Showing 48 results

Emilio Núñez Portuondo was a Cuban diplomat, politican, and lawyer who served as Prime Minister of Cuba in 1958. Following the Cuban Revolution, his family was forced into exile in the United States. G. Ricardo Núñez Portuondo worked as a tax accountant specializing in recent Cuban immigrants, and Emilio Núñez Rodriguez became a notable Cuban-American lawyer.

Rolando Moreno is a Cuban director, playwright and theater designer who has adapted and authors numerous plays. His most recent productions include "Si vas a comer espera por Virgilio" and "La retirada de Moscú," performed in Miami in 2011.

Miami-born composer/pianist, Raúl Murciano, Jr. is Associate Dean of Administration at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. An award-winning writer and producer of music for television and film, Murciano’s earliest successes came as a founding member and performer with Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine. During his 35-year professional career, he has created commercial music cues; served as musical director and performer throughout the United States, Europe, and Latin America; and composed works for the concert stage, amongst other musical and professional activities.

Beginning in 1948 as the first collegiate nursing program in South Florida, the School of Nursing and Health Studies was formally established in 1968. The curriculum integrates evidence based practice, cutting edge simulated learning and real world experience. Rigorous academic and clinical preparation prepares the graduates to work in a variety of healthcare settings with diverse populations.

María Leopoldina (Polita) Grau Alsina was born in Havana, Cuba, on 19 November 1915 to Paulina Alsina Fernández and Francisco Grau San Martín. She was the second of five children: Paulina, Francisco, Ramón, and María Dolores Sánchez, the latter who was taken in by the Grau Alsina family upon her mother’s death. Along with her two sisters, Polita attended the Teresian school in Vedado.

Polita’s father Francisco died on 30 November 1930, and the family was taken in by his brother Ramón Grau San Martín. Grau San Martín was a professor of physiology at the University of Havana, and when students there began organizing and protesting against the administration of General Gerardo Machado, Grau San Martín joined them. He was imprisoned for his activities and released on the condition that he leave the island. In January of 1931, Grau San Martín and the Grau Alsina family went into exile in Miami, where they joined many other Cubans who opposed the Machado government.

In 1933, Machado was ousted from Cuba and the Grau Alsina family returned to the island with their uncle, who became president of Cuba. Teenaged Polita served as his first lady until January 1934 when Fulgencio Batista led a successful coup against Grau San Martín. The family was once again sent into exile, this time to Mexico and later Miami. Polita returned to Cuba in May and in September 1934, she married Roberto Lago, a leader of the student movement. Their continued political activity led to Polita’s third exile, arriving in Miami in 1935. On 21 August of that year, her husband Roberto died of appendicitis at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, and Polita returned to Cuba to bury him. In 1939, Polita married José (Pepe) Agüero, with whom she had two children, Ramón (Monchi) and Hilda.

Along with her uncle, Polita was very active in the Partido Auténtico (Authentic Party). In 1944, Ramón Grau San Martín was elected president of Cuba, serving until 1948. His protégé, Carlos Prío Socarrás, succeeded him. In 1952, Fulgencio Batista led another coup d'etat, and Polita became active in the opposition which was led by Prío Socarrás. She gave shelter to many anti-government activists and helped them gain political asylum at various foreign embassies in Havana. Because of her activities, Polita was once again forced into exile in Miami, where she remained until 1959 when the Castro-led revolution succeeded in ousting Batista.

Once again in Cuba, Polita joined her colleagues from the Partido Auténtico and was soon involved in the anti-Castro movement, becoming part of a group known as Rescate led by Tony Varona, coordinating the women who participated in the resistance. They helped the counterrevolutionary forces that were still fighting throughout the island, aided political prisoners, sheltered counterrevolutionaries, and helped move arms and munitions throughout the island.

After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, Polita’s brother Ramón (Mongo) was recruited to help Miami-based priest Monsignor Bryan Walsh, who was trying to help Cuban parents get their children out of Cuba. With Mongo and Monsignor Walsh, Polita formed the core of Operation Pedro Pan which succeeded in getting over 14,000 unaccompanied children out of Cuba and to the United States. The siblings were arrested in 1965, accused of plotting to overthrow Fidel Castro, and received 30-year sentences.

Polita was released in 1978 and entered her final exile in Miami. Mongo Grau Alsina was freed in 1986 and joined his family in South Florida. From 1978 until her death, Polita focused her activities on raising awareness and garnering assistance for Cuban political prisoners, especially women, and on working with the Partido Auténtico reorganized in exile. She passed away on 21 March 2000 at the age of 84.

Interior designer James Merrick Smith was born in St. Joseph, Louisiana in 1919. He moved to Miami in 1947. From the outset he conceived design tableaus in a pavilion adjacent to his Coconut Grove studio to showcase to the public what modern design was all about. Throughout the years, he helped Miami shed its Spanish Colonial style for a more modern image. Over that time of involvement, he gained the trust of hundreds of clients and high-profile individuals who welcomed him into their homes, corporate establishments and lives.

James Merrick Smith was well-known for his contributions to the restoration and preservation of  Vizcaya – a now century old Italian villa on Biscayne Bay created for James Deering by Paul Chalfin, Francis Burrall Hoffman, Jr. and Diego Suarez - which is now open to the public as a decorative arts museum. He was a charter member and past president of the Vizcayans.

James Merrick Smith was also a consultant for The Florida Governor’s mansion and The  White House. His contribution to Miami extended beyond just the scope of design. From his passion for the arts and education, to being a founding member of the Vizcayans, the Museum of Science, Grove House and charter member of the Metropolitan Dade County Council of Arts and Sciences, he has had an unforgettable impact on the culture of Miami. Hal Birchfield would share in many of these civic and professional ventures.

On August 28th 1970, James Merrick Smith and Hal Birchfield would meet at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco at the national conference of the American Institute of Interior Designers (A.I.D.). Hal Birchfield had a degree in architecture and was in graduate school working on a degree in design, when asked by the Florida Chapter of the American Institute of Interior Designers (A.I.D.) to serve on the first National Student Council of A.I.D. James Merrick Smith was the past national president of A.I.D. and the founder of the Student Council. And thus would begin a long and poignant relationship both professional and personal for the ensuing forty-four years. James Merrick Smith and Hal Birchfield were married in Rye, Westchester County, New York on October 11th, 2012 by Reverend Donald Whitman Poole.

James Merrick Smith was one of the founders and a Fellow of the American Society of Interior Designers, (A.S.I.D.) and he served as president of the predecessor organization American Institute of Interior Designers (A.I.D.) from 1966 to 1969. In 1987 James Merrick Smith was named “Designer of Distinction” by the A.S.I.D. during the summer conference in Toronto. The firm’s long list of accolades include winning residential and contract design competitions, the AID/V’Soske competition, the ASID/Diller competition, and the ASID/National Association of Mirror Manufacturers competition among many other others.

The profession would bestow fellowship on James Merrick Smith in 1962 and Hal Birchfield would receive fellowship in 1986. Both were in their early 40’s at the time of achieving this highest honor of their profession. Their office was thought to be the only design firm in the country where both principles were fellows of the American Society of Interior Designers.

One spring evening in 1986, after speaking with a friend who had just returned from China, there came the remark “sometime, we have to do that” and then the realization, with the vast difference in our ages (26 years) that “sometime” is now! And now, it would be. We in the ensuing days of our lives would include odysseys that only dreams are made of. We would travel around the world two times. Go to all seven continents and have the exciting experience of visiting over ninety countries. Yes, the time to live life, is now!

The design firm of James Merrick Smith and Hal Birchfield was always located in Coconut Grove for its  60 year history in the residential and commercial sectors of work. Geographic locations for projects would range from Beverly Hills, the Gold Coast of Chicago, New York, Boston, both coasts of Florida, the Caribbean and Costa Rica. The office had a most notable residential client roster and corporate clients that included Chase Manhattan Bank, City National Bank, Bacardi, The Miami Herald and Playboy. It was a company policy to never solicit work. All endeavors walked through the door from endorsement!

Upon the announcement of the closing of the office a longtime friend and professor at the University of Miami stated, “it was one hell of a run”. Yes, in fact “it was one hell of a run” and we are very grateful for that run. We/I certainly hope you find points of interest in our lives, work and accomplishments within the files of this collection here at the University of Miami. And we/I hope you enjoy the “run” as much as we did.

Sincerely,

James Merrick Smith, F.A.S.I.D.                                        Hal F.B. Birchfield, F.A.S.I.D.

1919 – 2013                                                                    1945 -

A post script - - And the struggle for a richer life for all would go on. There would be efforts by governmental powers to discriminate against the marriage of James Merrick Smith and Hal Birchfield with regard to Social Security survival benefits, the rights of marriage and homestead of our domicile and even the right of the survivor to be named as “spouse” on the death certificate of the person who has passed away. There will never be a way to properly thank the efforts of our dear friends Elaine and St Julien Rosemond, Ruth Shack,  Tara Borelli of Lambda Legal (Atlanta), Karen Loewy of Lambda Legal (New York), and David Draigh of White & Case (Miami) and all the other fine cohorts for their efforts to correct these injustices for not only us, but for all Americans!

A post, post script - - - On October 22, 2015, Miami-Dade County reversed its stand and regranted homestead to Hal Birchfield. A matter that would have been given to any other married couple automatically.

The above remarks scripted by Hal Birchfield.

Interior designer James Merrick Smith was born in St. Joseph, Louisiana in 1919. He moved to Miami in 1947. From the outset he conceived design tableaus in a pavilion adjacent to his Coconut Grove studio to showcase to the public what modern design was all about. Throughout the years, he helped Miami shed its Spanish Colonial style for a more modern image. Over that time of involvement, he gained the trust of hundreds of clients and high-profile individuals who welcomed him into their homes, corporate establishments and lives.

James Merrick Smith was well-known for his contributions to the restoration and preservation of  Vizcaya – a now century old Italian villa on Biscayne Bay created for James Deering by Paul Chalfin, Francis Burrall Hoffman, Jr. and Diego Suarez - which is now open to the public as a decorative arts museum. He was a charter member and past president of the Vizcayans.

James Merrick Smith was also a consultant for The Florida Governor’s mansion and The  White House. His contribution to Miami extended beyond just the scope of design. From his passion for the arts and education, to being a founding member of the Vizcayans, the Museum of Science, Grove House and charter member of the Metropolitan Dade County Council of Arts and Sciences, he has had an unforgettable impact on the culture of Miami. Hal Birchfield would share in many of these civic and professional ventures.

On August 28th 1970, James Merrick Smith and Hal Birchfield would meet at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco at the national conference of the American Institute of Interior Designers (A.I.D.). Hal Birchfield had a degree in architecture and was in graduate school working on a degree in design, when asked by the Florida Chapter of the American Institute of Interior Designers (A.I.D.) to serve on the first National Student Council of A.I.D. James Merrick Smith was the past national president of A.I.D. and the founder of the Student Council. And thus would begin a long and poignant relationship both professional and personal for the ensuing forty-four years. James Merrick Smith and Hal Birchfield were married in Rye, Westchester County, New York on October 11th, 2012 by Reverend Donald Whitman Poole.

James Merrick Smith was one of the founders and a Fellow of the American Society of Interior Designers, (A.S.I.D.) and he served as president of the predecessor organization American Institute of Interior Designers (A.I.D.) from 1966 to 1969. In 1987 James Merrick Smith was named “Designer of Distinction” by the A.S.I.D. during the summer conference in Toronto. The firm’s long list of accolades include winning residential and contract design competitions, the AID/V’Soske competition, the ASID/Diller competition, and the ASID/National Association of Mirror Manufacturers competition among many other others.

The profession would bestow fellowship on James Merrick Smith in 1962 and Hal Birchfield would receive fellowship in 1986. Both were in their early 40’s at the time of achieving this highest honor of their profession. Their office was thought to be the only design firm in the country where both principles were fellows of the American Society of Interior Designers.

One spring evening in 1986, after speaking with a friend who had just returned from China, there came the remark “sometime, we have to do that” and then the realization, with the vast difference in our ages (26 years) that “sometime” is now! And now, it would be. We in the ensuing days of our lives would include odysseys that only dreams are made of. We would travel around the world two times. Go to all seven continents and have the exciting experience of visiting over ninety countries. Yes, the time to live life, is now!

The design firm of James Merrick Smith and Hal Birchfield was always located in Coconut Grove for its 60 year history in the residential and commercial sectors of work. Geographic locations for projects would range from Beverly Hills, the Gold Coast of Chicago, New York, Boston, both coasts of Florida, the Caribbean and Costa Rica. The office had a most notable residential client roster and corporate clients that included Chase Manhattan Bank, City National Bank, Bacardi, The Miami Herald and Playboy. It was a company policy to never solicit work. All endeavors walked through the door from endorsement!

Upon the announcement of the closing of the office a longtime friend and professor at the University of Miami stated, “it was one hell of a run”. Yes, in fact “it was one hell of a run” and we are very grateful for that run. We/I certainly hope you find points of interest in our lives, work and accomplishments within the files of this collection here at the University of Miami. And we/I hope you enjoy the “run” as much as we did.

Sincerely,

James Merrick Smith, F.A.S.I.D.                                            Hal F.B. Birchfield, F.A.S.I.D.

1919 – 2013                                                                            1945 -

A post script - - And the struggle for a richer life for all would go on. There would be efforts by governmental powers to discriminate against the marriage of James Merrick Smith and Hal Birchfield with regard to Social Security survival benefits, the rights of marriage and homestead of our domicile and even the right of the survivor to be named as “spouse” on the death certificate of the person who has passed away. There will never be a way to properly thank the efforts of our dear friends Elaine and St Julien Rosemond, Ruth Shack, Tara Borelli of Lambda Legal (Atlanta), Karen Loewy of Lambda Legal (New York), and David Draigh of White & Case (Miami) and all the other fine cohorts for their efforts to correct these injustices for not only us, but for all Americans!

A post, post script - - - On October 22, 2015, Miami-Dade County reversed its stand and regranted homestead to Hal Birchfield. A matter that would have been given to any other married couple automatically.

The above remarks scripted by Hal Birchfield.

The Collazo family members were commercial agents that worked in Cuba during the nineteenth century.

Merici Academy was a private, Catholic elementary and secondary school for girls established in Havana by American Ursuline nuns in 1941. The Order of Saint Ursula, founded in Italy by Saint Angela Merici in 1535 as the first order in the Church dedicated to the education of girls, had a presence in Havana since 1804, when nuns originating from the New Orleans chapter of the order opened the first school for girls on the island. Initially under the protection of the Spanish Crown and Cuban colonial authorities, the school, known as the Colegio de las Ursulinas, flourished and expanded well into the twentieth century. In 1937, the school added an English department, which led to the creation of the English Academy under the direction of American nuns. The English Academy became the nucleus for the foundation of Merici Academy, a bilingual Catholic girls' school that would offer English as the main teaching language.

In February 1940, the Prioress General of the Ursulines, Reverend Mother St. Jean Martin, traveled to Cuba to assess the possibilities of establishing another Ursuline school in Havana - Merici Academy. The school opened in September 1941 with Mother Thomas Voorhies of New Orleans as founder and directress, and was immediately successful. Mother Thomas was assisted by Mother Rita Connell of Galveston, Texas, Mother Cecelia Prudhomme of Dallas, Texas, and Mother Bernadette Daly of Frontenac, Minnesota, who was already teaching at the Miramar Academy. Elementary courses, Pre-Primary to 7th Grade, were taught in English; additionally, in compliance with Cuban law, the requisite elementary curriculum was offered in Spanish. There were two types of courses at the secondary level. The Academic course was much like an American high school; and the Commercial and Secretarial courses offered bilingual business training. The curriculum was designed in accordance with the traditional Ursuline model of education, which is “based on the general principles of classical and Christian philosophy and permeated with sound religious spirit.”

After its initial success, Merici Academy continued to exceed all expectations. In its twenty years of existence, the school operated at three locations. Two were private residential properties under lease in the neighborhood of Vedado: L and 19th Streets (1941-1943) and Línea and 6th Streets (1943-1949). The third was Merici's own property, custom designed and built in the Reparto Biltmore, a residential suburb west of Havana (1949-1961). Before it was closed by the revolutionary government in 1961, Merici Academy had brought forth nineteen graduating classes with close to seven hundred Academic, Commercial and Secretarial graduates.