Born on January 2, 1917 in Encrucijada, LV, Cuba

                       Baptized in Our Lady of Carmen Church (*), Santa Clara, LV, Cuba

                       Parents: Ildefonso Triana Alonzo born in La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain and

                                        Francisca Virina Pozo Hurtado, born in Santa Clara, Cuba

                        Siblings: Corina, Alfonso, Consuelo and Fausto. Armando was the youngest of the five.

                        Married Estrella Fajardo on July 30,1941

                        Children: Armando R. born on August 13, 1943 and Estrella, born on June 14,1945

                        Passed away on  March 12, 2000

                     

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                                                               Roots

 

Ildefonso  immigrated to Cuba from La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain in 1894. He was only 13  years old, and emigrated alone.  He came referred to a family acquaintance who put him to work cutting sugar cane in the fields as soon as he arrived.  He eventually became a traveling salesman and opened a small store in the town of Encrucijada, north of Santa Clara.  After marrying Virina and starting a family, they moved back to Santa Clara.   During his lifetime, he was able to go back to the Canary Islands only once.   Two of his sisters emigrated to Cuba after him and settled in Zaza del Medio . There they married two Hernandez brothers.  One of his brothers also came to Cuba afterwards, but emigrated to Valencia, Venezuela later on, where his descendance multiplied.   Armando was able to visit his relatives in Venezuela and in the Canary Islands once.

 

Virina was the daughter of Basilio Pozo Ulloa and Ana Joaquina Hurtado Avajo..  Basilio owned a 760 hectare farm 5 kilometers from Santa Clara which he acquired after winning a  lottery.  After widowing, he married Ana Joaquina who was a descendant of Juan Hurtado de Mendoza, the head of  one of 17 the families who founded Santa Clara on July 15, 1689.   These families moved inland. away the coast, seeking refuge from repeated pirate attacks.  The families moved from Remedios, founded in the year 1514 as one of the first eight cities established by Spain in Cuba (Remedios is also one of the first 15 cities founded by Europeans in the Americas).   The Hurtado name appears in monuments located in two parks in Santa Clara. One is at the monument to the city founders in the park of the Church Our Lady of El Carmen, where the first mass in town was celebrated.  Another is an obelisk at the Vidal Central park dedicated to  his son, Father Francisco A. Hurtado de Mendoza  and to Father Juan de Conyedo. who built the first four churches in Santa Clara. 

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                                                           A Wonderful Life

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Armando Triana lived first 43 years in Santa Clara the capital of the province of Las Villas, in Cuba.  His next 40 years were in San Juan, Puerto Rico and in Miami.  He loved his adopted cities almost as much as his Santa Clara.  His patriotic, civic, professional and family life left an imprint wherever he lived.  His life centered on his true North, a commitment to service to his family, to his roots and to the societies where he lived. 

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Patriotically,  he was a member of the directorate of Castro's movement in the province during the fight against Batista,  He defended young revolutionaries in court putting himself at personal risk  during that repressive dictatorship.   In January 1959, when Batista was defeated,  he was offered the position of mayor of  Santa Clara by the revolutionary government, but he declined,.   Soon after he began to notice {from his position as bank manager), how the new laws were distorted towards communism.  In March 1959, the helped persuade the directorate of Castro’s movement in the province to demand the replacement of the appointed governor of the province due to his communist initiatives.  The governor was removed and became the only communist removed from office due to civil protest under the revolutionary government in Cuba. As a professor at the University, he started speaking against communist influence in the revolution.  As a result, he and his family was harassed and closely watched.  In December 1959, he was expelled from the University .  He joined the antigovernment conspiracy, One of his students, who was the President of the University student organization,  joined the armed struggle against the government, until he was captured and executed in October 1960.   Two weeks later, al Cuban private banks were  confiscated by the government and he resigned to his managerial position.   However, he was told he had to continue in his position or he would be incarcerated.   Within a week, he managed to enter into the Embassy of Panama in Havana and received political asylum..  Once in Miami, he helped bring a major exile group into the Junta of exile organizations was responsible for  the invasión of Bay of Pigs.  For five years, he remained an active supporter of the exile group lead by the civil leader of the invasión, Manuel Artime, until his untimely death. 

 

Professionally, Armando was the second member of his family to complete College where he became Doctor in Law.  However, his talent for relating to others led him to a career in the business management.  He was successful in a variety of businesses.   In Santa Clara, he managed a radio station, a private telecomunications company, a new movie theater, and a new branch of a bank, as well as teaching at the University School of Business.  In Puerto Rico, he worked in public relations,  managed a consortium of  home builders required to construct the infrastructure necessary for their  multiple housing developments and represented a mainland bank.   In Miami, he became vice president for Latin American for the major Florida bank and he served as a financial advisor for individual investors.

 

As a civic leader, he contributed to his city of Santa Clara as a co-founder and treasurer of the third public university in Cuba, as president of the local Rotary Club, as President of the premier social club in Santa Clara, and he left his mark in a new bank building in the center of town.   His civic activities continued in Puerto Rico as part of the Rotary Club,  and by helping to set up a branch of the Inter-American Association of Businessmen in Puerto Rico.  In Miami, he helped obtain the charter for the Granada Rotary Club in Miami, a club focused of Spanish speaking mem

 

His 61 year marriage to Estrella Fajardo, his high school sweetheart, was filled of mutual support to their profesional careers and fun memories.  They shared many happy moments traveling and getting together with friends. In Cuba they lived two blocks away from either of their parents.    Every week there were reasons to get together with one or both families.   On Christmas Eve, they walked to the Triana’s for their early punctual dinner and strolled to the Fajardo’s for their laid back late celebration. When the time came, to leave Cuba, he sacrificed being with their families ever again . However, they gave their children the opportunity to live with freedom and opportunity.   They were able to give their daughter Estrella a dream celebrations for her 15th birthday and wedding.  They saw their children graduate from universities as well as develop successful professional and married lives.  Their six grandchildren were able to benefit from their love and advice also.

                                                                

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                                                        Life events

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                      Santa Clara,  Cuba 1917-1960

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1930             During the Great Depression, at age 13,  he helps hisfamily expensesby

                      selling cheese from the farm using a two wheeled cart 

1934             Meets Estrella Fajardo at a friend’s house next to her aunt’s house

1935             Graduated from  High School at the Intituto de Santa Clara

1937-41        Secretary at the Provincial Court 

1941             Graduated from Law School at the University of Habana

1941             Married Estrella Fajardo on July 30th

1942             Manager of radio station in Santa Clara

1943             First child born, Armando R. (pilongo*)

1943-53       Manager of the Inalámbrica Co. branch, a Cuban private telegraph company

1943-55       Manager of Teatro Silva, the newest of four movie theaters in town. 

                      Brought  to town shows like the Singing Boys of Vienna and Pedro Infante

1945              Second child born, Estrella (pilonga*)

1953-59        Professor of Advertising at the Universidad Central de las Villas

1955-60        Manager of the Banco Continental Cubano new branch.  Built a modern

                       branch building facing  the central park, Leoncio Vidal

June 1960    Fulfills promise to daughter to celebrate her 15th birthday 

Nov. 1960     Seeks political asylum at the Panama Embassy in Habana

Dec. 1960      Leaves Cuba as political exile to Miami .  He saves his children from living 

                        under communism, but he never sees his parents or siblings again, 

 

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                      Puerto Rico 1960-1972

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Dec.  1960    Feasibility Study on whether to establish a Sawmill in Puerto Rico

1961               Miscelaneous jobs while settling down in Puerto Rico

 Dec. 1961     Father dies iun Cuba. He is not allowed to go to the funeral 

1962-1965    Government Relations Vice President  for Cunsa Constuction Company

1965-1967    Government Relations Consultant for Real Estate Developers

1967-1972    Representative of the First Wisconsin National Bank for Latin America

 1964             Mother dies in Cuba,. He is not allowed to go to the funeral 

1965              Studies and learns English 

1967              Receives first comunión

1968              Daughter Estrella’s marries Lorenzo Perez Pujol, from Placetas. Cuba

1971               Wife, Estrella Fajardo, survives cancer

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                    Miami. Florida 1972-2000

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1972-86       International Division Manager for the Flaggship National Bank which 

                      became the  largest bank in Florida as the Sun Trust Bank 

1974             Son, Armando, marries Maria C Cabrera Ibieta from Jaguey Grande, Cuba

1975             Purchased their Condominium in Coral Gables (the first home they own)

1987-2000  Financial Consultant for individual investors

1991              50th wedding anniversary celebration

1997              80th birthday celebration

2000            Passes to better life, althouth he was never able see Cuba again.

 

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                                                      Public Service

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1948-53    Member of the commitee that obtained government approval for a new

                   public university in Santa Clara, Universidad Central Marta Abreu.  

                   This became the third public university in Cuba

1953-58    Treasurer of the Universidad Central during its crucial early years when 

                   it was a struggle to get the government funding to cover payroll

1952-60    Member of Rotary Club, Santa Clara and its President from 1954 to 1956 

1956-17     President Villaclara Tennis Club. The Club’s bathrooms and pool lockers         

                    were remodeled  during his administration

1957-59     Treasurer of  26 de Julio (Fidel Castro’s Movement) in the Las Villas  

                    Province during the fight against Batista 1958  Public Defender 

                    for youths involved in revolutionary activiies against the Batista regime 

Jan.1959   Declined  an offer from the Revolutionary Government to become Mayor 

                    of Santa Clara after the fall of Batista.

Mar. 1959 Together with the local committee of the 26 de Julio,  he obtained the

                    removal of the provincial Governor.   This  was the only communist 

                    removed from office after the Revolution due to civil protest 

Dec. 1959  Expelled as Professor of the Universidad Central for speaking against  

                    communism in the revolutionary government

Dec. 1959   Joins underground movement against Castro

Oct. 1960   His former student, Porfirio Diaz, President of the Universidad Central

                     Student Organization, is executed after joining the armed rebellion 

Oct. 1960 Cuban-owned Banks are confiscated by the government and his 

                    resignation as bank manager is rejected with a threat of incarceration

Nov-1960 Seeks  political asylum at the Panama Embassy in Habana

Dec. 1960  Leaves Cuba and arrives to Miami, Florida

Jan.-April 1961 Works in committee to unite the major Cuban exile organizations 

                    before the Invasión by Cuban exiles at Bay of Pigs 

1962-1968 Member  of the MRR Movement for democracy in Cuba

1963-1972 Member of Rotary Club in San Juan, P.R. and organizes a chapter of he 

                    Sociedad Interamericana de Hombres  de Empresa  (AIHE) in Puerto Rico

1973-1980 In Miami, participates in meetings of AIHE, Cuban Rotarians and lobbies 

                    to chárter a Florida Rotary club focused on Spanish speaking members  

1992-2000 Member of the Granada Rotary Club and its President during 1994-95

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                                                           References

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Diario de las Americas, Obituary, March 15, 2000

El Mundo, “Dan informe aquí de ataque a Puerto Pilon”,  San Juan, P.R., May 14, 1964

El Nuevo Herald, “Una historia de amor de mas de medio siglo” Galeria,  Miami, Fla. 

             February 12, 1995

Gonzalez del Valle Rios, Antolin. Album Historico de Villaclara en el Exilio  

            Fundacion Educacional Latinoamericana,, University of North Carolina, 

            pp. 57, 169, 271-272, 1974

Rotary International, The Rotarian, Vol. 176, No.5, pp. 55-56, May 2000

Triana, Armando. History of Miami, Unpublished Manuscript, Miami, Fla 1990

Triana, Armando, Autobiography, Audio Tapes, Miami, Fla 1993

 

                                   

(*) The Church of Our Lady of Carmen is part of the traditions of the city of Santa Clara. The church is located in the park where the first mass was celebrated in the city. Those baptised in its baptistry (“pila baptismal”) are niicknamed “pilongos”.   The baptistery was brought by the city founders when they abandoned  the coastal city of Remedios seeking from pirate attacks in the year 1689.  Armando and his children are “pilongos”. The church is located in the park where the first mass was celebrated in the city.