The main reason I started writing this blog was for our children. and grandchildren.   Abuela Rosa and Abuelo Roberto had 9 children. They in turn had 17 children of their own (so far). These are Cristina Elena, Elena Lourdes, Paula Isabel, Roberto Juan, Glenn, Laura, Melissa, Stephanie, Carlos, Gabriel, Daniel, Anna Julia, Nicholas, Jennifer, Emily, Eva, Mia and three great grandchildren, Lukas, Sophia, Emma and now Enzo Carlos. A few years ago Anna Julia asked me about Roberto, our eldest brother. She wanted to know more about him. I responded with this letter which I have expanded. I would like to share it with the rest of the family.  

Dear Anna
The closest person of the family to Roberto was Teresa. Carlos and I actually did not know him very well at first since he arrived here in the United States in 1961 and we stayed in Cuba until 1965. Lela Rosa and Lelo Roberto were afraid that he would be drafted into military service so they sent Teresa and Roberto ahead of the whole family. In Cuba at that time the boys would be drafted at the age of 12 years old. Once they were in school things would happen like they might be sent to the farm to cortar caña (literally means cut sugar cane). He was already 9 when he left. The closer you were to 12 years old, the harder it was to leave. Teresa was basically sent so they could keep each other company. My grandfather and your father’s namesake was Arturo Lopez Izquierdo. He was a fairly wealthy man. He sent the whole family over to Miami. The only members of the family who stayed behind was Rosa and Roberto and of course us, for two reasons; one, they already had six children. It was difficult to start in the United States and have to support the six children; also Abuelo Roberto was sort of taking care of Abuelo Arturo and Abuela Maximina. Additionally Abuelo Arturo thought that the whole thing with Castro would only last a couple of years, at worst. He did not want to leave until he was sure it was worth it. Once the Bay of Pigs was a failure, everything was different.
The first recollection I have of Roberto was where I was waking up in the morning and Roberto and his best friend Carlitos were wrestling on the floor. I could hear my mom saying “no jueguen mas de mano” which liberally translated means stop horsing around. Carlitos was around the house a lot. I do not really remember him talking but I do remember him playing with Roberto. The other memory I have is when Roberto was running in the hall and he skipped over the back of a Cuban rocking chair. I do not know why I have that memory but I do. At least it is better than the memory I have of Teresa. She was trying to go to the bathroom. She was telling me to leave the bathroom (this was a favorite spot when we played hide and seek since it joined two rooms in the house.) I may have been four years old. If I left the bathroom I would be caught and I would be it. Needless to say I was it in the next game.
Roberto had a developmental disease named Perthes’s disease. It was a disease where his hip joint would wear out prematurely. I do not know if it is hereditary, I have not heard that it is, but it is important that all of us are aware of this. When he walked he would hobble to one side and then the other. Everyone would tell Mom and Dad (I mean Lela Rosa and Lelo Roberto when I say that) and they would not believe there was something wrong with him. There was. The only cure for that was to put him in whole body cast. The hip had to be distracted, which means it could not bear any weight.  Roberto was in a full body cast for almost four years, I am told. Some of the pictures seen here were taken while he was in a cast. He had a holes for his head to stick out and his feet to stick out and his arms to stick out. Additionally he had a hole in the front of the cast and one in the back so he could go to the bathroom. This is the way it was described to me by Tio Lulo (Abuelo Roberto’s slightly older brother, Abuelo Roberto did not like to talk about such things. Abuela Julia also spoke to me about it.) After a couple of years he was placed in a smaller, more comfortable cast. I do not really remember this

but somehow I became aware of this. I believe in the picture where he is between Abuela and Abuelo he is wearing the larger cast. You cannot see it but he is standing very rigid for that reason. In the other picture where he was a little older he was wearing the smaller cast. You can tell he is sitting in a wheelchair in this picture.

It must have been very difficult for Roberto. He never told me this but I can just imagine. Actually I never spoke to him about hs disease. It was only much later after some prodding that Abuela Rosa told me what it was and I went to the Medical School Library to find out more about it.  This was before the internet.  I wanted to know partly to see if it was a heritable disease; we were about to have Cristina. I can just imagine how lonely he must have felt. There was very little Roberto could do. Remember at this time the television shows were very few. There were no video games. I think I remember someone telling me that a lot of comic books were read and that a lot of cartoon watching was involved. Lelo Roberto somehow was able to have a couple of seats taken out of the front of a movie theater in Cuba. I used to know the theater's name but I have forgotten.  There he would wheel Roberto in a bed so he could watch movies with him.  The cast was removed at some point. A few years later Roberto had to leave to Miami for four years. I cannot even imagine how hard that was for the whole family. I did not feel much since I was too young to realize this. I knew what was going on but I did not realize the difficulties involved. I only realized it later, when everyone would speak about it. Abuela Rosa and Abuelo Roberto were always worried about him. Particularly whether he would walk and run normally after all the treatments had taken place.  

In the picture below, that is Carlos riding the horse, on the left in the rear there is Robert,  Note he is not riding, just sitting.  I wonder if that was because of the cast.  

In 1961 Roberto and Teresa left Cuba. The came to Miami with our aunt and uncle Tia China and Tio Lulo and their son Lulito (Fausto López Sanchez). Teresa and Robert came in as part of Operacion Pedro Pan. Roberto and Lulito became very close. They stayed in the house in 12th avenue. That house was occupied by many people sometimes. At one time Teresa told me that around 20 people were staying at the house. Since abuelo Arturo had some money he bought the house on 12th avenue. We would not see Roberto or Teresa for another 4 years. The last time I had seen Roberto in Cuba he looked like the picture where he is carrying a baby (Rosa Maria) who had just been born. I suspect this was only a few days before he left since there are a number of these pictures where he is wearing a tee shirt with the Belen Jesuit Prep emblem (this is where Lelo Roberto went to school). Abuela seemed about as sad as one could imagine.  And Robert was so nervous he reminded of me and Turi when we get nervous.  This must have been in November or December of 1961 since Rosa was born in November 6, 1961.

Every once in a while we would get a picture of Roberto or Teresa in the mail. One time I remember Mom and Dad just being so proud. A school picture had come in looking a lot like the one shown here. This is not the same one but you can see what I mean. The last time Mom and Dad had seen Robert he looked like the guy carrying Rosa, now he looked like the guy in the red sweater. The sad thing was that when I saw that picture, I did not recognize him as being the same person. He looked so different. I did not tell Mom and dad that. I just looked at the picture.

Roberto was a very social individual. He had a lot of friends. I would say his best friends were Eric Rodriguez and Carlos Fernandez. Eric became a lawyer and Carlos became an orthodontist. I still see Carlos once in a while. I have not seen Eric in 20 years or so, although recently I friended him on facebook. I do have recordings of Eric and Roberto singing songs by the Beatles.
Robert was a great brother. I would say he was one of the top five brothers of all time. Turi, Carlos and I were totally lost when we got here. We did not know how to play football, we knew a little about baseball and dad would teach us a little about boxing. Robert took it upon himself to teach us all of this stuff. (remember Dad was very busy trying to make money via whatever job he could find)  I remember him taking Carlos, Turi and me outside and he was going to show us how to play football. He did. I remember him drawing patterns in the dirt. He would say “this is a down and out. Run forward around six paces and then juke to the inside and then turn to the outside. I will throw you the ball when you get to the sideline. Of course since Carlos, Turi and I did not speak english, he would say it in spanish.  That day he taught us around five pass patterns. The down and out, down and in, slant, button hook and the post. We learned about flag patterns a lot later. I still remember him teaching all these to us. That day we went back inside and mom kept asking me all these questions, How did Robert run? Was he fast? I did not exactly understand why she asked this then I realized that she was worried whether there would be any lasting effects due to the disease he had. I reassured her that he had no problems doing anything he wanted. (he did not) This made her very happy. At this time I did not realize the disease he had was as serious as it was. I have always admired him for later playing four years of football as a right guard, number 65.  He also ran the  50 yard dash.  

The field we used to play was only around 20 yards long. We always ran short pass patterns since there was no room in front of the house. When we played in a real field with other people they would kind of wonder why our pass patterns were so short. Robert would include us in a lot of his activities. We would go to the park with his friends and play football mainly but also baseball. In baseball we would mainly be running bases. We had a lot of fun during that time.

Robert had numerous allergies. He could not eat any eggs or egg by products. He could also not eat any pumpkins. For this reason Abuela Rosa would always cook for him. When he arrived home he would always have dinner prepared for him. (they made food for us too but it was different).
Robert started a band around this time. He bought a set of drums, the brand was PEARL. He replaced the skins with the brand name Ludwig; these were the same type the Beatles used. (I really do not know why I remember this but I do; there are a lot of things I do not know why I remember so vividly). The band would practice in our house. The name of the band was the Isles of Langerhans. A few years after the Robert left the band, or it dissolved altogether. I always found it interesting how that name was chosen.  He always did like science.  Just recently I saw the lead singer of the Antiques, Francisco Batista and he gave me a copy of some of his recent recordings. He remembered Robert fondly. He referred to Robert as Fidel. This was a nickname given to him by his classmates because he was the first boy to have to shave in the eighth grade. Still if you meet any of his friends they will call him Fidel. Robert actually traded in his drum set. City regulations would not let him practice at home unless all the windows were closed. Since air conditioning was not available in the house; that was out of the question. He traded the drum set for a guitar. I still have that guitar.  We got some new guitars for Christmas, courtesy of Santa Paula. We still treasure that particular guitar however. He taught me how to play guitar.  Even though now it has an extra hole in it.  
During this time the Vietnam war was still going on. I do not know if you are familiar with the selective service but during that time there was a drawing to see who had to enlist in the army. They would take the birthdates out of a hat and take them out in order. The lower the number, the greater the possibilities of going to the Vietnam war. You did not have a choice. You just had to go. This is partly why the antiwar movement was so strong during that time. His birthday was December 1. That year (1970) December 1 came out no. 25 in the draft. This meant that he was going straight to Vietnam. The family was really sad. It was one of those days that we just did not know what to do. He had gotten the lowest number of his whole group of friends. Later we found out that he still qualified for the college deferment. He could enroll in College and afterwards he would have to join the army. Hopefully the war would be over by then. Thankfully, it was.
Physically Robert looked like your dad. His face, however was more like Carlos. He had a deeper voice than me or Turi but maybe not as deep as Carlos or Juanpi. He had a few girlfriends. One of them was Eileen, she took a lot of the pictures.   A few years ago, she was Paula’s Chemistry Teacher. Robert majored in Chemistry. He began studying at the University of Miami where he received a lot of scholarships. He did not like it here so he went to the University of Florida in Gainesville. He finished his Chemistry major but he did not like the jobs you could get. He started working at a company which was making glue. He did not like it and began studying again. He became an English teacher. He joined a school for children and adolescents with troubled pasts. This school was in the black neighborhoods of Miami. He and a friend then made a similar school for Cuban students, and that is where he was killed. I am going to write about that in a separate blog entry. It is something that is not easy for me to write about but I believe it should be remembered.  Ramon

 

I have been thinking a lot about my dad today.  I guess it makes sense since it is Father’s Day. 

I consider myself a very fortunate man.  I got to know my father and I got to know him well.  I learned a lot from him.  When he was ill towards the end of his life, I was able to help take care of him.  I have always been proud of that.

I worked with dad at several jobs during my sophomore, junior and senior years in high school.  We first worked at the Raleigh Hotel in Miami Beach.  I was the elevator operator at the hotel.  The elevators were not automatic; someone had to drive them.  I was also a bellhop.  The shift was from midnight to 8am.  I, or Carlos or Arturo would work on Friday and Saturday nights.  At that time, Robert was already in Gainesville.  Dad would work the rest of the week.  We would do this since that way dad could make more money at Montmartre Hotel as a barboy. 

The job was okay.  The reason they needed the elevator operator was because it was a kosher hotel.  On the Sabbath, Jewish persons could not operate machinery.  The pay was small ($10/day) but basically, they also provided you a sofa where you could sleep usually from 2-6am.  You would see strange things sometimes in the evening.  Respected citizens taking different ladies up to their room.  I was surprised how often that happened.   At this job, dad and I did not really work together.  If I was working there, he was working at his other job at the Montmartre between the Eden Roc and the Doral Hotels. 

Starting in 10^th grade I began working as a barboy with dad at the Montmartre Hotel.  This is where I really got to know him.  Since we are so many siblings, it is difficult to spend alone time with your dad.  He has to be dad to all of us at the same time.

Dad’s job was to set up the bar and the nightclub prior to the show in the evening.  Afterwards, during the show, he is the man that operates the spotlight.  It was one of those old-fashioned spotlights that as the singer moves around the stage, the spotlight would keep shining on the performer.  The show was Lou Marsh and Tony Adams, the "These Jokers are Wild".  He introduced me to Ivan, the bartender and Hal the Piano man.  They are both very nice individuals.  He also introduced me to Tony Foster who is a singer and the entertainment director and Johnny Varro and his orchestra who provide the music for most shows.  It strikes me how proud he is as he introduces me to each of them. 

The first thing I noticed was that all the plates in the bar were exactly the same type of plates that we had at home.  I say very loudly: Papi, que casualidad, tienen los mismos platos!.  (Dad, what a concidence.  The have the same plates that we have at home.).  He just told me: Callate la boca muchacho!  (Be quiet).  I then notice that all the chairs are exactly the same ones we have at home.  Again dad says; be quiet.   I did not realize that they may have been “borrowed” from the hotel at one point or another. 

Our first job is to estimate how many seats will be filled.  Depending on our estimate we would have to light a red candle at the center of each table that we expected to be filled.  He consults with Ivan the bartender and they make a decision. He carefully showed me how to hold the match the match and light the candle.  After you light it you should hold it between your index finger and your middle finger, otherwise you would get burned as you lit the candle.  To this day every time I light a candle, particularly a red one, I remember him teaching me how to do it.

Dad was worried.  The singer coming in today was one that loved to move all around the stage.  The problem is that they had replaced the light and now the light could not follow the singer around the stage as much.  Dad was afraid he could not point the light at her and she would feel embarrassed because she would all of a sudden be singing in the dark.  We continued setting up the tables and tidying up the nightclub.  Then dad spotted the singer.  I do not remember her name.  Dad, in his broken English, tells her about the light situation.  She is very grateful. Dad and I sit down in the adjacent room, the band is practicing.  Dad is telling me he really likes the way this singer sings : “Esta tarde vi llover” by Armando Manzanero.  He tells me about the song.  He tells me about Armando Manzanero.  He tells me about other famous songs by Manzanero such as “Adoro”, “Somos Novios”.  I had not heard of Manzanero before.  I was surprised at how much he knew.  It was like another side of him I had not experienced.   I knew he loved music, I just did not know how much he knew about the artists. 

I was a little sleepy, so I went to the kitchen to get American Coffee.  As I would go around his colleagues would point towards me and say “Ese es el hijo de Roberto”  (That is Roberto’s son).  I was so proud.  Everyone seemed to really like him. I got the coffee and sat down.  I told dad I really hated this type of coffee.   I was hoping for Cuban coffee.  He taught me how to make it so you could actually enjoy it.   He told me to put in two or three crystals of salt and cream and some sugar.  The salt did the trick.

The show began.  Dad turned and operated the lights.  I am sitting way in the back just taking in the show and drinking some American Coffee.  The singer begins going through her show.  She really sings well. As the show continues, she stops and says in Spanish: Esta es para ti Roberto. (Roberto, this one is for you!) My dad is kind of embarrassed.  Pongase de pie por favor!  My dad stood up and waved.  Everyone clapped.   She began singing “Esta tarde vi llover”.  I could tell dad was happy.  After the show ended I told him:  Viste eso?  And then I said: Es bien bonita.  He was very happy!  We continued working that day and later we drove home at around 2am. 

A couple of years later, me and Robert, my brother, were playing guitar in front of my house.  Robert wanted to show me several songs he had learned. When he would visit, he would often do that.  I assumed he learned these since he now had a Hispanic girlfriend. And he started playing “Adoro” by Armando Manzanero.  He started telling me about Armando Manzanero.  He started telling me about other songs.  I was surprised at how similar Robert and dad were. 

When Robert was killed, dad regretted that he had never gotten to know him well.  When his brothers or his hotel friends came to see my dad at the funeral he would just say “I never even knew him”.  I always hoped to tell dad that they were more similar than he imagined.  I never did. I wish I had.

Happy Father’s day dad.  Thank you.