel what he promised for the revolution he change it. Like he promised free elections. Re-establish a constitution. Re-established the Senate and the Congress. Everything he promised wasn't happening. And it started to become a dictatorship.

So at that point. I remember one day I got to the ACU after work and had very complicated life because in the morning until 2:00 at work at the Ministry of Commerce. Then from there, sometimes I went to the ACU and then from there to the university to study from 6 or 6 30 to 10. So I really didn't have too much time to study. The revolutionary part was gaining momentum. So, I was involved in in all those things. And like I mentioned to Sofia yesterday, I felt like I was in a centrifuge. You know, what a centrifuge is. And you were in the middle of all that. And I remember one day I got to the ACU And you could see groups of 4 or 5 talking in the patio. And they weren't talking about revolution. And one day I felt very bad because I still wasn't with the Christian democracy. And then they asked me, very sarcastic. How is the Christian democracy? They were ready conspirando. I was partially still with the democratic movement. So I felt that that was kind of a put down because I was making an effort and they put it down. Yeah. So anyhow. When the Christian democracy dissolved. Then I'll start helping the student group and it was Very, very complicated. 

So. Here is an interesting part where Ely comes into the picture. One time. We went to the movies. And I remember in the movie. There were young Boys or adults trying to climb Mount Everest. You know what? Mount Everest, right? And it was very difficult. And they were. trying to reach the top But I have all those things in my mind. And then all of a sudden comes to my mind out of the blue sky, like Jesus telling me if I would call you Would you follow me. And I was in the middle of the movie. And then my answer was Did you call me? I'll follow You. So then I went to see a priest in Belen. That he was before he became a Jesuit. He was a psychiatrist. And he was coaching the people that thought they had vocation to be a Jesuit. So I start Visiting him and he start coaching me. And he made a mistake. Thinking that did have vocation and really I didn't. But he thought so and he got several people into the novitiat and let's say out of 12, 10 came out. Because they didn't have vocation. They were very idealistic people they were good Catholics. But that doesn't mean that you have vocation to be a priest.

So. In the middle of all that. The situation started getting tense when they did the search of my house and my parents knew that I was involved. And my father realized that I was in a border getting beat down. And he was having a hard time in his work. And he was also teaching analytical chemistry and the students were saying, oh, you are counter-revolutionary because you are recommending books in English. Well, in chemistry there were no books in Spanish. So when he referred to books written in English that it was counter-revolutionary. So it got to a point that my father said we had to leave and within a week we prepared and we leave.

Lina: How did you get permission to leave?

Lolo: Well. That's the point, I didn't really have permission to leave the government. I said to my boss that I was going to go to a workshop student workshop in the United States. And I'll be back in two weeks. So that day that we left ws 14th November 1960. I went to work. And then about noon, I told the secretary today I had to leave early. I went home Maria Enriquetta the mother of Carlos Enrique was waiting for my mother and I. My father had left two days before, so they wouldn't say that it was a family living together. 

Lina: So how did you guys get the the permission From the government to leave?

Lolo: It wasn't a permission. It was like a leave of absence for two weeks 

Lina: Like it was just a tourist visa kind of thing.

Lolo: Well, had a tourist visa, but it was supposed to be to a student workshop. So from there, the mother of Carlos drove my mom and I to the airport and we left. But then once I got inside the airplane Pan-american. I was nervous because in the belly of the plane, were exports from Cuba going to the United States and all the permits were signed by me. So I thought if they found out that Manuel Hidalgo is a passenger and he's the one that signed all those documents I could be taken straight to jail. So until the airplane was in the air, like in international waters, then I felt safe, up to that moment sometimes they made a plane come back. They detained that person and the plane would go again. So it was a very complicated thing.

Okay, so back to Ely in the picture. About 2 or 3 weeks before leaving Cuba, when my father, mother and I decided that, yes, we had to leave. I kept being coached by that Father Superior that was coaching the people that could have occasion. And. He painted it like very roses. Yeah, like I remember him telling me Well, as you advance in your studies and philosophy perhaps you could go to Germany to specialize in economics. So he painted a very interesting. So anyhow, like 3 or 4 days before leaving Cuba, I went to visit.

Lina: And did she know that you were leaving?

Lolo: No, now it comes. We're not novios. But I was just going out with her and she was going out with me, so neither one was dating anybody else. So technically we were novios, but. We have not officially. But we had that communication and confidence in each other. So, one evening I went to see her at the university. And just to show you how tense we're getting. That let's say my class in economics. We were 25 people, and then all of a sudden people started leaving the United States and everybody was afraid to tell a classmate I'm leaving. So all of a sudden out of the 25 five would disappear. The next weekend Eight will disappear. And then the class was becoming smaller and smaller And we all knew coming into exile. But nobody was telling the others.

So then one night I went to visit Ely and it was very hard for me. When I told her Well Ely I'll have to leave Cuba But she know the reason That I could be detained and all that. But also I'm discerning. It was not a decision. It was a descerning If I have a vocation.Yeah. And. Then. She was kind of shock because here she was very much in love with me and I was very much in love with her. And all of a sudden, you imagine your novio said, I may enter the priesthood.

Lina: So had you told her that you loved her yet?

Lolo: Well, it was evident 

Lina: You hadn't said I love you yet? 

Lolo: No. But it was evident. Yeah. But, I don't know how she handled it. It must have been so hard.

Lina: And did she think she was going to leave Cuba or No?

Lolo: Eventually, yeah.

Lolo: My Aunt Ophelia. She was in charge of collecting the eggs from the hens. So the bags were full of eggs for tomorrow's breakfast. And at one point we all started throwing the cartuchos. 

Q: How many Primos were you there at the finca? 

Lolo: Well in the bunk bedroom we were four. Alberto, Roberto, Jorge y Yo. Pero Roberto was a deep sleeper. So one day I had the idea of taking a rope and tie his foot and start elevating it to the other bunk beds. And when Roberto wake up. His leg was in the air.

Q: How often would you guys go to the finca? Like every. Would you go every weekend or how often? 

Lolo: Yeah. We used to go Friday nights and come back on Sundays. We would ride Caballos. Bicicletas. When we were younger. We pretended that we made tents with the benches. Yeah, and we made a tent. 

Q: And you told me that one of your favorite places in Cuba is Pinar del Rio. 

Lolo: Right, I have read that the only similar rock formation to that is in Australia. Whenever we didn't travel to Asturias, to the US. That was my father's favorite place. 

Q: And where would you stay? 

Lolo: In an inn. The inn was very nice because each family had their own private room. But we all ate in the same dining area. Breakfast. Lunch. We all became friends.

Trip #1: to the United States in 1946

My first trip to the United States was in 1946 by Panamerican Airlines with my father, mother, and brother Alberto. It was my first experience in an airplane. The plane was a DC 3 with one larger wheel in the front and a smaller wheel in the rear so the plane was inclined on the tarmac. The pilot announced that there were parachutes under each seat. When the plane got very bumpy I tried to grab my parachute. I was 7 years old and was planning to jump. Thankfully the plane landed safely in Miami. Our first destination was to visit Washington, DC. We went by Greyhound Bus. At each stop we bought comic books and Alberto and I exchanged them.

It shocked and puzzled me to see that there were separate restrooms for people who were Black, and the same with the water coolers. It was my first experience with the civil rights issues. At one stop, Alberto and I sat in the last seat that was reserved for people of color and they made us move forward because they needed to use those seats.

On the way there we saw many scenic views. When we arrived to DC, my Dad had made reservations at the Roger Smith Hotel, not too far from the White House. We couldn’t enter the White House because they were doing renovations, but we took many pictures. We were suprised that since it was the Fourth of July, all the restaurants and places to eat were closed In the evening.

At one time when Alberto and I were by ourselves, we discovered that the hot water was super hot and we opened all the hot water faucets and the room got full of steam, to the point that we almost could not see each other. When my parents came back, my father said “fuego!” and we laughed after that.

The next day, we went to the Washington Monument grounds, and there was a big exposition of war equipment, including airplanes, tanks, canons, etc.. This was the year after World War II had ended. Of all the equipment, the one that most puzzled me was the kamikaze plane (these were planes used by Japanese pilots in suicide bombings to destroy Allied ships. They were for one pilot only). I went up the short ladder to look into the cockpit. I meditated about how one man was trained in his military career for just one flight, knowing he would kill himself when he hit the target with his airplane.

From there, we went to the Smithsonian Institute and visited monuments. What attracted me the most was the Wright Bothers airplane and their story. There was a glass case with the main things they carried with them, even a knife in case they fall in the jungle, and all the utensils and supplies. The rest of the museum was very interesting, but the airplane of the Wright Brothers is what most fascinated me. I also was very interested with the skeletons of the big elephants and pre-historic animals. From there we went to the art museum.

From DC we traveled to New York. We arrived at night and I was amazed to see New York City! The next day, the first visit was the Empire State Building. I remember the Rockefeller Center and the gold statue of a man holding the world (Where there is a skating rink in the winter). We saw a demonstration for the first time of how people were going to be able to watch television from their homes. In the glass store fronts there were TVs functioning and the public was invited to go in to visit a television studio. I remember sitting in bleachers and looking down at the anchors taping their broadcast, and then looking up and seeing them on the monitors above them. I also saw a woman singing and how they broadcast it on the monitors. It was amazing to see it from the bleachers live and then look up and see it on TV monitors.

While we were sightseeing, my father attended the conference of the American Pharmaceutical Association and American Chemical Society. He was a delegate from Cuba to the Pharmacopia Conference.

We returned to Miami, visiting points of historical significance and natural places along the way, and then returned to Cuba.

Trip #2: Trip to Camp Pathfinder in Canada in 1948

I don’t know how in the world my father selected a summer camp in the province of Ontario. We went by train to Toronto and from there to the camp in Algonquin Park. The railroad was zigzagging in between lakes. I went to Camp Pathfinder, first established in 1914. When we went there the owner and director was Dr. Herman Norton, a pediatrician from Rochester, NY. My camp counselor was J. B. Walsh, a student at Canisius College, a Jesuit college in Buffalo, NY. It was a summer camp for boys and it was the best summer vacation of our lives for my brother and me. We stayed there for like 3 weeks.

That summer we were 100 boys: 3 Cubans (Alberto and me and another boy with the last name of Codinach), 1 Canadian, and the rest were all Americans. We raised the flag every morning for both Canada and the United States and they played the anthems of both countries. The camp included canoeing, outdoor activities, archery, and swimming in the lake. There was a rule that you could not ride in a row boat or sailboat unless you passed a swimming test, which I was struggling to complete, but Codinach pushed me by the leg as I approached the pier to help me make it, so finally I was able to qualify to go rowboating on my own.

It was very usual that after an early dinner we would go rowing in many canoes. Around 10am they would blow a trumpet calling the skinny kids to run to the dining hall and drink milk and cookies. It was called the “Moo Club!”

There was no running water or electricity in the camp to have a more rustic experience. Even to wash our face, we went to the pier to use the water from the lake. On Friday nights, after dinner, there was an ecumenical interfaith service. After that, we crossed the island to go to an Indian festival. There, many guys were dressed with typical Indian clothing and music, reenacting the traditions of Indigenous people. On Sundays, it was a privileged day for the Catholic boys. They took us in a canoe to the shore and waited for a little putt putt train which took about 12 kids to Sun day mass. The mass was said in an interesting place. It was a lodge with moose heads and deer hanging on the walls.

Next to the lodge there was a family inn with guests from many different cities. It was a very enjoyable experience for the adults. My parents stayed at that inn, except for a few trips that they made to Montreal and Quebec. When they were there, we would see them at mass and talk to them after mass.

On the way back from Canada we went through the mountains in the Carolinas and the Smokey mountains. It was a fabulous trip.

Trip #3: Trip to the Mountains in 1950

 Another summer we went on a trip in the mountains and went to Asheville, North Carolina to stay at a family lodge. Each family had a small wooden house and we had the meals at the lodge. There, I remember there was a small ravine where Alberto and I jumped from rock to rock without falling. Other people were fishing. On Friday nights, we had a watermelon eating competition among families and we sat by the river enjoying the competition and singing campfire songs. We had a wonderful time there.

Trip #4: Trip to Clearwater Beach in 1952

We convinced our father to take a vacation to the beach instead of the mountains and we decided to invite our cousin Marta, which was a wonderful family addition. I was 13, Alberto was around 17 and a half, and Marta was in between our ages. One of the first adventures was to go to the pier by the sea. And we were very enthusiastic with our fishing gear. All of a sudden, I caught something that was very, very heavy and I thought I had caught a big fish. I asked Alberto and Marta to help me bring it up. To our surprise, it was a can of Sherwin Williams paint full of crabs. We put it on top of the pier and little crabs were running all over. Then I caught a few fishes that I brought back to the apartment (We stayed at the Kipling Arms apartment. It was across the firehouse and walking distance to the beach. Some nights we even were disobedient and went swimming at night (we were not supposed to go swimming at night).

In the meantime, Alberto completed his driving skills. We rented a car and made several touring visits like Tarpon Springs and Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, where we watched the Mermaid Theater show (where women swam underwater in mermaid costumes). You could also take a trip on a riverboat and learn about the wildlife. It was a wonderful memory to have a sister with Alberto and me.

Trip #5: Valle de Vinales

Since Alberto and I were in high school in Belen, we stopped taking long trips for a while. My Dad’ favorite mountain trip in Cuba was to the Valle de Vinales in the province of Pinar del Rio. We stayed in a hotel and there was a lodge for meals. One day, Alberto and I decided to go mountain climbing and started getting into heavy vegetation with large trees. We had not brought water or food, and at one point we were so hot and so tired, and I drank water for a puddle. A young man from that area (a “guajiro”) offered to be our guide and we were hiking for a long time. At one point, our guide started to say that he did not know the way back and he started to cry. Since we had been away from the hotel for several hour, a caravan of cars (guests from the hotel) started driving along the road up the mountain honking their horns so that we could make our way back toward the road. Finally they picked us up and took us back for a nice lunch at the hotel. To this day, when I am very thirsty, I remember that experience.

Trip #6: Cruising to La Florida

Our first time on a cruise ship was from Havana to Miami on a ship named “Florida.” I was a teenager at the time. It was a one-night trip. We visited tourist attractions in Miami for a week and then returned home. I was excited to finally ride on a cruise ship.

I learned to ride a bike on the path on the way from the entrance gate to the beautiful and big house at Finca Justina. The farm belonged to my grandfather Jose Garcia Mesa, previously to his wife Maria Garcia Carreras.

It was fun to start driving the bike with training wheels, with the help of my father, Francisco Hidalgo (Tio Paco). Soon I started driving the bike on my own. That was FUN! below is a brief story about “Finca Justina” The “”Finca” (farm) was one of the most important things in my life with Abuelo, my parents and my brother, my mother Carmita was the oldest of five sisters and brothers. Tias Ofelia and Mary and two brothers, Carlos and Evelio. My other tíos were Tio Reinaldo, Tio Pepe and Tía María Enriqueta. We were 11 cousins and we were raised like brothers and sisters. Some of us went to the Finca on weekends, from Friday through Sunday, and bring to our homes on Sunday evenings, fruits, such as Aguacates (Avocados); Mangos; Mameyes; Guayabas, etc. The entire family celebrated Navidades (Christmas - Noche Buena) with a wonderful dinner; Lechón (pork) arroz con frijoles etc. Also Turrones for desert and other goodies. After wards we went to Midnight Mass (Misa de Gallo) and the next morning we opened the gifts from “Santa Claus”

When I started at Belen, in 1944, when I was 5 years old, I attended a nuns kindergarten school that was for boys and girls. My teacher was Sor Trinidad and the classmate that stayed all the way with me until we graduated from Belen in ´57 was Eduardo Muniz Melo. We started classes in Belen in a pre-kindergarten (not the real curriculum) in 1945 and I started the official classes in 1946. My first-grade teacher was Father Felix. The school’s first rector (equivalent to the president) was Padre Daniel Baldor, SJ. My second-grade teacher was Hermano Arrieta. Brother Mansilla was our third-grade teacher.

One time there was a group with a lack of discipline and Brother Mansilla who was very old took a bottle of ink and threw it across the room like a baseball. After the cleanup, the class returned back to normal. I was always among the well-behaved kids and was not part of the group.

San Ignacio de Loyola was a high-ranking member of the military in Spain. That is the reason that Belen’s grade system was split into divisions. The first division for the younger students was the fifth division. As we advanced from 3rd grade further we had new division directors.

My brother graduated from Belen in 1953 and I continued my high school education until I graduated in 1957.

I graduated from Belen Jesuit School on the 14th of July, 1957. My dream to study at the University of Havana was to be in the school of architecture, but I couldn’t enter the school because there was an environment of revolutions among the students. Then, I registered at the Catholic University of Villanueva in Havana, administered by the Augustinian fathers.

Dr. Suarez used to meet periodically in informal meetings with other professors and students interested to learn about “The Social Doctrine of the Church,” based on the Encyclical Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII and the social justice documents of Pope Pius XII. I participated in those meetings as a College Student and member of the Agrupación Catolica Universitaria (ACU) where Suarez was one of the founder members. He was a special friend of Father Felipe Rey De Castro, S.J. Ely was baptized by father Rey. Dr. Suarez was an expert in explaining the Social Doctrine of the Church and started an intellectual/political group DOC (Democracia Orgánica Cristiana). I was among the younger members of the group, at 19 or 20 years old. I became a very active Postulant at the ACU and on December 8, 1958, I became a “Congregante Mariano,” a permanent member, following an official Consecration to the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception and receiving a silver medal with a blue cord. I still keep it hanging in my room and wear it on special ACU activities.

From the mid 1950s Cuba started a period of political rivalry among different groups and on March 10, 1952 General Fulgencio Batista overthrew the last constitutional president of Cuba, Carlos Prio Socarat. My reaction was that it was terrible. I was worried about the future of Cuba. Once Batista took power, Cuba lived through very dark days, and very dark political years. Fidel Castro had a revolutionary background, since his years at the University of Habana. He started a revolution in the Eastern mountains of Cuba known as Sierra Maestra in the Oriente province. A new period in the history of Cuba Started with the arrival of Fidel Castro which spread in many sectors of the island.

When Fidel was fighting in the Oriente mountains they had short-wave radio stations that transmitted throughout the island, giving hope to the population that it was going to be a revolution of justice and peace. A great part of the population was hopeful. The School of Architecture at the University of Habana was full, so I registered at the school of Economics at the Catholic University of Villanueva. My ideal was that after Cuba returned to a period of political tranquility I could apply what I learned in Economics to the reconstruction and development of Cuba.

At the beginning of the revolution, there was hope among university professors, professional people, and the middle-class population, that communism would not prevail. Groups like the Democracia Organica Cristiana (DOC) and XXX were organized by Dr. Manuel Suarez and Jose Ignacio Lasco. Several groups of professional people started, trying to stop communism from within the island. I was invited by my professor of economics, Alberto Martinez Piedra to form part of his staff in the export division of the Ministry of Economics with an exception on Cuban tobacco and sugar, which was under a different unity. I worked there from March of 1959 until the 14 of November. At the beginning, that job was very fulfilling for me. I could write bills that would later on become law through the consejo de ministro.

As soon as Fidel took over, a real revolutionary period started with a lack of peace.

In the meantime, President Kennedy organized an invasion of Cuba, training young to middle aged people in training camps in Guatemala and Nicaragua. On the 16th of April of 1960 the invasion failed.

To the Mother of Our Children: The story of my relationship with Ely and the Suarez Gaston Family

My Dearest Eloísa was my best and only real girlfriend, fiancée, and mother of our five children. I became a friend of the family of Manuel Suarez Carreño and Elita Gaston, parents of 14 kids, when “Dr. Suarez” was dean of The faculty of Chemical and Mechanical Engineering at the Catholic University of Villanueva in Cuba and my brother worked part time, during the summer of 1955, helping Suarez in an experimental plant to recycle used motor oil and sell it to truck fleets with the name of KUBOIL. It was located at their family farm, near the small town Caimito del Guayabal, about 55 minutes from Habana and only about 10 miles from the farm of Abuelo Jose García Mesa, in the town of Vereda Nueva, where we spent weekends and vacations.

Often I went to the Suarez farm, while my brother went to work and I hung out with the kids in the swimming pool, playing sports or throwing Guava fruits between two teams of “police and robbers”. If you got hit by the pink seeds they splashed all over you, You Were OUT.

I became like part of the family and participated in many of their activities. “The Dean, “often invited students, on special occasions for barbecues and get-togethers. During family dinners, since Ely was still considered part of the young kids, she did not eat at the big table for the adults. Her and other young siblings eat with the domestic employees. There was a happy environment; I remember Lourdes, the older of the 14 siblings playing on the big piano; others playing board games; sports; swimming etc. I remember Lala and Lourdes playing guitar and while Lourdes was piana, Lala made Cuban cafecito for her father and Alberto at the plant. Lala was also flirting with Alberto.

On April 30th 1956, Lala invited my parents, Alberto and me to a birthday dinner for Dr. Suarez. And I remember that she put a very elegant black tablecloth with colorful flowers. My father, being a chemist, liked to occasionally make wine from fruits and gave Dr. Suarez a bottle of wine made by him which Suarez enjoyed very much.

In 1956 and 57 I was busy in high school at Belen. Their sister Lourdes entered the Ursuline Sisters Novitiate and George to the Jesuit Novitiate, El Calvario. The family bought a big house one block from Villanueva University, in the Biltmore area, adjacent to the tennis courts, where Suarez used to play tennis with the Augustinian rector, father Kelly. As the sisters were growing up they used to have informal parties and dances in the big back porch, mainly organized by Manela. Other times we met at house parties, like at her cousin Gracielita Batista Gaston house.

Several agrupados, who were planning to get involved in politics to improve Cuba’s democracy someday, were meeting at the house of Las Tias Gaston with Jose Ignacio Rasco, founder of Movimiento Demócrata Cristiana (MDC), and Manuel Suarez, creator of Democracia Organica Cristiana (DOC). The people in these meetings were all professionals, and I was the youngest in the group. I was there because of my interest in democracy and social justice. [During the meeting in the living room Ely, who was 15, was coming down the hall on the way to the kitchen. And I said “hola Ely” in front of the group. This made her so happy, she told me later.]

In the meantime, the Suarez children continued their education at the Sacred Heart School; Mercy and Ursulines. Ely transferred to Lestonnac School to study Economía Doméstica (home economics) The school was close by the house and often she went bike riding; later she went to the “Escuela Normal de Maestros”. A special school for those preparing to be teachers, but unfortunately she could not graduate due to the chaotic environment of the revolution.

As a College student working part-time at the Ministry of Commerce, I had the opportunity to date informally very good Catholic young ladies of my age, but in my mind, I realized that none of them were as mature as Ely, who was 4 years and 10 months younger than me. She had very interesting and mature conversations and used to voluntarily give sewing and knitting classes to the poor ladies in La Lisa, (not like other of my dates that like to talk about Girl Scouts and riding horses). What a difference! I started to visit Ely occasionally.

One time we went to see the romantic movie “Sissy Emperatriz” ( filmed in 1956,) at the Rody Theater (our chaperons were her sister Teresita and brother Charlie. Afterwards I invited them to an Ice Cream Shop, and we had a fun time. Sizzy married the Emperor of Austria and became Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. A very lovely romantic story that Ely and I liked very much. We were living on a cloud.

My first gift to Ely was a famous book on “Social Justice” by Father Ricardo Lombardi SJ., “PARA UN MUNDO NUEVO, (FOR A NEW WORLD)” published in 1958. (We were reading that book in study groups at the ACU) You can imagine a Sophomore in College talking about those matters with a happy, fun, 16-year-old girl? Definitely, she was very special. I dedicated to her the 628 page book. “Afectuosamente a Ely, con el deseo de que este libro contribuya a elevar tus ideales de reconstrucción por un Mundo Nuevo, Más Justo, Más Humano y Más Cristiano.” Manolo. To my surprise she brought that book from Cuba, after having been in prison with two sisters and an aunt at age 17. How would she know to bring this book with her on the ferry? Not knowing that she would see me again. Es tremenda novela.

After the failed invasion, she helped 5 younger brothers to obtain their passports to leave Cuba, and organize the family departure (5 siblings have left already) while her mother was Ill in a sister’s house, very depressed, while Suarez, Ely and two sisters were jailed because of their opposition to the revolution. There were militia men with guns or rifles around their house. After 37 days in prison, Ely at 17, was in charge with two maids and responsible for 5 younger brothers, which one of them Xavier Suarez, will become, a Harvard graduate, first mayor of Miami, in 1985. In 1961, after Suarez was in prison at the fortress of ”La Cabaña” for two months; part of the family was able to go to West Palm Beach in a ferry boat overnight. Ely was in charge of keeping the boys in order, so they wouldn’t fall overboard. Within days they relocated to Washington DC, where Suarez obtained a teaching job at Catholic University of America.

Lourdes had left Cuba already and was living with the Ursuline nuns and Margarita had left first to a Maryknoll Sisters Novitiate in Mexico for a short time and then to the US. Manela left for San Juan Capistrano California before the family moved to the home of very good friends of Suarez and Rosie was staying in New Orleans with uncle Luis and his wife. The other children, including Ely, Xavier, Charlie, Maria, Teri and Fred left on the Ferry with their mother. Jorge left later with the Jesuits and Lala also left later.

At the first apartment in DC, there were too many of them in one apartment and the neighbors complained about the boots of the older boys stomping on the floor. At this point, a priest helped them place the kids to live in other people’s houses, while the parents took care of the two youngest kids. Finally, they moved to a house that could fit them all on Burketon Road in Maryland. Manela y George came and joined them in this house later. The famous Pepsi Cola contest happened while they were living at this house. While Ely was pregnant, she could not participate in the contest. Videos of them gathering all the groceries that they could get in a certain period of time was recorded in film and used in an advertisement for Pepsi Cola.

When I arrived in Miami in November of 1960 I continued helping the Directorio Estudiantil, a group of students that were working in Cuba to stop Communism at the beginning of the revolution. Unfortunately, the main leaders of the underground left to Cuba under the supervision of the CIA and that’s very sad in the history of Cuba. That was a tremendous mistake and I blame it on Kennedy. Some of my friends suggested that I stay in Miami as the office manager of the Directorio’s (DRE) office. During that period of time I had to represent the DRE at the offices of the meetings sponsored by the CIA and periodic meetings with the main counter revolutionary leaders in Miami including Dr. Miro Cardona who had been selected by the movements to become the provisional president of Cuba if the invasion would have succeeded. While involved with the counterrevolutionary movements, I was having a stressful time discerning if I had a vocation to be a Jesuit priest.

After the invasion failed, I was given the go-ahead to go to the novitiate in Venezuela where in March 1961 I flew to Caracas and Father Juan Jose Madariaga SJ greeted me. I went to Venezuela to discern if I had a vocation to be a Jesuit priest. Father Madariaga was the master of novitiates and after 4 and a half months as a novitiate. Father Madariaga convinced me that having high ideals did not mean that you had to become a priest (SJ). Then he advised me to do 3 things: First, To stop working in the politics of Miami and Cuba. Second, to go to Atlanta GA where my parents were residing and continue my university studies. Third, continue my friendship with Ely.

(Later on, when we became a family, we sent him our Christmas cards and he responded “Those are my spiritual grandchildren.” Isn’t that pretty? That’s beautiful)

God helped me to accomplish all three of those goals.

I waited a few months to write her a letter to let her know that I was back from Venezuela. She said she had been praying all that time that I would come back. One day, she went to get the mail at the box, and she was thrilled to receive my letter. Then we agreed to make a trip to Washington DC. Leaving Atlanta in the evening on “the southerner” we took the train, arriving in the morning in Washington DC. She waited for me at the stations with some of her young chaperones, including Charlie. At the Union Station she shouted. I kept wondering whether to give her a kiss or not. I just gave it to her on the cheek. I was 23 and she was 18. I had a lot of joy and it was the beginning of a new life.

I had planned to propose to her near the monuments by the Tidal Basin on New Year’s Eve. But it was super cold and she kept saying “que frio” so we entered the lobby of an elegant hotel, “Manger Annapolis” and started talking and I told her how much I loved her. We both were very happy that it became novios.

From there we went to their home and Ely mentioned “We’re novios!” Full of joy. And her mother embraced me and then all the sisters gathered in line and each one started embracing and kissing me, their dream became a reality.

That evening, at a house in Arlington VA, Ely and I went to celebrate with some of her sisters on New Years Eve of 1962. I remember that Lala climbed in a chair and she shouted “Hey friends, I have great news, Manolo and Ely became novios” That was the beginning of a dream.

The secret to a loving family relationship is to share happiness and respect for each other and have great faith in God and the holy family. A relationship founded on mutual love and respect can withstand anything.

A few months before the wedding she moved to Atlanta and stayed at a boarding house called Church’s Home for Business Girls. From there she traveled every day to her job in Atlanta, and we met on evenings and weekends.

The Wedding was at their Parish, Our Lady of Sorrow Church, on January 11, 1964. The beginning of our honeymoon was at the elegant Shoreham hotel in DC. And the main part of our honeymoon was at Jekyll Island near Savannah, Georgia, we drove there from Washington and spent a week at a bayside hotel, the Corsay. Even though it was cold, we enjoyed the indoor swimming pool, riding bicycles, going to the bowling alley, and the best part was going dancing to romantic music. We ate dinner and dancing at the Cloisters Restaurant… I cannot remember what we ate, but we danced a lot. She was very pretty.

I graduated from Georgia State College in December 1965 and I was carrying little Ellie Luly dressed with my graduation cap and gown. The rest is history…

Ellie was born on October 28 1964 in Atlanta, Rosie was born on November 3 1965 in Washington DC, Manny was born at Fairfax Hospital on September 10, 1969, Bibi in Richmond VA in September 1, 1971, and Patrick was born in Lake Forest, IL in February 1 1979.

I love Ely dearly. I love her personality, her maturity, and how we were a gift to each other. All our children and grandchildren will think this is a BEAUTIFUL love story.

he fact that I studied in Belen Jesuit School, in Cuba (Colegio de Nuestra Señora de Belén) from 1945 to 1957, and became a Marian Congregant at the Agrupacion Catolica Universitaria, (ACU) on December 8, 1958, the idea of a Jesuit vocation had never crossed my mind; this is a very interesting fact. I most point out, that during the Junior and Senior years in Belen and the three years at the ACU in Cuba, I had the opportunity to learn about the Papal Encyclicals, regarding the Social Doctrine of the Church, and specifically about Social Justice, and was able to put it into practice, working as a volunteer to help the least privileged in the poor neighborhoods in the outskirts of La Habana. I also became very interested to learn and put into practice the principles of Christian Democracy, and became a member of the Christian Democratic Movement, that was abolished by the Castro Regime a few months prior to my departure to USA, where upon my arrival to the Miami Airport, my immigration visa, was changed to a “Cuban Refugee.”

It was not until 1959-1960, while watching a movie in a theater, of some young people reaching the top of Mount Everest, a thought or inspiration came to my mind: “God asking me, what would you do if I call you to follow me? My answer was: “ If you ask me, I will follow you.”

By then I was dating Eloisa, and two days before leaving Cuba on November 14, 1960, I explained to her that I was discerning if I had a vocation. She was the only person that I told, not even my parents or my brother, and only the priest that was coaching me, Fr. Federico Arvezú, S.J.

That was another moment of risk, courage and discernment! (And of course, very painful to Ely)

Cuba, as a nation, was going through very crucial historical moments and a young man like me, with great ideals, was motivated to enter the Jesuit Novitiate in Venezuela. (the one in Cuba was closed by the Castro regime) Several friends from the ACU, that also had great ideals, and me were “wondering what else we could do for Cuba, while it was being destroyed by a communist dictatorship. I remembered the words, engraved in the wall behind the altar at the ACU Retreat House: ¿Que he hecho por Cristo? ¿Que hago por Cristo? ¿Que voy a hacer por Cristo? (What have I done for Christ? What am I doing? What shall I do for Christ?)

Upon arrival to Miami, my activities were involved in the Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil, in Miami. In early 1961, the directors of the Directorio Estudiantil, Juán Manuel Salvat; Ernesto Fernández Travieso and Alberto Muller, made the decision, that the men of the Directorio in Miami had two choices: Go to the underground in Cuba or enroll with the CIA to go to the training camps in Central America, mainly in Guatemala, and in Nicaragua, where the members of the invasion were undergoing training.

The three of them went to Cuba to the underground, and I went to enlist in a trailer, near the Immigration Office in Down Town Miami to go to the training camps. Another moment of risk, courage and discernment!

One more time God’s providence gave me a hand: Ernesto learned that I was in the process of entering the Jesuit Novitiate in Venezuela, and the three of them gave me the responsibility to be the manager of the office of the Directorio in Miami with the young women that were helping. I also represented the group at the “Frente Revolucionario Democrático” that became the main organization against Castro, representing different groups or Movements, that were in coordination with the CIA for the upcoming invasion. I attended many of those weekly meetings, until the failure of the invasion on April 16th-17th, 1961.

The Chairman was Dr. Miró-Cardona, who was designated to be the “Provisional President of Cuba,” if the invasion was successful. (He had a lot of prestige, since he had been a prominent Judge in Cuba, and was the first “Prime Minister of the Revolution”, appointed by Castro. (Eventually he resigned and joined the Counter-Revolution in exile.)

Upon the failure of the invasion, the Director of the Jesuit novitiate, in Los Teques, Venezuela, Fr. Jose Maria Madariaga, S.J., notified me to make preparations to enter the Novitiate. During the weekend of Mother’s Day, in May 1961, I flew to Atlanta, and that Sunday informed my parents, my plans to enter the Novitiate. They were shocked by the news but at the same time proud of me. When they asked me, “When are you leaving?” I told them: next week. A week later I was flying by KLM from Miami to Caracas, where the Master of Novices drove me to Los Teques, Venezuela.

Each Novice was assigned a sponsor (called the angel) to guide you in the initial days of the “new life.” My “Angel” was Eugenio Batista Gaston, cousin of Ely. When I learned that the Suarez were in prison, I often asked Eugenin about them.

I was at the novitiate only few months, from mid May, until September 28th 1961. Fr. José María Madariaga, S.J gave me a wise advice. He explained to me that based on his experience, I did not have a Jesuit Vocation, but Great Ideals and that I could be a Lay Leader in the Church, and a “Good Family Man.” During our several discernments interviews, I told him about Ely. He recommended me to go back with my parents in Atlanta, complete my college education and eventually re-establish my relations with Ely Suarez Gastón, if that was my will and hers.

The rest is present history, 54 years of marriage, from January 11, 1964 until July 6, 2018, when my dear Ely was called to heaven, after suffering a heart attack at home.

We had five successful children; great daughter and son in law (Ellisa and Mike) and eight beautiful and successful grandchildren.

One more time I saw God’s hand guiding me, Then, one more time I had to decide: “¿Que Voy a hacer por Cristo? (after raising a very special family), I had another decision to make for my Retirement Years:

I registered at The South East Pastoral Institute, (SEPI) in coordination with Barry University, in Miami, in September 2000

Following seven years of part-time graduate studies for a Master of Arts, with a major in Pastoral Ministry, I graduated on December 15, 2007, at age 68. I had the honor and joy that my wife Ely, the five children, and our grandson Joey, attended the graduation ceremony at the James L Knight Convention Center, in Miami. That degree, helped me to be a volunteer, giving classes “Charlas” and “Conferences” at the ACU and at the “Community of the Sacred Family”, directed by Fr. Nelson García, S.J., at Casa Javier, the residence of the Jesuits, next to Belen School, where we met once a month. I also assisted in giving some meditations, on “The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius on Daily Living.”

At the August meeting in 2008, after a lot of research, I gave a conference to the group, regarding a “Summary of the History and Documents of the Vatican Council II.” The group was so interested that at the September meeting I became the moderator of a group study session, about Chapter 1 of the main document of Vatican II: The Dogmatic Constitution of the Church – Lumen gentium (Light of the people). That document has eight chapters, so we had the program for the next eight months, with several speakers.

I also gave classes to 45 adult members of St. Agatha Parish, on the Old Testament, with four members of Fr. Nelson’s group. Also, with a group of ACU members and from St. Agatha Parish, we gave bilingual Audio-Visual Classes, in Religious formation to Inmates at the State Detention Center, near Florida City.

Based on the above historical review, I thank God for all the blessings that he has bestowed on my family and me. I have been able to utilize my Jesuit formation from Belen and the ACU since 1945 to the present in 2021 (for the last 76 years,) to do Apostolic Works and to raise an exceptional family with the help of God, and my exceptional wife Ely.

AMDG

Ad majorem Dei gloriam. (It is the Latin motto of the Society of Jesus.)

“For the Greater Glory of God.”

Moving on also includes efforts, pains, risks, and discernment.

Leaving Cuba on November 14th, 1960 was a very painful experience to my parents and me. I was in a situation working with the underground, against Castro’s dictatorship, and at the same time a department head at the Department of Commerce, I was very close to being apprehended and going to prison. Also, during that time, I was a Junior Student in Economics at The Villanueva Catholic University, east of La Habana, attending evening classes.

Ely Suarez Gaston family also went through a very traumatic experience when her father was sent to prison on the day of the invasion, as well as Lala, Tery, Ely, and some aunts and uncles. Our “Homestead” was in Cuba and both families lost all their material things. We only took to exile our moral principles and the desire to advance in USA and reach the ideal of “The American Dream,” which all seven of us have conquered, with the help of God.

Ely and I received the Sacrament of Matrimony, on January 11, 1964, at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, in Hyattsville, Maryland.

After I graduated from College at Georgia State University, in Atlanta in December of 1964, and Mom Eloisa had given birth to a most beautiful daughter, Ely Luly, (Ellie) on October 28, 1964, we also were confronted with a big decision: To accept a purchasing job at George Washington University Hospital, in DC, and be near Mom’s family.

That job at G.W. led me to a career in the hospital field, from 1965 until 2005, something that I had never planned, but our daughter Ellie has told me: “How many thousands of patients benefited from my work during those 40 years.” During my hospital career, I had administrative positions also at Fairfax Hospital in VA; at St. Mary Hospital, in Richmond, Va; and at St. Joseph Hospital, in Chicago Illinois. After 7 winters in Chicago, we moved to Miami Fl, where I worked for 25 years at Calmaquip Engineering Corporation, administrating the Hospital Equipment Division and doing consulting work to equip Turn-Key Hospitals in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

Moving from Atlanta to D.C. /VA area also was a big decision: leaving my mother behind in Atlanta in September 1965, and the fact that my father passed away in April 1965. (In that case, she had the care and companionship of the Garcia-Carreras family in Atlanta, since Alberto’s family moved to Cincinnati about the same time.)

On the other hand, that move away from Atlanta, was a blessing to our marriage, as our family of three, (Ely, Ellie and me) became a family of seven with the births of Rosie, at Washington Hospital Center, in 1965; Manny, at Fairfax Hospital, VA, in 1969; Beatrice in St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, VA, in 1971; and Patrick, in Lake Forest Hospital, IL, in 1979. It was with great sadness for our family that Patrick passed away in his sleep of an unexpected cardiac arrest due to an injury in his lungs, due to COVID-19, during the night of March 2, 2020 at age 41.

All five of our children have accomplished an “impossible dream” of first-generation Cuban-Americans in positions of leadership, successes, great responsibilities, and making a very positive impact in American society, in their respective universities and professional careers.

All those things do not happen “por casualidad.” We have to acknowledge God’s hand in our past heritage and in our present and future.

I have had the wonderful blessing of raising five children with my wonderful wife Eloisa.

Starting with baptism, First Communion, and a solid religious education has been important.

The most important factor is to teach them trust and they trust you in return. And create a happy family environment.

I realized it was not important to put emphasis on material things and to value faith, family, and education. And to invest in education instead of fancy cars and homes.

Encuentros Familiares

When we moved to Miami in 1980 we learned about a program called Encuentros Famliares (Family Encounters), started by a Jesuit Fr. Florentino Azcoitia and supported by the Archdiocese. We made the family encounter #81 in 1981. The focus was on family unity and improving communication. And since then we participated in many activities, from lectures on parenting, family masses and picnics, and supporting the retreat program. I was happy to see some of our children give charlas in the Encuentros. It also helped them develop their faith, communicate with peers, and develop public speaking skills. Later the Jesuits built Casa Manresa with two retreat houses available for the Encuentros Familiares and they offer Ignatian Retreats for many other groups.

Trip #1: Trip to Vermont around 1970

We decided to try our new blue VW wagon and drive from Virginia to Stowe, Vermont. Manny was around 1 year old, Rosie was 5 and Ellie was 6 years old. I had planned the entire trip in AAA maps. When I went to groceries to stock up on food and snack for the trip, I remember it was the first time I spent more than $100 at a grocery store.

On arrival to Vermont, we went to the von Trapp family lodge (the family from the Sound of Music movie). We met Mrs. von Trapp and she remembered when Eloisa had worked there as a teenager when she came from Cuba. It was a beautiful building made of wooden logs with many beautiful flowers on the balconies around the building. The oldest daughter from the Von Trapp family, Maria, drove up in a VW bug car. We took the Teleférico (ski lift or cable car) to the top of the mountain. We enjoyed the beautiful view.

From Stowe Vermont, we drove to Montreal, Canada to visit the World’s Fair, which occurs every few years in different parts of the world. We visited the pavillions of different countries and the exhibits of new technology and went on rides with the kids. We saw an exhibit of new technology that was being developed that would allow people to talk by phone but see the person’s face. The example was someone talking from Toronto to San Francisco, which was amazing, but that was not yet available for the public.

Ellie and Rosie were so happy playing together and at one point they started running around a fountain on a small wall around the fountain. All of a sudden Ellie fell down and hit her head very hard. We had to take her to the infirmary and it was scary. After they put ice and she rested for a while, we continued our journey.

In those years there were no seat belts, so children were in the back of the wagon with the seats flat, like a playground with toys, and the luggage was on a rooftop carrier. We continued our journey from Montreal to Niagara Falls. Poor Mom, she was getting tired of opening and closing luggage for three children and ourselves.

In Niagara Falls we went on a large boat, called Maid of the Mist, to see the Falls. At one point we went behind the Falls. Ellie and Rosie had on rain ponchos and had a lot of fun splashing in the puddles. We then initiated our return trip to Virginia. We were very tired but happy to have had a wonderful vacation and be on the way home.

Back in those days, there were no ATM machines and no credit cards, which made it challenging while traveling. By the end of the trip, we were running short on cash so I had to go into a bank to see if they would cash a check for me. I went into the bank with Eloisa and the three kids and I was able to express confidence and establish trust and so he was willing to call the bank in Virginia to make sure I had funds available. They normally did not cash checks from out of town, but thankfully he was willing to do it and it was a good example where I had confidence and he had trust and thankfully it worked out.

We kept driving home to Virginia. Throughout the entire trip we took a lot of movies. We arrived home to Monticello Gardens (the apartment complex where we lived in Falls Church on Arlington Boulevard - which is still there). We were very tired but very happy - Mission Accomplished!

Trip #2: Family Camping Trips

One day Bibi came from her kindergarten with a bunch of papers to give to the parents. I found a flyer announcing the YMCA program of Indian Guides and Indian Princesses. It invited children to color the flyer and return it to the teacher if they were interested in participating. I got very enthusiastic with the idea of Bibi and I going one night a week together to enjoy this father/daughter program. It was interesting that in our group we were 6 fathers with their little daughters. They all wore vests that they decorated and a headdress with feathers. It was really well organized. We played games, did arts and crafts, then shared a merienda (snack).

On a few occasions, we went camping with all the groups in the region to Camap Anokijig (WWW.ANOKIJIG.COM). It is a beautiful camp in Wisconsin with a lake made by the glaciers and a wooded shoreline. The main events included swimming and sailing in the lake and row boating. There was also archery and hiking and learning about the Native Americans who had lived there in times past. We also learned about the nature there, including about the different plants. Each small group stayed in tents on elevated platforms. We all ate in the main lodge.

I liked it so much that we decided to plan several family trips to go on vacation in Camp Anokijig with Eloisa all the children.

Another camping that we liked on several occasions was going to Governor Dodge State Park in Wisconsin, where we took our own tents to go camping. We enjoyed making sand castles on the sand along the lake, including using our hands to make what looked like stalagmites with the wet sand. We also had fun roasting marshmallows with a campfire.

Another adventure that we did several times was strawberry picking in Wisconsin. We enjoyed that a lot. While you picked, you could also eat them, which was very yummy.

Our last camping trip was in the Keys in Florida with the whole family after we had moved to Miami in 1980. But we had been accustomed to camping in the Fall. We only did one camping in Florida! There were many mosquitoes, the ocean salt water was very different than a lake, and it was extremely hot so we did not want to make a campfire. At night there was a tremendous rain fall and the tent was starting to collapse. The kids had accidentally locked the keys in the car so we were not able to escape the rainstorm. It was a disaster and Eloisa said never again. That was the end of our family camping trips.

I had been very enthusiastic to have Manny and Patrick participate in Cub Scouts. I remember going to outdoor adventures by a lake. Manny’s Cub Scout troop had to sell orantes and I remember him in his Boy Scout outfit selling oranges in front of St. Joseph‘s church. Those groups of Scouts were very organized. But a few years later, I wanted to participate in the Scouts with Patrick in Florida but it was not very well organized. One time we did go camping on the grounds of St. Thomas University. But the Miami Scouts were very disorganized, to the point that after a few months, I asked Patrick if he wanted to continue in the program or if he rather not. He had the freedom of choice so we decided not to continue.

My best friend from that time is Tony García-Cruz. He was one of the best basketball players when we were in high school and he was named to the Belem Hall of Fame.

We graduated in 1957 from Belen and we were classmates at Universidad de Villanueva. We studied together. He was a great leader and was president of the class of economic students. He had a tremendous dedication to the social doctrine of the Catholic Church in theory and in practice. We both became congregantes marianos (marian congregants) on December 8, 1958. We devoted ourselves to a lifetime consecration to the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception.

In order to become a congregante you had to go through a period of formation, including active apostolic work. Tony and I mainly wanted to implement the social doctrine of the church. We both gave presentations to student study groups in Cuban and later in Washington, D.C. (but there was no power point back then).

On the weekends we had two main events. On Saturday evening we had the guardia sabatina (para-liturgy in honor of our consecration to the Virgin Mary). On Sundays, following a Mass attended by all the active members around 8:30 am, we enjoyed a breakfast in which the young agrupados had the opportunity to meet with successful professional members. I was single at the time and had the time for this.

Manuel Suárez hosted a breakfast table to talk about the Catholic encyclicals. Other people hosted tables relating to professional themes like law or medicine.

It was a good opportunity for college students. I was 18 years old when I started attending these events and it was great to listen to professionals talk about their fields.

An integral part of being an agrupado was to participate once a year in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius at a three-day retreat.

The ACU was founded in 1931 by Rev. Fr. Felipe Rey de Castro, SJ in Havana, Cuba. Upon his passing Fr. Armando Llórente, SJ became the director in 1952. He brought the ACU to Miami, and the ACU also has chapters in Washington, D.C., New York/New Jersey, Atlanta and Puerto Rico. Every week each ACU group in the diaspora hosts a Mass, followed by an intellectual presentation. This year, 2021, the ACU celebrates 90 years.

When I was still in grade school I had the opportunity to teach catechism every Sunday morning to poor Afro-Cubans who were underprivileged. It was an opportunity to use pedagogy, and one example is when the velcro did not yet exist I had a felt board and figurines with sandpaper on the back of them that would stick to the felt board. For instance nativity scenes. As I would teach them I would use the muñequitos.

The second time I had the opportunity to teach was in my junior and senior years of high school with a small group of classmates. We studied the social doctrine of the church and a priest helped us understand the application in real life. Based on what we learned about social justice and helping the poor we had the idea to build a small operation clinic in a very poor neighborhood outside of Havana. Life for those poor people was so difficult that they called the area Korea. We used to go on Saturdays to build the clinic. We built it from scratch with bricks and mortar. An architect from the ACU gave us guidelines and when the clinic was completed, ACU doctors volunteered to do consultations with patients for free. This experience helped us to understand the life of underprivileged people. They were very grateful that privileged people were doing this for them. This experience had a great impact on the rest of our lives. The ACU had volunteer young women teaching these underprivileged people sewing, knitting, arts, and crafts.

When I was still young but married with children I volunteered to teach English to newly arrived immigrants through a program sponsored by Arlington County VA. It was through a program with several other adult volunteers. That program was financed by the school board for Cubans that had just arrived. One day a Vietnamese family came to register, but I knew that this was just for new Cubans. If I would’ve told that to the Vietnamese family it would’ve been discrimination even if they didn’t qualify for the program. So the next day I called my supervisor Mr. Dubois who was African American and explained the situation and he understood the decision I made accepting the Vietnamese family and approved it. From then on people from other nationalities started coming to the program so the program expanded to immigrants from all over. Some years I had the opportunity to give charlas (talks) for people sponsored by the ACU teaching the social doctrine of the church. And to apply social justice in everyday life.

Another experience sponsored by my parish was to teach religion in a medium security prison to people who are incarcerated. There were five of us. The volunteers were in two groups: one in English and one in Spanish and the people incarcerated were from different countries. We taught them using PowerPoint with a recorded professional company that produced the educational materials. It lasted the entire day and we brought snacks for the people incarcerated. Each time that we went on that adventure I felt such joy on my way home having done that work that gave so much enthusiasm and knowledge to the prisoners. The program went on for a year. It impacted me how those people live in a different environment being in prison and how lucky I was that none of my friends and relatives were in prison in the US. As much as I was teaching I was learning from them too.

The Plymouth Fury

In 1972 while living in Richmond, we bought a large station wagon, the Plymouth Fury, with a green color and side wood paneling. It was beautiful and brand new!

The day we went to pick up the car from

the dealer, the four kids were “embulladísimo” (super excited).

After we drove away in our new car, we went to the Richmond coliseum for the show Disney on Ice. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy were ice skating to animated music. The kids were super “contentos” (happy).

For the kids and for us - it was a big day. A new big car and Disney on Ice!

When we moved from Richmond to north of Chicago in 1974, the moving company put both cars into the moving truck, including our Plymouth Fury. This was the car that took us to family vacations camping at Camp Anokjig in Plymouth, Wisconsin and to fun trips to Cincinnati, Ohio at Thanksgiving to visit my brother Alberto and his family.

By 1980 we moved to Miami and Ely Mom flew down with Manny, Bibi and now baby Patrick. I drove the Plymouth Fury to Miami with my co-pilots Ellie, 15, and Rosie, 14. They had an important job to do, because by that time the needle marking the amount of gas on the Plymouth Fury no longer worked. So we were at risk for running out of gas during 1,380 mile trip. But I calculated that the car could drive for 250 miles and then need more gas. Ellie and Rosie were in charge of tracking the odometer and letting me know when we had driven 250 miles and needed to stop for gas. The girls actively tracked the trip in this way, and we never ran out of gas!

By 1981 the Plymouth Fury was old and needed a lot of repairs. The car had journeyed with us through life in three cities Richmond, Chicago and Miami. Ely Mom and I decided it was time to say goodbye and thank you to the Plymouth Fury, the car which the family had enjoyed the most.

Music by: Barbara Streisand, Gloria Estefan, and Andy Williams

Strawberry, mamey, and guava ice cream

Flan, tres leches, borrachitas, tiramisu

Pears

Mango

Arroz con pollo

Salmon

Maduros

Café con leche

Chocolate syrup

Butternut squash soup

Elena Ruth Sandwhich

Coke

Napkins

“You people”

Stylus

“Candela”

Easter Lilies

Happy movies

Big spoons

Pocket calendar

Cascaritas de guayaba

Mint oreos

Valle de Viñales

Vincent Van Gough quote about nature “If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere¨

I am a morning person. I tend to feel enthusiastic and with creativity and like to communicate with others, especially my closest relatives, but the problem is that most people do not like to communicate after they wake up, I guess that many are “night people”

With Rev. Jorge Bergoglio,

Rancho Lolo, a Great Family Experience of three granddaughters, an Aunt and an 82 year old grandfather Manolo (Lolo).

Rancho Lolo has become a “prototype communal family living experience”, which is unique in “Westchesta,” Miami-Dade County, FL. Our Family experience started when Ellie started sheltering in place from LA in March 2020.

Next , Manny, Ellisa and Sofia landed in Westchesta in July and they helped fixing up the house. Sofia began working with City Year virtually, teaching mathematics at age 18 and then transitioned to teach in person in October!

Carolina brought her “JOY Leadership” working with Civic Nation in Miami since August and taking On-Line Classes; In the mean time in the middle of the COVID 19 Pandemic Carolina and Sofia were super active on the Campaign for Biden/ Harris with lots of activities with “The Miami Freedom Project” and “Cubanos for Biden” and the unforgettable Cars Caravans.

Our unique family life has been joyful and unforgettable. Manny came for the Elections and came again in March to help out on the Rancho. We have Great “gourmet” dinners and the traditional “Paseos” on Saturdays or Sundays to “Robert is here; The Cauley Tea Room; Everglades; El Ranchito; DOCE Restaurant; the City of Doral; the beaches in Crandon Park, Virginia Key, North Miami, etc.

One day Carolina invited a very special guest to dinner, Fran C. An FIU student who became her “novio” and with such a wonderful personality, Lolo “officially” adopted him as a “nieto,” and he has turned out to be a “great chef” and a frequent dinner family/guest and another “Rancho Member.”

In December we celebrated the engagement of Cristina Hidalgo McCabe with Reggie Peterson and on April 24, 2021 her graduation from FIU with a Master’s in Social Work and a great job at Baptist Hospital, and the visit of Rosie Patrick, and Mike for that special occasion.

We will miss Carolina when she leaves to DC, Sofia to FIU student residence and Cristina when she will move after four years at home.

The Rancho will continue with open doors and a big welcome to relatives and friends coming to Miami and the unforgettable memories of a wonderful family group.

I have many wonderful memories of family gatherings and reunions and the joy of each of my grandchildren joining the family: Cristina, Patrick, Ellie, Ian, Carolina, Sofia, Joey, and Francisco