The
Peter Pan Project, continued
I was
13 years old, and an only child. The scene at the airport in La Habana
was very traumatic and sad for me. The government officials were rude
and abusive. I remember the “Fish Bowl,” a glass enclosed
room where those who were leaving waited while relatives on the other
side looked in. Little did I know that I would never see most of them
again, including my father who was killed trying to escape in a boat
a couple of years later. I cried all the way to Miami, a 45 minute
flight on Pan Am. I still have my return ticket somewhere….
I left
on September 3rd, Labor Day. School started the 10th and I was privileged
to attend La Salle High School, the same school I went to in La Habana.
It was the first class the school had ever had. In fact the school
was under construction and our classrooms were portable buildings.
This was a very special class. A great number of those who attended
went on to become political leaders, professionals and even famous
musicians (Willie Chirino). “Thank you” to the Christian
Brothers of La Salle who had the vision and the dedication to guide
and nurture all of us in such difficult times.
In 1967,
my mother, my grandfather and my grandmother finally got out of Cuba.
They were in Miami for a short while and then went to Los Angeles
to join aunts, uncles and cousins who had settled out there years
earlier. Here I began my professional sales career. How lucky I was
to come across some great teachers who saw in me what I could not
see myself. Mr. Frank Robards, a true southern gentleman from Nashville,
Tennesse, gave me my first job in the insurance business. Harry Green,
Marty Levine, Mark Getzendaner, Harry Waisbart, John Rapisardi kept
me going thru ten years in the insurance business. To this day, they
are still my special, dear friends. Then on to Delta Airlines for
a few years. And then Texas.
Texas
was where my children were born. Imagine that. Texans of Cuban heritage!
In Texas I found the opportunity to capitalize on everything I had
learned from all of the great friends who guided me. Today, I am Executive
Vice President for a manufacturing company where I have worked for
21 years.
What
a great country, full of great people willing to help and guide you
every step of the way. That is what makes this the greatest country
in the world. I am proud to be a United States citizen of Cuban descent.
I love this country, my country…..
God
bless America. God bless its people!
Oscar
Gonzalez
Dallas, Texas
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