Category: Miami Stories

For me, the most important journeys have led to South Florida.

The journey that started in December 1959 involved a move from Cuba, north to freedom. Forty-two years later, in July 1992, a return trip from Virginia with our 4-year-old son Peter completed a cycle that molded several generations of our family.

Our exit from Cuba in 1959 was without great fanfare. My mom, grandmother, brother and I boarded a Pan American flight to Miami. My father would join us later.

The move was temporary, or so was the belief in our small Cuban community, and poignantly confirmed in my parents’ correspondence with family during that time. My mom faithfully listened to broadcasts from Cuba on her Zenith Transoceanic short-wave radio and remained hopeful of a resolution.

In April 1961, those hopes were dashed not only for my family, but for scores of newly arrived Cubans. The failed Bay of Pigs invasion sealed our fate in our newfound land.

I remember my mother announcing that the United States was our home now and that as soon as possible we would become citizens, a promise kept in 1966.

My brother John and I learned about Cuba through the stories, music, photos and movies that we managed to get out when we left. My mom made it very clear, however, that although we were proud of our heritage, we were now Americans. She disliked the hyphenated Cuban-American term because she felt it divided us and that we had to respect the country that gave us safe harbor.

My parents never missed the opportunity to vote, and that made a lasting impression.

And after losing their home in Cuba, they found a home in Coral Gables, one that they enjoyed and shared with us until they died.

Our son Peter was born in 1987 in Richmond, Va., during a graduate school hiatus from South Florida, a stay that would last six wonderful years. T.S. Eliot in his epic poem The Four Quartets states that, “Home is where one starts from.”

And for me, in 1992, on a dreary winter’s day, it was the place where I needed to return. So in July 1992, amid a Miami summer and one month before Hurricane Andrew, our small family arrived at my parents’ home.

We are still in Coral Gables today. Many events, many stories, happy ones, sad ones and funny ones all intertwined. The things that make a life filled with love possible.

Peter, who just graduated from college, recounts in a recent remembrance of an “ever deeper appreciation of the gifts that had been bestowed upon me by my grandparents; not only their invaluable support, but even more so their elegance, their unwavering ethical compass and their love of family.”

Because of their generosity, our son had the benefit of a superior education, both in high school and college. Marta and John Anderson’s love and sacrifices have borne good fruit.

My son Peter will be leaving home for a journey north to a new job and boundless opportunities. I am excited for his new adventure and heartsick that we no longer will we spend summers together just hanging out and talking and watching Wimbledon.

There will be a new rhythm to all of our lives, one that will bring fresh revelations.

Moving into these unchartered waters, I remember all that has happened to our family.

Many important days that have molded us and made us strong together. Many important days that have changed the way we live, love and experience life. Many important days to come, remembering the time-tested adage that it is not the destination but the journey that makes all the difference.

My maternal grandparents, Sam D. and Ida Ellen Roberts Johnson, were born in Harbour Island, Bahamas. It is believed that their foreparents were among the millions of black slaves forced from West Africa and sold in the West Indies.

Papa was Samuel David. He was born in 1872. His parents were John David and Matilda Johnson, descendants of ancestors from Haiti and Barbados and considered a wealthy planter.

By comparison Mama’s family was poor. She was born Ida Ellen Roberts to Horatio and Letitia Roberts in Harbour Island. The Roberts family’s ancestors may have lived in Bermuda.

When their parents divorced, Mama and sister Dora were raised by an aunt who was the cook for the island’s medical doctor, a white man trained in England. He encouraged them to learn to read and write.

About 1897 Sam D. and Ida Ellen were married on Harbour Island in the St. John Wesleyan Methodist Church. Seeking better economic opportunities, Papa moved to Key West, became a sponger and sent for his bride. Two children were born in Key West, Samuel Hensdale and Elaine.

Papa relocated to Miami’s Colored Town (Overtown) where his sister Alice and her husband, Thomas Bullard, had already settled.

In December 1903, Samuel and Elaine left Key West with Mama for Miami aboard the steamboat Shinicok and landed at the P and O dock, now 12th Street and Biscayne Boulevard.

They lived in Colored Town adjacent to the developing white downtown.

Other relatives had already relocated to Coconut Grove. Mama, however, preferred to live in the city. One of the neighbors originally from the Bahamas, Shaddy Ward, encouraged Papa to buy land and build a house. Eventually three houses were built two blocks north of the Lyric Theater: 159 NW 10th St., 153 NW 10th St. and 1004 NW First Ct.

Before 1910, Miami’s Colored Town was a bustling community with family grocery stores, barber shops, beauty shops, schools, churches, a milliner and drug store. Family and friends from Lemon City (Little Haiti), Coconut Grove and neighborhoods traveled to shop and dine in Colored Town.

Five other children were born: Roberta, Frederick, Dorothy, James and John. Papa called them his “bunch.”

By 1909 Papa was an officer at Mount Zion Baptist Church. He was a laborer at several construction sites, a gardener at the James Deering Estate (Vizcaya) and caretaker for prominent families, including the Chafee’s cousins of John D. Rockefeller and William Jennings Bryan, a three-time U.S. presidential candidate.

Papa and his sons worked on the Bryan estate, Villa Serena. The Bryans encouraged Papa and Mama’s desire to educate their children. Once, Mrs. Bryan gave Papa an old suit for Samuel as he prepared to go away to school. Another time she gave Papa a copy of Horatio Alger’s book, Store Boy.

Educating all seven children was Mama’s goal. In the early 1900s in Miami, black children were only allowed to finish eighth grade in public school. They had to work or leave Miami in order to finish high school. Mama and Papa sent Samuel to high school in Jacksonville at the Florida Baptist Academy, now Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens.

The seven children all graduated from college and were Miami-Dade County’s first black family to educate seven children through college before 1945.

The accomplishments of Samuel D. and Ida Ellen Johnson and their children mirrors the history and development of Miami. Their efforts inspired the grandchildren: dentist, Dr. J.K. Johnson Jr.; retired attorney, Judge A. Leo Adderly; retired educators Jewyll Wilson, Betty Jones, and Joyce Silver; and archivist and historian, Dr. Dorothy Ellen Jenkins Fields. The goal set forth by the fore parents continues to their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and cousins through the Harbour Island Family Reunion. The Harbour Island Family Reunion promotes education by giving scholarships to family.

Somewhere in the middle of 1951, my father, Cpl. Norman Segermeister, emerged from his commitment to the U.S. Army.

After he was discharged, he met up with his parents, who had moved temporarily from Long Island to Miami Beach so his mother could escape the winter months and nurse her health.

Never living in a tropical climate before, my dad explored the area with the help of the city bus. One of his adventures took him up Collins Avenue to the Bal Harbour Shops, which was as far as the bus would go because Haulover Bridge was not built yet.

As he walked into the mall, he noticed a sign that read, “No Blacks, No Jews, No Dogs.” This was a new concept to him; he figured that if you were a black Jewish dog, this was not the place to be.

Since he was a recent veteran, he felt the sign did not apply. About three months after he arrived in Miami, his parents were ready to return to New York.

Before heading back to New York on the train, my father suggested to his father that they should buy some land in Miami as an investment. His father remarked, “This place will never amount to anything.”

My dad made a commitment to himself to return one day. While living in New York, someone came up with the idea of going to the Catskills. It was most likely his father; they wound up buying some land outside a little town named Ellenville, N.Y.

Talk about a place that never amounted to anything. It was about 11 acres and they built a bungalow colony so they could rent out cottages to city slickers.

My dad got a job in Ellenville, met my mom at a Christmas party in 1953, married in January 1955 and started having kids.

Life was good in rural upstate New York, especially if you were a kid. Every once in a while we would go on a trip, nothing expensive, just three- or four-day getaways. Then came the big trip. We went to Miami during spring break in 1967 in my dad’s new Ford Fairlane 500. It was a two-week trip and it took three days to drive each way.

Yes, we stopped at South of the Border, where I purchased illegal fireworks and hid them in my suitcase. I was 12 and my sisters were 8 and 4. We returned home and things settled in until one day in January 1970. My dad left for work; we stayed home because school was closed from heavy snow.

About an hour after he left my dad returned home without his car. The car got stuck in the snow and he had to walk back home. When he entered the house, he shouted, “Faye, we are moving to Florida.”

I don’t remember much between that day and when we left on Oct. 5, 1970. That is the day my world changed from a country life to metropolitan adventure, where every day has been a new experience.

My dad is gone almost 10 years now. This was my tribute to him — he took a chance on our future and sought an opportunity for a better life.

Every day I wake up with a spirit of excitement and anticipation of what the day may bring, in large part because of the incredible community that has become my adopted home, Miami.

It is the kind of community where dreams are made; where the sun, the sand and the vibrant mix of cultures come together to create an atmosphere that is like none other I have ever encountered. When I first arrived in the United States, it was via New York City. I had recently graduated from high school in Portugal and after working for a summer I had saved enough money to travel to the United States. I came from a poor family and America represented opportunity, the chance for a better life.

Like something out of a movie perhaps, I took odd jobs on construction sites, in restaurants and hotels, working my way across this great country, marveling at each locale. But it was not until I arrived in South Florida that I felt a truly special connection.

I was born in Portugal, and so ingrained in my heart is a natural love of the ocean. But it was more than that. Miami’s people were warm and colorful. It was the early ’80s, there was richness in the air, a mix of sights and sounds, of languages and music that as a young man I found electric. Miami had grabbed my soul, and I knew then that here is where I wanted to stay.

I settled in and worked hard going to school, learning English and becoming a part of the community. I found the people of South Florida only too willing to open their hearts, share their stories and offer a helping hand when needed.

One day while working in a restaurant, I had the good fortune to meet U.S. Rep. E. Clay Shaw. We chatted, and over time he learned that I was working my way through school. He offered me some advice that I have never forgotten: “One’s future tomorrow is not limited by their condition today.”

This congressman, who took the time to get to know someone who poured his coffee, really drove home to me that America was indeed a country where a person’s destiny is limited only by their desire to achieve and willingness to work hard. Eventually, my path led me to Barry University, where I studied biological sciences, but began to discover a love of teaching as well. I have fond memories of Barry and of its caring faculty, including Sister Karen Frye.

Sister Frye was another example of the spirit of giving found throughout Miami. At one point, as many other working students do, I faced a shortage of funds. Sister Frye lent me $2,000, giving me the opportunity to complete my degree. When I graduated and began teaching at Miami Jackson Senior High, paying that money back was a priority, and with my last payment, one of my proudest moments.

Another of those moments came with my first interview at Miami Jackson, with then-Principal Freddie Woodson, a former Miami Dolphins player and seasoned school leader. I was very young at the time, and probably looked younger. I remember how he smiled when he asked me why he should take a chance on a kid like me, and how he would be able to tell me apart from his students.

At that moment, I assured him that I would wear a tie every day and give my students 110 percent. With that, he shook my hand and welcomed me to his staff.

To this day, I wear a tie daily, and I still give all my students 110 percent. The joy and acceptance that I found in Miami as a young adult, coupled with the values instilled in me as a boy by my mother and father, established a strong foundation for my career in education.

My days as a teacher, and later as a school and district administrator, gave me the opportunity to reach out to many children, to show compassion, provide support, and yes to educate. In much the same way the actions of my family, Rep. Shaw, Sister Frye, Mr. Woodson and others pushed me forward, I now have the opportunity to do the same for others.

I believe education is the great equalizer, the bedrock of our democracy and a truly noble profession. As Superintendent of Schools, I still believe that my role is to educate, to fight for those who may not have a voice, to give back to Miami all that it has given to me.

So Miami is my home now. I recently bought a house in Miami Shores. I have a family, many good friends, and my daughter has begun her journey as a young adult, entering college this year. I have much to be grateful for. Each segment of Miami’s diverse community has made me feel welcome, from the cafés of Little Havana, to the churches of Little Haiti and the burgeoning communities of South Dade.

Over the years, I have grown, and I believe that Miami has as well. Our community accepts all and blends each distinct culture together into what must be one of the world’s most interesting and exciting places to live and work. Miami is like nowhere else on earth; it is, and will remain, my home.

Alberto Carvalho is the superintendent of Miami-Dade Schools.

In 1955, a 21-year-old Swiss woman, Margrith Lübke, traveled to North America to satisfy a childhood fantasy of living and working in New York City.

She loved the glamour and enjoyed every moment.

After a few months in the Big Apple, however, a fateful turn of events led her to Nassau. Fantasy became a new life in the tropics.

In 1956, a 23-year-old Australian man, Russell, traveled to North America to satisfy his wanderlust. His journey began on the west coast of Canada, north of Vancouver. From there, he traveled to Southern California, through New Orleans, to Miami and across the Gulf Stream to Nassau, where he and a fellow Australian sailing buddy rendezvoused with members of the U.S. Olympic sailing team.

Margrith and Russell met one afternoon at the Nassau Yacht Club over drinks. Romance blossomed, and their desire for adventure fueled their flame. They married in November 1957 and set up house in Nassau, where Russell became involved with land development in Lyford Cay, which would become a luxury community on the western tip of New Providence.

In February 1959, their first child, Cynthia, my mom, was born in Miami, automatically acquiring American citizenship. Because Nassau in the 1950s was a tight-knit town that offered few career positions, my grandparents decided to move to the United States.

They entered the country in August 1960 through Miami, and chance and adventure led them to Ocala in north central Florida. They welcomed two new children, my uncle Steve in April 1961, and my aunt Jennifer in December 1963.

But career opportunities in Ocala were lacking and another move was in the offing.

They headed to California, the promised land. They packed up like pioneers — three kids, two cars and a U-Haul truck with all their possessions. They settled in Santa Barbara, but after six months an opportunity in Miami beckoned and they moved to South Florida in April 1965.

In September, my aunt Vivien was born, completing the first generation of American McNamaras.

Miami proved to be “the place,” where business opportunities and family and friends prospered.

In 1971, my grandfather started his company, Anzac Contractors. Anzac, by the way, stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I.

The company has prospered. My uncle Steve is president and my aunt Vivien is the comptroller.

Because of my grandparents’ history, it is not surprising that their overriding philosophy is to be self-sufficient. But, they explain, that can only be achieved by incorporating the elements of family love and care, optimism, responsibility, honesty, happiness, hard work, and, above all, education.

The first American generation has now matured and produced five members of the second generation. I am one of those five grandchildren, and I’m pleased to report that all 14 family members live in South Florida, from Coconut Grove to The Falls. And two of the grandchildren, myself and my cousin, Daniele, are now studying at UM.

My grandfather and grandmother are 76 and have lived in the same house for 43 years.

Moving back to Miami was the best decision they ever made.

When I arrived in Miami in the early 1970s, I never could imagine that I would end up calling Miami home.

Nor could I imagine that, years later, I would be one of eight individuals in this great nation tapped to create a new examination for immigrants applying to become U.S. citizens.

We came to Miami after a short stay in Spain. I came with my parents, Isabel and Ramon Santos, and my younger sister, Ana. Like many young children, we were excited about moving into a new place, learning a new language and making new friends.

We did not understand that my mother’s quiet cries and my dad’s despondency at the lack of jobs meant we were in exile. As we left Cuba, my dad had prohibited us from looking back to wave goodbye to our grandmothers and aunt as we walked through the tarmac. He knew it was the point of no return.

Miami was difficult for my parents, who had to learn English and work in fields outside of their expertise. My mother worked at the employees’ cafeteria at Mercy Hospital in Coconut Grove, while my dad, who had worked in the furniture business in Cuba, worked at many jobs before starting his interior design business. He is still active today at 75.

My mother was another story.

Even though she had a university degree and she had been a school principal for 21 years in her native Cuba, she was the silent sacrificial lamb. She worked at Mercy for more than 15 years while attending night school to revalidate her university studies. She did this so we had health insurance.

Once she finished school, she secured a teaching position at Westview Elementary. From there, she taught at South Hialeah Elementary, until she retired in 2000.

My mother’s resiliency must have worn off because I firmly believe education is the stepping stone to improve my community. A product of Miami-Dade public schools, I attended the University of Miami, where I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in arts and science and a master’s of science in education. I graduated from Florida State University with a juris doctorate and I am attending Nova University to complete my doctoral degree in education.

Originally, I wanted to practice law, but when I found a part-time teaching position to supplement my income as a paralegal at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office, I fell in love with teaching. I returned to school to get my credentials and have been teaching for more than 20 years.

I got my start at Brownsville Middle. Today, I work in the communications department of Miami-Dade Schools and teach part-time at Miami High’s adult education center. It was in my adult education classroom, where I was preparing immigrants to become American citizens, that I got the call to join a think tank of experts who would be charged with creating a standardized test for citizenship applicants in 2006. It was the first such test.

I live in Kendall with my husband Carlos Catire and our 13-year-old son Francis. My parents and sister still live in the same home that I grew up in West Miami.

I am a volunteer with United Way, Hands on Miami, the Junior League of Miami, Hearing and Speech Center and other professional organizations.

It is my way of saying, “Thank you, Miami,” for opening your arms to us many years ago.

My maternal grandfather, Henry E.S. Reeves, arrived in Miami in the spring of 1919 on his way to New York to purchase printing presses for a newspaper he intended to establish in the Bahamas. While here, friends asked him to consider Miami as the site for his newspaper.

He agreed and immediately summoned his family — wife Rachel Jane, and children Cleo, Hazel, Clarice, Doreen and infant Garth. They packed up and moved from the Bahamas to Miami.

What had been intended as a brief layover by my grandfather became a turning point in our family’s history. It was here in the Magic City that my mother, Frances, was born.

After graduation from Booker T. Washington High School, she graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C.

Upon returning to Miami, she was introduced to Cyrus Martin Jollivette, a pharmacist who had recently relocated from Texas following graduation from Xavier University in New Orleans. He had been recruited to Miami by Elmer Ward, proprietor of Economy Drugs. They met and married on Dec. 2, 1942. Their wedding took place in the family home at 1949 NW Fifth Pl.

Cyrus would go on to open Community Drug Store, 1500 NW 68th St., in Liberty City. It is not a coincidence that The Miami Times, the newspaper my grandfather founded, relocated next door from Overtown. My parents had three children. I am the eldest, followed by Cyrus Martin and Cleo Leontyne. I am blessed to be a member of a strong family unit. Frequent multigenerational, extended family gatherings are a part of my heritage. They remain a tradition I sponsor and promote.

My earliest memories of life in Miami involve family gatherings at the family home. All of the children of Henry and Rachel, the children’s spouses and progeny lived in the home at some point in their lives.

And so my life in Miami began at Christian Hospital on September 30, 1943. I lived in Overtown and attended Booker T. Washington Nursery School and then Dunbar Elementary School, where my mother taught first grade.

Following a move to Liberty City in 1949, we lived on the second floor of the drug store. On a daily basis, my mother would ask me to run downstairs and tell daddy that dinner was ready. Those were wonderful days.

My father was instrumental in the development of Holy Redeemer Catholic School. Initially, the plan was to start the institution with grades one through three in the fall of 1952. Because I would be entering fourth grade that year, he was able to have that grade included. I attended school there until completing ninth grade. I then attended Northwestern High and graduated as valedictorian of the Class of 1961.

There are so many wonderful things that I remember about growing up in Miami: the Orange Blossom Classic, a parade and football game every year in December featuring the Florida A&M Rattlers; the Orange Bowl parade with its beautiful floats amid a rainstorm in the late 1940s; trips to Virginia Key Beach where we rented a cabana and spent the day on a regular basis; the circus; baseball games and shopping trips downtown. We weren’t allowed to try on clothing because of our skin color.

When I graduated from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, I married my college sweetheart, Ronald Eugene Frazier. I tried to convince him to live in Miami, but he did not find the opportunities he was seeking as an architect. We moved to Washington, D.C.

However, I didn’t miss opportunities to discuss relocating to Miami with him. My opportunity came with my first pregnancy. Of course, I had to come home to have my baby; Ronald Eugene II was born in 1969.

Fortunately, my husband’s architectural firm transferred him to Miami for the summer. He decided there were opportunities here and it was time to relocate. I was ecstatic.

My children were born here, Ron II, Robert Christophe and Rozalynn Suzanne. I’m delighted that Ron and Chris have made Miami their home. Rozalynn, my youngest, relocated to New York but comes home frequently. We opened a new chapter in this city with the birth of my grandson, Ronald Eugene Frazier III, on Dec. 31, 2006.

Regina Frazier, 63, worked for 37 years with the University of Miami hospital and clinics, now known as UM Sylvester. She was the director of the pharmacy from 1973 until she retired in 2007.

Early in the morning on Nov. 18, 1961, my parents, my brother and I headed for the Havana airport, Rancho Boyeros, for I was to catch the morning flight to Miami. I was 16.

The morning air seemed cooler than usual that day. Perhaps this was a physical reaction to the uncertainty of my future at that time.

My father had placed el gusano, my gray traveling bag, in the trunk of our fairly new Ford. Those of us leaving the island at this time were called gusanos by the Castro government.

According to El Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro, we were insubordinates, did not believe in the revolution, were unworthy of being called Cubans and were the closest thing to dirt. So we were called gusanos, or earth worms.

I was leaving behind my most dear city, Camagüey, where I had lived all my life. It was a difficult move for me, but I could no longer remain in a country whose government was rooted in unnecessary unrest, repression and persecution of all those who did not agree with the government.

The Cubans, young and all, were told repeatedly by the nationalized media that the gusanos were responsible for all the ailments that our country had and could have in the future.

The traffic flow from the hotel to the airport was interrupted often by groups of militia marching in the streets. They were being trained to face aggressors and unworthy citizens. Due to all these interruptions, we were late arriving to the airport and I missed my flight!

My father talked to the military personnel in charge of the building facility and flights to the United States. I could not hear the conversation well, let alone understand what was going on.

But I could see my father’s expression and it was not pleasant. I was afraid he would be taken away by the G2, National Security personnel. Someone else joined the conversation and he seemed less militant and friendlier.

Next, this same man started to converse with my uncle, who had just arrived. I sensed things were getting better and saw a much happier father and mother. Something told me that I was going to travel after all.

One of the employees summoned me to the pecera, or the gusanos’ waiting room and asked me to wait there for the afternoon flight. There was a vacant seat in the Peter Pan afternoon flight. I was on it.

My arrival to Miami was one of the most exciting moments of my life.

Everyone was quiet on the plane. There were some teary eyes around me, and my eyes were watery, too.

However, when we were approaching Miami, the pilot said, “We are in the United States of America!” The mood changed completely in that plane, and everyone clapped while shouting “WE ARE FREE!”

I did not have to go to the Peter Pan campgrounds because a relative of mine was picking me up at the airport. I spent four days in her home. She was very kind and had other children staying in her house. There were beds and mattresses all over the house. Everyone helped and cared for each other. Most of these youngsters were surprisingly hopeful. They thought we would return to Cuba soon.

After about four days in Miami, I left for Tenafly, N.J., to live with relatives who welcomed me with open arms. I have wonderful memories from my years in Tenafly.

Tenafly Senior High School introduced me to my new life. I had very competent and dedicated teachers. I met and studied with culturally diverse students and instructors.

In addition, the school had a student-exchange program, so I enjoyed meeting students from Venezuela, Russia, Italy and Chile. Life in Tenafly was quite different from Cuba, but very nice as well.

My brother and his wife arrived in Miami in 1962. I went to live with them and transferred to Miami Edison Senior High School. Once again, I was blessed by sharing my life with my family and attending a good school. Subsequent to my arrival in Miami, I observed first-hand the difficult time most exiles were experiencing.

Jobs were scarce, salaries were very low, and since relatives from Cuba were still arriving in the United States or trying to leave Cuba via a third country, life was taxing for them.

Most of the time, the news from Cuba was not good. But as time went by, we all learned to live with the reality of our lives. I personally found great enjoyment in school.

My years at Miami Edison were challenging but hopeful. I had superb teachers, especially my government and economics teacher, who provided all of us with superior instruction and classroom atmosphere. She was fair, inclusive and promoted a positive learning environment. It was this teacher who motivated me and others to continue our education.

My friends became long-lasting friends. They all contributed to my success in my new and beloved country, The United States of America.

Angela Albaisa Santos grew up to become an educator herself, retiring last year as principal of John G. DuPuis Elementary School in Hialeah.

This is the story of Josephine Louise Carnevale Smith of South Miami, born in 1920 in New York, as told to her niece, Gina Guilford, of High Pines.

My parents were originally from Italy — mom from Siena, dad near Naples — but met in New York City, where they married in 1913. My father, Francesco Carnevale, came to Miami in 1923 and opened the first Italian restaurant here, the Boat House. It was located on a boat on the Miami River, next to the old Royal Palm Hotel, the grande dame hotel that Henry Flagler built on the north bank of the river in downtown Miami on Jan. 17, 1897.

When he got situated, he sent for my mother, Carmelinda, and his four daughters — Tina, Julia, Josie (me) and Emma. We came down from New York City on a boat in 1925 and my older sister Julia, learned the Charleston on board. I was 5; I don’t remember the trip but was told it took five days.

My father catered parties for Al Capone on Star Island. My mother would drive him in her Jewett car to Miami Beach, drop him off with the food and then come back later to pick him up. He also managed the dining room at the Royal Palm Hotel and had another restaurant on 23rd Street in Miami Beach called the Original Italian Kitchen.

I remember he always made sure the portions (such as a slice of lasagna) were the same size, so none of the customers would feel like they were getting gypped. This was around the 1930s and a dish of spaghetti with meatballs was 75 cents.

Growing up, our family would go to picnics and other functions with the Italian American Club. The Fascell family was the first Italian family we met in Miami and we grew up with Dante, who later became a U.S. Representative and for whom Dante Fascell Park in South Miami is named. On Sundays, we would spend the day visiting friends. My mother played the mandolin and others played other instruments.

Another activity we enjoyed was swimming at South Beach, around where Joe’s Stone Crab is now. We wore wool bathing suits that were heavy and itchy. We would also listen to Caesar La Monica and his band playing at the bandshell in Royal Palm Park on the weekends. I’m still in touch with his daughter, Jean.

We lived in a house my father built at 767 SW Fifth St., right next to Riverside Park. I still have a scar from sliding down a big oak tree there. My sister Julia met her husband, Jack Rice, one day while he was playing baseball there. After they married, they started one of the first nursing homes in Miami, The Floridean, which is still in operation.

I went to Riverside Elementary and walked to school. I went to Ada Merrit Junior High and Miami Senior High. I remember getting 25-cent haircuts. On Saturdays, my mother could get send us to the movies at the Tivoli Theatre, off Flagler Street. For a 10-cent admission, there were cartoons, Pathe Newsreels, weekly cliffhangers and, of course, the main feature.

After I graduated from Miami High, I got a job working at S.H. Crest, a 5 & 10 store. I made $2 a day as a salesgirl. I got another job through a friend at First National Bank. Mr. Rolf, the bank president, interviewed me and asked me what I knew about bookkeeping. I told him, “Absolutely nothing.”
He said, “Great — you’re hired!”

I learned the job and he used to call me Speedy Gonzalez because I walked so fast. I retired in 1944 when I got married to Red Smith, whom I had met through my sister Julia and her husband Jack. I had my son Robert in 1948. I got divorced in 1955, the same year Marilyn Monroe divorced Joe Di Maggio.

I lived in an apartment near The Pathways in South Miami with my son after my divorce. My whole family would come over for dinner every night and I would cook. My oldest sister Tina had gotten married, but her husband died in 1955. My mother had died on the same date two years earlier, and Emma moved in with Tina. She brought along her beloved poodle, Gigi. Tina eventually got engaged and Emma was going to move out, so we decided to build a house in South Miami, because the apartment didn’t allow dogs.

While we were in the middle of building the house, Tina asked, “Can you add another bedroom?” She called off her engagement and moved into the house with us in 1959. Tina was a vice president of Greater Miami Federal bank, Emma was a legal secretary for Bunn Gautier and I stayed home and took care of Robert and the house. Fifty years later, I am still living in the same house.

My son, Robert, his wife Linda and my granddaughter Christina live in the same neighborhood. My other grandson, Craig, lives in Pembroke Pines with his wife Jennifer and my grandbaby Madison.

Every Friday I work in the office of my son’s business, Engine and Accessories, as I have for 36 years. I enjoy watching my soap operas on T.V., going to lunch with friends, attending Mass at Epiphany Catholic Church.

And I live right next to Dante Fascell Park, named after my childhood friend.

In the early ’80s, Miami had the national reputation of a cultural wasteland, fueled in large part by films and television shows that glamorized the local crime scene. Longtime residents, like Mitch Kaplan and I, viewed our city through a different lens — one that witnessed intellectual conversation and growth incited by the opening of new art museums and libraries.

At this time, Mitch was the owner of a small bookstore in Coral Gables, and I was the president of Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus. Mitch knew that people in Miami were hungry for books, and I was looking for a way to transform the downtown area of our fledgling campus.

A couple of librarians, notably Margarita Cano, thought that if they put together a book sale in Bayfront Park, it would help promote the nearby library branch. Margarita asked Wolfson Campus’ librarian, Juanita Johnson, if she could borrow some tables for the book sale. I had just returned from a trip to Spain, which included a stop at an impressive book fair. So when Juanita told me about the group’s plan for a book sale, we began to envision a more elaborate affair. The college could provide more than just tables; we could offer a sizable venue, staff support and passion.

Juanita and I called a meeting with the local library staff and independent booksellers and came up with a plan for a large literary event that could serve as a powerful driver for bringing our disparate community together and helping downtown Miami live up to its artistic potential.

That first year of “Books on the Bay” in 1984 planted the seed for what is now the Miami Book Fair International. Booths lined the streets of Kyriakides Plaza at Wolfson Campus during our initial two-day festival, and fairgoers lined up to see authors such as James Baldwin, Ken Kesey and Marge Piercy. There had been a lot of skepticism about whether people would come. But they did, and we had a wonderful sense that we were onto something important. As the fair evolved in the late ’80s, culture began to gain a foothold.

When Alina Interiên came on board in 1989, she began developing the international aspect of the fair and worked to increase outreach to the multinational community that South Florida had become. The Book Fair became the venue for a who’s who in the Spanish-language literary scene, and celebrated Caribbean authors began bringing their untold stories to the city.

The Book Fair quickly became an event that attracted attention from all over the country and helped the world rediscover Miami. People who wanted to emulate our success visited from other cities, and publishers began to understand the Fair’s potential. Starting the Book Fair took a lot of hands and a huge leap of faith.

The ’80s were an era known for cocaine cowboys and violence, and tourism was at a low point. However, the arrival of hundreds of thousands of people from Latin America and the Caribbean enriched and strengthened the city’s culture and transformed Miami into the booming tropical metropolis of present day.

The Book Fair has certainly grown over the years, but some things have remained constant — remarkable support from the community, large enthusiastic audiences and terrific, committed volunteers. I am proud of the Miami Book Fair International and its role in transforming our city’s educational and cultural landscape. More than 2 ½ decades since its inception, this celebration of literature and literacy continues to unite our community.

Eduardo J. Padron is president of Miami Dade College.