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Did Cuba's dictator actually
attend Riverside? Oft-told local legend
is not true, school says
By Amber Roessner. The
Times, Gainesville, GA. Sunday, July
18, 2004.
Did Fidel Castro really attend Riverside
Military Academy?
Down through the decades, rumors have circulated
around the community that Cuba's Communist
dictator had roots at Northeast Georgia's
oldest military school.
"I heard that Castro was thrown out
of school for disciplinary reasons,"
said Dub Jones, a co-founder of the 'Ole
Timers group.
"He damaged some doors or something.
I heard that he played football and got
kicked off the team because of demerits.
He got kicked out of school and enrolled
somewhere out in California after that.
According to some, Castro stole military
equipment from Riverside.
"If I remember correctly, there was
talk that military equipment was missing
from Riverside and that Fidel Castro had
gone to Riverside," longtime Times
sports editor Phil Jackson said.
"The story goes that he stole the
equipment and shipped it to Cuba. It was
just one of those old stories."
The colorful stories of Castro and Riverside
quickly roll off the tongues of many townsfolk.
But, according to Riverside school officials,
there's not one iota of truth in the old
tales.
"He (Fidel Castro) never attended
this school," said Kate Maine, Riverside's
director of public relations. "Castro
is a very common name and many people with
the last name of Castro attended the school.
Many of them came from Florida and some
of them were of Cuban descent."
From 1948-1993, 12 students with the last
name of Castro attended the prestigious
academy. Many of them were of Cuban descent.
The first record of a Castro attending
Riverside was in 1948 -- which rules out
the possibility that it was Fidel, who was
born Aug. 13, 1927, making him 21 years
old at the time. In fact, Fidel Castro did
not leave Cuba for his education.
In 1948-49, Orlando and Gustavo Castro
attended the military academy. According
to school records, only one of them played
sports. In 1953-54, another Castro of Cuban
descent also played baseball for the academy.
So then, why all the rumors that Castro
attended Riverside?
"For locals, it was unusual to see
students from another country," Maine
said. "Stereotypical generalities probably
led to the myth. At the time, the enrollment
was around 500 and generally 5 to 10 percent
were foreign."
According to Maine, many families from
Central America and Cuba sent their sons
to Riverside.
"Many foreign families sent their
sons to Riverside because it was very prestigious
for many people, who wanted a college prep
and military education. Many of these families
had business investments in other countries."
Added Jackson: "Many of the military
families in Latino countries that had money
sent their kids to Riverside."
According to one Riverside teacher, although
Fidel did not attend Riverside, some of
his relatives may have.
"Some of his relatives may have but
he didn't," Gen. George Jefferson said.
Although Riverside has no direct connections
with Fidel, the academy had strong ties
to Cuba. In 1932, General Sandy Beaver,
Riverside's headmaster, founded a second
campus in southern Florida called Hollywood-by-the-Sea.
While at the Hollywood, Fla., campus, the
cadets made the 90-mile trek to Cuba often.
"When General Beaver was here, he
used to take a cruise to Havana and take
all the cadets along," Jefferson said.
"Colonel Pedro Vidal once told me that
one time he couldn't find General Beaver
when they were ready to come back. He finally
found him in a tavern talking to (author)
Ernest Hemingway."
According to Jefferson, Vidal often recruited
young men from Central America and Cuba.
In March of 1939, Beaver received the Order
of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes award from
the Cuban government.
Those strong connections came to an end
shortly after Castro came to power in 1959.
At first, Cubans received Castro as a hero;
soon, it became apparent that his iron-fisted
rule was not at all heroic.
"When Castro took over in 1959, several
Cuban kids were on my hall," Jefferson
said. "I let the kids watch his first
speeches. You know, Castro was seen as a
hero at first. I wonder what ever happened
to those kids."
E-mail: aroessner@gainesvilletimes.com
Copyright
©2004 The Times. All rights reserved.
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