Emilio Salazar e Hidalgo Gato was born in Pinar
del Rio in 1852. He studied medicine and dedicated his activities in the
country, where he became well known as a "Country Doctor". He was 33 years
old when he married 18 year old daughter of German Roges y Estrada, owner of an
Estate called "Santa Juana de las Ovas". He met Juana during frequent
visits that he made to the farm to take care of his patients. He died on
April 22, 1924 at the age of 72.... Juana died on September 2, 1911.
Jose Salazar y Roges was born on May 13, 1889
in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. He married Eulalia Laine y Garascho ("Lala") on
October 17, 1818 daughter of Bauduy Laine and Clara Garasche. When Jose
was 12 years old an uncle (Tio Taboada) married to Encarnacion Salazar e Hidalgo
Gato, took him to the United States and left him in a Boys' school owned and
operated by the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth College, Convent Station,
New Jersey. The Lakawana Railroad from Morristown to Hoboken served the
route. In Hoboken, a Ferry would take the passengers to New York City.
Joe remained in the Boys School (now demolished) until he graduated from Grammar
School. Sister Marie Dolores, a native of Nicaragua, Central America, was
the guardian of all the Latin pupils that went to St. Elizabeth. She spoke
English and Spanish fluently and became Joe's guardian and kept in touch with
his father in Cuba.
While in this school, he was taught to be an
altar boy. He learned the Latin answers and rang a small bell at the most
important parts of the Mass. When he was older (14 years) he went to
Manhattan College in New York, where he finished High School. Later he
went to Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass for his college years...After
graduating he returned to Cuba and stared working for the Railroads. While
in Matanzas, he met Eulalia Laine (Lala) whose father was the manager of Central
"Dos Rosas".
One day, my brother Joe took Benito, Encarnita
and myself for a stay of a few days at Central "Dos Rosas". Lala, his wife
was in Tuscon, Arizona, where she had taken Jossie on account of having constant
colds. At this sugar mill there was a 15-year old from China boy named
Vicente. He cooked and served excellent meals, using white gloves for the
occasion.
When Joe finished his work with the Railroads,
he returned to Havana, where he lived in Consulado 59 (9 years). He kept
seeing Lala on and off, receiving from her gifts of delicious chocolate cakes,
which he used to like.
Havana before Fidel Castro was a lovely place..
the shops... the people were gay. There was a certain elegance. Mrs.
Salazar sat in the living room of her son's home in Manchester and talked about
the land she fled in January of this year (1967) As she talked, her voice
was quiet and her eyes were calm and steady. She wore a black dress, one
of the few things she was allowed to bring with her when she left her native
land. There is no thing as private property any more. When people
leave the country the Cuban government takes all of her property and sells what
it can, to raise money. Yes, Cuba has changed, said Mrs. Salazar sadly.
The prices of food have gone way up because the food is very scarce.
Everyone has to have a ration book. One person is allowed half a pound of
potatoes a week and there are two potatoes to the pound. One egg costs 60
cents and a chicken $10.00. Of course, people with money could buy from
the black market.
Where Mrs. Salazar lived and raised her family
are empty now. The people have gone. The homes are left to be
occupied by the Russians. The house next to hers was turned into a special
school for Russian children. They do not let the children mix with the
Cubans. There are, probably, more Russian children in Cuba than people
realize. They run everything.
The Castro government has tremendous control
over the Cuban people. An organization called "Defense of the Revolution"
have headquarters on every block. Their job is to spy on the people.
The government knows everything that goes on. If you need medicine, in
case of sickness, you get it from the government. The people are too
scared to do anything else. The United States has been good to the Cuban
refugees. I love this country and find Connecticut a beautiful state.
She visited her son Jossie who lives here. Mrs. Salazar has made her home,
temporarily in Texas with her daughter. When Lalita McIntire was
transferred with her husband Bob to Caracas, Venezuela, Mrs. Salazar joined her
there. During her stay in Caracas, she became acquainted with Mr. Frank
Toscano, who married her. The Toscanos then moved to New Jersey, Fair Lawn
N.J.
=====
On Saturday, December 4 1968, Mr and Mrs.
Toscano decided to visit their Daughters. Both were then living in
Venezuela. Lalita married to Mr. Robert McIntire, who worked for Sears,
Roebuck of Venezuela and Mrs. Jean Blenderman, Mr. Toscano's daughter.
Both were at the Maiquetia Airport to meet them.
Unfortunately, the Pan American plane 217 from
New York to Caracas on which the Toscanos were traveling, suddenly disappeared
from the radar screen at Caracas Maiquetia Airport during its approach, just
before 10 o'clock... A helicopter first sighted the wreckage about 15 miles off
the coast. Boatmen had picked up 10 bodies, all of them badly mutilated,
when the plane apparently exploded as it hit the sea.
Jose Salazar y Roges and Eulalia Laine Garasche
had two children, Lalita and Josie. Lalita was educated in the Sacred
Heart College in Cuba and later came to the States to mayor in Music.
Lalita is married to Robert McIntire, High Official of Sears, Roebuck. She
is well known in the English speaking community of Caracas. An active
worker in social and civil activities, she teaches music at a school for the
children "del Barrio Las Minas".
Lalita was born in Cuba as Maria Eulalia
Salazar Laine, daughter of well-to-do Civil Engineer. After a year with
intensive training with Mr. Wall of Los Angeles .....
The McIntires have two children. Robert
Anthony born 1953 and John Charles, born 1957.
Robert Jr. will graduate this year (1975) from
Brown University, Providence, R. I. John Charles attends Lawrenceville,
New Jersey where he will graduate from high school.
Lalita met
Mr. McIntire on the occasion of a performance she gave, when she sang "So in
Love"... After the performance, Mr. McIntire went back-stage to tell her how
much he liked it... They were married two years later and since then she limited
her professional career to occasional appearances, to become as she said "a
happy wife and mother".
When her husband's career as an executive of
Sears was called to the United States, his wife appeared once more on stage with
the Miami Light opera - a cast by Renata Tebaldi.
A tall green-eyed honey blonde,
Lalita McIntire
has lived in Caracas for a few years... Later her husband was transferred to
Lima, Peru, where she is busy with her singing as she says: "Anything I do has
some connection with music" And music is vital in Lalita's life...
The McIntires still have Vicente, a servant who
has been in the family for three generations. He came from China when he
was about fifteen years old and has served with Lalita's mother and grandmother.
Lalita also has a brother who is married to Marta Galbis. They live in
Manchester, Connecticut at the moment.. Josey and Marta have five children:
Maria Cristina, Ricardo, Alberto, Pepito, y Fernando.
Lalita McIntire makes visits to the United
States every year on or about the month of June and visits the family.
As a business deal they have bought an
apartment on the 15th floor of the Venetian in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
This apartment is rented by the year and is under the administration of a
manager. Should the political situation in Peru get out of hand they will have a
place to live, should the apartment be vacant at the time. It has a
beautiful view of the Miami-Biscayne Blvd. waterfront.
Mr. Robert McIntire was employed by Sears
Roebuck of Venezuela.
ENCARNACIÓN
SALAZAR Y ROGES - - BENITO LOYGORRI PIMENTEL
Encarnación
was born in Pinar del Rio Cuba on the 23rd of May 1890 in a farm belonging to
her parents Dr. Emilio Salazar e Hidalgo Gato y Juana Roges y Medina. At
the age of ten years (when she lost her mother) it was decided to send her
to the United States for her education...The College of St. Elizabeth in
Convent, NJ was chosen. At first, she and her sister Ofelia were very
lonesome...They did not know English and everything was strange. Finally
they decided to run out and play with the other children. They remained in this
school over six or eight years when her father decided that they should return
to Cuba. She married Benito Lloygori on October 18, 1918 when we were living in
Consulado 59 in Havana. He was living at the time in a Boarding House
located on the top floor of the building in Consulado 59. Encarnita, as
she was called, had a parrot, which she fed with her hands in the afternoon,
while flirting, in a way and looking at Benito. Finally, Benito, requested
a friend of his named Damborenes, to introduce him to my father. Shortly,
they were married on the 18th of October. It was a Civil wedding which
took place in a town called Calvario, Havana Province.
Benito is the son of Carmen Pimentel de
Lloygori. He had a brother, Pepe, who never married. He had a
friend-companion called Julita and together they lived in an apartment in
Florida Street, Madrid. Benito worked with General Motors, twenty-five
years and held important positions as a salesman, being transferred to different
countries on account of his knowledge of languages (French, English and
Spanish). In his youth he was an Aviator and held the title of being the
first aviator in Spain. He died the 1st of February 1976 at the age of 90.
He was born September 4, 1885 in B Larritz, France
HAROLD ABBOTT BUTLER & OFELIA SALAZAR ROGES
Harold Abbott was born on May 25, 1895 in
Mansfield, Mass. His parents were Lucius Abbott Butler and Annie Morton
Butler. He graduated from Brown University in 1917 with a degree in
Electrical Engineering. After graduation he worked with General Electric
Company in Schenectady and Pittsfield in eastern New York in their Testing
Department until September 1919. Being opposed to cold weather, the G.E.
Co. helped him to obtain a position with the Havana Electric Railway Co. which
was later merged with an American Foreign Power Company, subsidiary, operating
outside of Havana. This new company was called Campania Cubana de
Electricidad and it supplied most of the electricity used in Cuba and also
service to Havana. He continued with this company in various capacities
until his retirement in 1956. About 1927 he went to live in a boarding
house at M and 19 streets in Vedado. There he met his future wife Ofelia
Salazar Roges.
Ofelia Salazar Roges was born in Las Ovas,
Province of Pinar del Rio, Cuba. She met Harold in the boarding house
mentioned above under the ownership of Mr and Mr. Ricardo Porro (Luisa
Schumann). They later moved to Hotel Vedado - also on M and 19 - where
they left to get married. They were engaged only three months and went to
live at Lens Court 6 and 11 Vedado. Before her marriage Ofelia started to
work with Pesant Steel and Iron Company as Secretary to the President Mr. Carlos
Pesand with whom she remained six years...She had her own bed-room furniture - a
gift of her brother Joe, who had made it to order at a cost of $1000 .... After
my father's passing, Ofelia decided to keep house by renting a small apartment
in Vedado with her brother Emilio and his wife Enriqueta, but it did not work.
It was then that she chose to live at Hotel Vedado. After our marriage we
lived in Linea and M streets - third floor. We had two boys - William and
Kenneth. From here we decided to buy a house and for one year went
house-hunting, until we found a lovely one-floor three bedroom house with living
room, dining room and side porch which later we turned into a bedroom for the
children. An uncle of mine - Emilio Roges made a two-decker bed of
mahogany for them, which we put in the new room.. We moved to the La Sierra home
in 1935 and lived there until 1964. During this time there was political
trouble in Cuba and we decided to come to the USA. In order to get a
permit to leave we had to surrender the house with all its contents.
On June 24, 1964 we left Cuba in a Mexican
plane, via Merida, arriving in the USA the same day. We stopped at Hotel
Urmey - second avenue and first street. while we looked around for more
adequate quarters. Finally we decided Dallas Park hotel was the best bet,
as we had no furniture at all. For one year we occupied Apartment 2-L and
later moved to 2-H, where we have been 10 years.
William Abbott Butler: William was born
in the American Clinic located on 21st St. Vedado on Sept 1st 1929. He
went to school at Ruston Academy in Vedado and remained in Cuba until he was 18
years old. We then decided to take him North and place him in Purdue
University for his college years...It was at Purdue that he met his wife Elsie
Covell of Angola, Indiana, who was also a student at Purdue...Bill and Elsie had
five children: Susan, William Abbot Jr., James, Sally Catherine, and
Joseph Kenneth. William, like his father, will also be an Electrical
Engineer. He obtained his first job by contacting General Electric,
Schenectady, NY and has been with them to date as an International employee.
He spent eight years in Manila, Philippines and after was transferred to
Caracas, Venezuela. Bill is very fond of sailing. His mother was
responsible for this because when we became members of the Havana, Biltmore
Country Club, he was only twelve years old. There was a demand for boys
his age to be helpers to owners of larger boats. This taught him a liking
for sailing...He acquired and owned a 40-foot boat with sails, which he named
Siboney. The boat was brought to Venezuela in an empty sugar boat acquired
by one of his many friends in the Philippines...From Venezuela he was
transferred to Miami, Florida, where he bought a home in Coral Gables, Florida.
He was promoted and is at present General Manager of the Caribbean division.
He makes several trips around this section with the effort of selling heavy
equipment for factories and sugar mills.
Wonderful Pictures
of Cuba |