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Yolanda Arenas is a Cuban actress who trained in dance and theater in Havana, Cuba. Among her various credits in Cuba, she formed part of the theater group Prometeo under the direction of Francisco Morín for two years in the late 1950s and acted in the story "Los Novios" in the 1960 film "Cuba '58."

In 1968, she went into exile in New York, where she acted with Repertorio Español. Arenas also performed in commercials and did voice over work. She currently resides in Miami, Florida.

Ofelia González (b.1920) was a Cuban theater actress and the first actress to win an OBIE Award without having performed in English. In her native Cuba, she appeared often in performances at Havana's Palacio de Bellas Artes. She enrolled in an acting academy in the 1950’s and went on to be the recipient of six “best actress” awards. After leaving Cuba in 1971 due to the political situation, González arrived in Miami, and settled in North Bergen, New Jersey with one of her daughters and two grandchildren. In 1972, she became a founding member and prominent addition to the New York based company, Repertorio Español founded in 1968 by producer Gilberto Zaldivar and Artistic Director René Buch, after she was seen cast in Bernarda Alba and El Pagador de Promesas by Max Ferra, artistic director of INTAR Hispanic American Arts Center. She stayed with Repertorio Español for the entirety of her decades-long career. Since all of the productions are performed in original Spanish language geared towards Hispanic audiences, González never learned English, although she expressed desire to, she noted that developing her art was always her primary focus.

She was one of the strongest actresses in Repertorio Español, with Zaldivar calling her the backbone of the company. In fact, at 73 years old in 1993, she played four roles of a grandmother or grandmother-like character in the same season, first for an adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Innocent Erendira, as Doña Geno in Dolores Prida's comedy Botánica, the cigar-smoking grandmother in Gloria González's lighthearted Cafe con Leche and the title character in Garcia Lorca's House of Bernarda Alba. In a 1989 New York Times review of the Repertorio’s ''La Casa de Bernarda Alba,” it says that “Ofelia Gonzalez, as Bernarda Alba, plays to the ridicule of her sharp-toothed servants. She makes you believe absolutely that her character is absurd, terrifying, irresistible and pitiable all at once.” A review of Repertorio Español’s production of Federico García Lorca's tragedy ''Blood Wedding'' (''Bodas de Sangre'') where González played the role of “Mother,” notes that her voice had the timbre of a cello. The artistic director of Repertorio Español, Rene Buch, stated that "[Ofelia] is the most instinctive actress I have ever encountered." In a 1984 interview, González herself admits that her technique was always to work from ''intuition, not method.''

Her major roles on theater were her portrayals of Bernarda in The House of Bernarda Alba in New York, Nurse in Romeo and Juliet in New York, Serafina in The Rose Tattoo in Havana, the title role in Medea in New York, Amanda in The Glass Menagerie in New York, the title role in Celestina in New York, Clara in The Visit in New York and Mother in The Guns of Mother Carrar in Havana. She has also acted in film and TV.

Blanca Varela was a singer born in Camagüey, Cuba, on April 6, 1927. Her vocal range from mezzosoprano to soprano coloratura allowed her to sing parts for various operas, operettas and zarzuelas Cubanas. Varela studied ballet, singing and piano. She graduated from la Academia de Música Colonia Española in Camagüey. At the young age of 9, she debuted her singing on the radio station CMJC with a selection of tangoes. She then went on to win a local contest hosted by the chocolate brand “La Estrella,” which allowed her to travel to Havana with her parents to appear in a special performance at Cadena Crusellas. She sang the zarzuela (romantic operetta) “María La O ' soprano, by Ernesto Lecuona. During her youth, she performed many more operatic recitals of bel canto repertoire and particularly mastered the “Aria de la locura'' from Lucia De Lammemoor, which became one of her signature pieces.

In the 1950’s, she was invited to perform in variety programs in Havana. At one of these recitals, the composer and director Gonzalo Roig heard her performance and was impressed by her voice. He invited her to sing the principal role in his zarzuela Cecilia Valdés, which is now considered one of Roig’s most popular works. She took on the roles of all the heroines of the Cuban zarzuela repertoire, such as “Amalia Batista'' and performed as "Cio-Cio-San" in the opera Madam Butterfly on three separate occasions. Additionally, Varela performed as "Micaela" in Carmen and "Leonor" in Il Trovatore. She also starred in long-running productions with roles created for her voice such as Luisa Fernanda or La Viuda Alegre (the Happy Widow) at the famous Tropicana nightclub.

In 1961, she interpreted six zarzuelas, Katiuska, Luisa Fernanda, Los Claveles, La Parranda, Amalia Batista, and Cecilia Valdés, for a new television program under the direction of singer and director Miguel de Grandy, and all conducted by the maestro Gonzalo Roig. Later in 1961, she left Cuba, relocating to South Florida with her family. Several full recordings of Varela were released during this time, Amalia Batista, Los claveles, La parranda, which was edited by JA Productions of Miami in 1961 and Cecilia Valdés edited by JBR of Miami in 1962. Additionally, selections of her music has been included in recordings: “Romanza” de Maria La O, “Los aguinaldos” de Lola Cruz, “Romanza” de Soledad, “Romanza de Sagrario” de La Rosa de Azafrán, “Romanza” de El Clarín, “Romanza” de La Hija Del Sol, released by JB Productions of Miami, 1955-1962.

In Miami, she quickly became involved with the “Sociedad Pro Arte Grateli,” which was founded to promote the musical legacy of Cuba, Spain, and Latin America. In 1968, she performed in their second production, Luisa Fernanda. For several decades, she performed her extensive repertoire for the Sociedad and took on a prominent position there along with her associate Marta Pérez. She also took her concerts abroad, traveling around the U.S. and to other countries abroad. Even upon her retirement from the stage, she continued to sing in her Christian church congregation.

Teresa María Rojas was born in Havana, Cuba and graduated from the University of Havana in 1957. She studied acting at Sala Prometeo, a small theater located in Havana. After leaving Cuba in 1960, she went to Venezuela and then to Miami in 1963. Rojas began working as a professor of theater and acting at Miami-Dade College (MDC, also formerly known as Miami-Dade Community College) in 1972. In 1985, Rojas founded the Prometeo Theater, a bilingual theater group at MDC and assumed position of its artisitc director. More than 400 students worked in the Prometeo Theater each year. During her teaching career, Rojas has performed, produced and directed more than 90 plays. In recognition of her teaching, she has been endowed with three Teaching Chairs. Further, one of her former students, Nilo Cruz, wrote a Pulitzer Prize winning play in the drama category, "Anna in the Tropics." Rojas performed in the play, when in returend to Miami after its Broadway debut. Rojas has over 35 years of theater acting and teaching experience.

Tom Pohrt (b. 1953) of Ann Arbor, Michigan is an author and illustrator of children’s books.  He is also a collector of Cuban photographs, documents and memorabilia.

Emilio Gaspar Rodríguez was a Cuban writer, journalist, and public official.

Rodríguez was born in Matanzas, Cuba, on July 4, 1889. During his childhood and part of his youth, he lived in Spain, France, and the United States. In 1907 he was appointed to Cuba’s Department of State and in 1918 to its consular corps. He served as Cuba’s ambassador in Calcutta, British Indies; Saint John, N.B. (Canada); Amsterdam; and lastly in Rotterdam.

Rodríguez was the author of several books including La crisis cubana: sus orígenes, sus factores contemporaneos; Hércules en Yolcos; Plática novísima; and El retablo de Maese Pedro. He also wrote articles and other works which were published in magazines, newspapers, and critical reviews, and offered various lectures and conferences. Rodríguez was the recipient of several awards such as recognitions from the Emigrados Revolucionarios Cubanos and the Academia Nacional de Artes y Letras.

E. G. Rodríguez was a prominent member of organizations in Cuba and abroad such as Academia Nacional de Artes y Letras de Cuba, Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (Madrid), Instituto Cristóforo Colombo (Rome), Ateneo de la Habana, and Club Cubano de Bellas Artes, among others. He died on May 31, 1939.

Stanley Chapman was one of the founders and president of the London Institute of Pataphysics. Architect and well-known designer, translator, writer and theatrical critic, he was one of the creators of the National Theatre of London, a member of OULIPO, a subcommittee of the College, who devoted himself to experimental literature and was influenced by the great surrealist Raymond Queneau. Chapman translated the famous book of Queneau "Hundred thousand billion poems" to English and also translated various books of Boris Vian, also a member of the College. Stanley Chapman was a permanent collaborator in the publication of the College de Pataphysique.

Lincoln Díaz-Balart was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1954. From 1993 to 2011, he was the U.S. Representative for Florida's 21st congressional district (R), previously serving in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida State Senate from 1986 to 1989 and 1989 to 1992, respectively.

Throughout his congressional tenure, Díaz-Balart was a member of the Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process and took on leadership positions in the House Republican Policy Committee. In 2010, Díaz-Balart announced his intention to not seek congressional re-election; his brother, Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart, ran to replace him as representative for Florida's 21st congressional district and succeeded him in the position until January 2013. After leaving office, Lincoln Díaz-Balart practiced law in Miami. He died in Key Biscayne, Florida.

The Miami Woman’s Club organizes and participates in a variety of civic and community service activities in the Miami area. It also played a lead role in establishing public libraries in Miami.

The club formed in 1900 when a group of women began meeting weekly to socialize and read. They drew up an official constitution in September of that year,  as the Married Ladies’ Afternoon Club. In 1902, club members voted to emphasize the literary nature of the club and began to circulate books for $1.50 per year to non-members.

The club grew to 80 members by 1903, when it joined the State Federation of Woman’s Clubs.  In 1906, the club changed its name to the Miami Woman’s Club. Henry Flagler and the Model Land Company donated land at the corner of Royal Palm Park for a club building in 1912, with the stipulation that the building must also be used as a public library and free reading room. Club membership continued to grow, and by 1916, the Miami Woman’s Club was the largest woman’s club in the state.

In 1923, the Miami Woman’s Club opened a children’s library, and sold the building at Royal Palm Park. The club purchased a site for its new facilities at Bay Shore Drive and NE 17th Terrace, and selected August Geiger as the architect for the building, which opened in 1926. The building was named the Flagler Memorial Library and Woman’s Club, and is still used by the club.

In 1924, the City of Miami began paying the operating expenses for the library, and in 1942, it took over management of the Flagler Library and other area branch libraries. The club’s Library Committee continued to serve in an advisory capacity.

With a mission of supporting education and community stewardship, the Miami Woman’s Club participates in numerous civic and community service activities. To facilitate its work, the club includes the following departments and committees: Arts Department, Conservation Department, Education Department, Home Life Department, International Affairs Department, Public Affairs Department, Budget Committee, Hospitality Committee, House Committee, Telephone Committee, Library Committee, Program Committee, Revisions Committee, Special Improvement Committee, Advisory Board, Cashier, Trustees, and Yearbook.