history of rotary club in cuba

7/27/2019 History of Rotary Club in Cuba

1/8

HOME GLOBAL DISTRICTS CLUBS MISSING HISTORIES PAUL HARRIS PEACE

PRESIDENTS CONVENTIONS LIBRARY WOMEN THE ROTARY FOUNDATION COMMENTS PHILOSOPHY

SEARCH RGHF FORUM FACEBOOK JOIN RGHF COMMITTEE RGHF RECENT POSTS

THE FELLOWSHIP OF ROTARY HISTORIANS SINCE 11 OCTOBER 2000

Post your club/district history now, with RGHF, at www.historylibrary.orgfree! Just open an account, and make history.

"Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How" of Rotary since 11 October2000 http://www.rotaryglobalhistoryfellowship.org/index.php?lang=en

Translate

Select Language

Gadgets powered by Google

"I don't mind my inbox being flooded by e-mails fromRGHF. They are so informative and it makes me appreciatemore the wonderful world of Rotary." Anonymous

Become anRGHF Subscrib ing

Member and receiveour newsletters

GO

ROTARY GLOBAL HISTORY SECTION HOME First Rotary Clubs of Central, South America, and Caribbean HISTORY OUTLINE RI ARCHIVES

HISTORY CALENDAR BUENOS AIRES HAVANA LIMA MEXICO CITY MONTEVIDEOPANAMA CITY RIO SAN JUAN SAO PAULO VALPARAISO FRIENDSHIP TREESLATIN SECTION CHAIR, JOSE MESA (ZHEMA) ROTH SPANISH SITE HISTORY FIRST IN EACH REGION

Our complete history of Rotary in Cuba Courtesy ofDr. Wolfgang Ziegler, RGHF Senior Historian 31 May 2006

Rotary in Cuba

The Spanish American War

The revolution started by Jos Mart in 1895 led in 1898 to the Spanish American War of 100 days and Cubanindependence in 1902. This war, in spite of its tremendous implications for the United States, Spain, Cuba, and otherplaces, never received much attention. After the American Civil War (1861-1865), a conflict of truly epic proportions,

with a loss of approximately three-quarters of a million men, in the war of 1898 only three thousand men were lost.Some may have heard the statement Remember the MAINE. In response to a small protest by Spanish officers, notaffecting the United States, Washington sent the USS MAINE to Cuba on a friendly visit. In the evening of February15, the MAINE was shattered by two explosions and rapidly sank. Two hundred and fifty-two men were killed. Afterthe disaster, U.S. newspapers were quick to place responsibility for the loss on Spain, while later studies have indicatedthat the ship probably sunk as a result of a coal bunker fire adjacent to its ammunition magazines. Despite of his effortsto avoid war, President McKinley finally decided to military intervene in Cuba to end the ongoing unrest and liberateCuba from Spanish rule. In American history, the Spanish American War is mostly considered as a silly lark taken by agroup of over-eager men with no real gain, though this goes against historical fact in many respects. (Related story ofone battle of this war at www.messagetogarcia.org )

Rotary ante portas

Page 1 of 8History of Rotary in Cuba

10/6/2013http://www.rotaryfirst100.org/global/southamerica/havana/history.htm


2/8

In the same year, 1898, Paul Harris entered into a partnership as the senior to form the law firm ofHarris and Dodds.While we can only speculate if the idea of a Rotary club was already on his mind, two later prominent Rotarians foughtin the Spanish American War. Silvester Schiele had volunteered to serve with the United States armed forces, and alsofought in the Santiago de Cuba campaign. More details are known about Chesley Perry from the rolls of the Illinoisvolunteers, who also went to Cuba in 1898 as a soldier and as a correspondent for the Chicago Times Herald. He

enrolled as a 2ndLieutenant in April 1898, was promoted to 1st Lieutenant, and was on special duty as officer in chargeof regimental exchange until March 1899. In Cuba Perry met Wesley King, who in 1911 founded the Rotary club ofSalt Lake City.

Chesley Perrys decoration from the Illinois Veteran Corps[W. Ziegler, private collection]

Havana - Club City of the World

In 1918, more than one-third of the total population of Habana of approximately 350,000 were members of various

clubs. So it was quite natural that Habana was the first city in a non-

English speaking country to have a Rotary club.

Also the Rotary club idea was essentially different from all of the many club ideas which had found root in Habana, thecity was so accustomed to clubs of all kinds that Rotary was readily accepted. The leading clubs of the city, consideredfrom the standpoint of number of members and wealth of their treasuries, were the various organizations known asCentros. These were originally organized by Spanish residents of the city whose purpose was to unite in a socialorganization those of their compatriots who came from the same section of Spain. In addition to its social and recreativefunctions, the Centros soon developed certain mutual aid and benefit features, which became a real necessity in the livesof the people of Habana. Some of the Centros, such as the Balear and Castellano, admitted women as well as men tomembership. Most Centros were chiefly composed of Spanish born or the immediate descendants of such. Theexception to this rule was the Centro de Dependientes, founded in 1881, one of the three largest and wealthiest of theseorganizations, to which most of the Cubans and residents of foreign birth belonged.

Club Rotario de la Habana the Foundation

In the April issue of The Rotarian, a short note Rotary and Latin-America is followed by the names of the members ofthe General Committee on Extension of Rotary in Latin-America. The organization of the Rotary Club of Havana, thefirst non-English speaking Rotary Club, was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Tampa, Florida, and the committee wascomposed of A. L. Cuesta, Sr., John A. Turner and Ernest Berger.




3/8

Angel L. Cuesta, member of the Rotary Club of Tampa, Florida, and founder of Rotary in Cuba[The Rotarian, January 1930].

The roster list of 22 members was closed on April 29th, 1916. Among its charter members were Angel Gonzales delValle, in 1922 president and sketched in La Rueda, the magazine of the Rotary Club of Havana, by the famous Cubancartoonist Massaguer, and Ramon Arguelles, owner of the famous Romeo & Juliet cigar factory.

Angel Gonzales del Valle, ni es angel ni viene del valle[La Rueda del Rotary Club de la Habana, May 1922]

Band of the Romeo Y Julieta cigar, especially made for Rotary[W. Ziegler, private collection].In 1917, the Havana club had already nearly 100 members. The club had obtained the establishment of traffic laws forits city. It developed a comprehensive city plan and had a remarkable program of civic enterprise. The civic program ofthe club included for instance:

- The acquisition for the city of the surrounding heights [] which on account of their location may be suitable forparks and other public uses.- To acquire also suitable grounds in the most populated districts with the object of dedicating them to the public asplaygrounds, gymnasia and bathing places [].




4/8

The Rotary headquarters in the Hotel Plaza [W. Ziegler, private collection]

Havana Rotarians on the roof of the Plaza Hotel [The Rotarian, February 1918]

More Rotary Clubs

Within eight years of the founding of the Havana club, other clubs were added at Matanzas, Sagua la Grande,Cienfuegos, Guantanamo, Trinidad, Camagey, Santiago, Caibarien, Santa Clara, and Sancti Spritus. All of themflourished, and found many opportunities to serve their respective communities. The objectives concentrated mainly onsanitation, with special emphasis on the extermination of the mosquito.

The Ladder That Came in Handy

Havana, Cuba. [] Some Rotarians had an interestingand rather exciting experience at a meeting of theHavana Rotary. The meeting was held in the roof gardenof the Paza Hotel. And while a flashlight picture wasbeing taken some of the decorations were ignited by theexploding magnesium powder. A panic was averted by

the prompt arrival of the fire department and a newextension ladder recently presented to the departmentby the Havana Rotarians came in handy.

[The Rotarian, August 1925]




5/8

This picture was taken at a special meeting of the Rotary Club of Matanzas, Cuba, held at Monserrate picnic grounds. At the head of thetable (in the foreground) are, left to right: Urbano Trista, Governor of the Twenty-fifth Rotary District (Cuba); Joaquin Anorga, nominatedas his successor at the district conference recently held in Sagua la Grande; and Paul Harris, President Emeritus of Rotary International, inwhose honor the meeting was arranged [The Rotarian, May 1927].

In 1928, the Rotary Club of Havana was responsible for the initiation and successful conducting of the first NationalCongress of the welfare of the child. The statements in the resolution adopted sound rather modern, for instance:

- The child has the right to be born under social and physical conditions whichwill lead to a normal life.- The child has the right to receive from society all the means for a freedevelopment, mentally, morally and spiritually [].

In a letter to the secretariat of Rotary International, past Director Luis Machado (no relation to Cuba's former president)wrote:

In order to prevent civil war, which was imminent between the various political divisions, the Rotary Club of Havanaappointed a committee of five, of which I am the chairman, to act as mediator between the government on one side andthe opposition on the other, in an effort to find a friendly solution to all the political problems []. [The Rotarian,November, 1933].

However, in September, 1933, in an uprising known as the Revolt of the Sergeants", Fulgenico Battista had taken

control of the island. For the next twenty-five years he ruled Cuba with an iron fist.

The First Regional Conference

In March 1937, during the opening session of the First Rotary Regional Conference of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulfof Mexico, held in Havana, Cuba's President, Senor Laredo Bru, offered R.I. President Will R. Manier, Jr., the Cross ofthe Order of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes the highest Cuban decoration as a recognition of the valuable serviceRotary is rendering to humanity.

Cuban Rotarians greet Rotary's President Manier(right) in 1937.[The Rotarian, January 1946]




6/8

Cuban decoration Manuel de Cespedes. The picture actually shows the decoration given to Chesley Perry, possibly ranking below the crossof the order[W. Ziegler, private collection].

The 1940 Convention

Originally, the 1940 World Convention was to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but was held in Havana probably

because of WWII. R.I. President Walter D. Headwrote in The Rotarian in March 1940:

It is my thought that the keynote of the Havana Convention might be the renewal of Rotary fellowship amid Old Worldsurroundings. This is not a year for elaborate festivity. We are too keenly conscious of the fact that many of our fellowRotarians are citizens of countries which are, to a greater or lesser extent, involved in the numerous conflicts nowtaking place [].

Paul Harris could not attend the because of sickness, but he was able to return from the hospital to his home during theConvention. His message was read to the Convention. He wrote about Rotary's efforts to promote the brotherhood ofmen, which

in the light of current events and in the light of history, seem to many nothing more than an empty dream []andcontinued:

The best way to proof that a miracle can be performed is to perform the miracle. Rotary has performed its miracle.Rotary has actually become part of the civic life of sixty nations. Rotary stands; though the tempest rage about Rotarystill stands. Why and how? Because it is grounded not on fear, rivalry and suspicion, but on the eternal andindestructible rocks of friendliness, tolerance, and usefulness.




7/8

The Inaugural Session Secretary of State Miguel A. Campa, who brought a message from Frederico Laredo Bru, President of the Republicof Cuba, being introduced by Chairman Carbajal. President Head and other Rotary officials are seated on the stage [Proceedings Thirty-FirstAnnual Rotary Convention, Havana, Cuba 1940].

Though only 3,719 Rotarians attended the Convention, it was certainly a splendid success. The Convention Proceedingcomment on the event:

Looking back on convention week, it seems that each night brought with it a new high in entertainment. Perhaps it wasthe spell wielded by the tropic nights, a magic of deep, ebon-black skies and bright stars, gently waving palms, and a

soft caressing breeze bespeaking mystery and romance, that made each event a never-to-be-forgotten experience [].

but credit the success also to the ingenuity of the host club.

A special stamp with the Rotary wheel and a number of beautiful first day issues were printed on this occasion.

Centrepiece of a block with the signature of R.I. President Head, who calls himself Future past-President [W. Ziegler, private collection]

Also in 1940, a Constitution was established by the national assembly of Cuba. The document struck a balance betweenthe rich and the working class, it protected individual and social rights, supported full employment and a minimumwage, extended social security, called for equal pay for equal work and outlawed the huge plantations known as

latifundias. General Fulcenio Batista was elected Cuba's 14th president.

In January 1946, Cuba had 44 Clubs with approximately 1,400 Rotarians. It had by then furnished four Directors ofRotary International Mario Nunez Meza (1922-23), Luis Machado (1931-32), and Dr. Manuel Galigarcia (1942-43),all of the Rotary Club of Havana, and Felipe Silva (1936-37) of the Rotary Club of Cienfuegos.

The Revolution

The fifties were a decisive decade in Cubas turbulent history. In March 1952, Batista took over again in a bloodlesscoup d' etat. The elections, three month away, were cancelled. The United States recognized Batista's government.

In July, 1953, Fidel Castro lead a revolt in which 100 men and women attacked army barracks near Santiago de Cuba.The attack failed, Castro was arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison. In 1955, he and his revolutionaries werereleased from prison in a general amnesty.

In November 1957, Cuba was the second time host to the Caribbean-Gulf of Mexico Regional Conference of RotaryInternational. Cuba had 58 Rotary Clubs with 1,800 members.

The battle of Jige in July 1958 marked the turning point in the war between the government and the revolutionaryforces. The government troops were surrounded by the Rebel units. Unable to break out, the battalion ran out of food




8/8

RGHF Home | Disclaimer| Privacy | Usage Agreement | RGHF on Facebook| Subscribe | Join RGHF - Rotary's Memory Since 2000

and surrendered. In January 1959, the revolutionary forces took control of Havana. The U.S. government officiallyrecognized the new Cuban government. Cuba's constitution of 1940, suspended in 1952 by General Batista, wasreinstated.

Fidel Castro, Cuban Prime Minister, outlines the program of his 26th of July Movement before the Rotary Club of Havana. An overflowcrowd jammed the room to hear his nationally televised Talk [The Rotarian, June 1959].

Of the twenty-one ministers appointed in January 1959, twelve had resigned or had been ousted by the end of the year.Four more would go out in 1960 as the revolution moved toward a Marxist-Leninist political System.

A communication of Rotary International of November 14th, 1978, reads:

After due consideration of the guidelines established by the board at its October-November, 1978, meeting for thetermination of membership in Rotary International of Rotary clubs located in countries in which Rotary clubs may notbe able to function, the board, effective 31 January, 1979, terminates the membership in Rotary International of theclubs in Afghanistan, Burma, Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam and declares the charters issued to the clubs to be null andvoid.

The American journalist Walter Lippmann wrote in 1959:

For the thing we should never do in dealing with revolutionary countries, in which the world abounds, is to push thembehind an iron curtain raised by ourselves. On the contrary,[) the right thing to do is to keep the way open for theirreturn.

The contents of this article are mainly based on information from The Rotarian. Between 1916 and 1980 Rotary in Cuba is mentioned inover a hundred short notes and in a few articles, some in Spanish. The information about Cubas history are taken from the internet sitewww.historyofcuba.com, written and compiled by J. A. Sierra.


history of rotary club in cuba

Documents