Welcome to Veterans of Camp Matecumbe

Literary Corner

AND OTHER CAMPS AND TEMPORARY SHELTERS IN THE MIAMI-DADE AREA OPERATING IN 1960 TO 1962

This is a bilingual website to re-unite the grown children of Pedro Pan; those 14,000-plus Cuban children who arrived in the US between 12/60 and 10/62 with Visa waivers in the Unaccompanied Children's Program fostered by the Catholic Social Service Bureau and the US Government; whether passing through Camp Matecumbe or any other temporary centers such as the ones in Opa Locka, Florida City, Kendall, St. Raphael's, etc., or went directly with family or to foster homes. The people most responsible for the success of this program were father (now Monsignor) Bryan O. Walsh in Miami; James Baker, director of the Ruston Academy in Havana, who passed away in 2001; and Ramón and Polita Grau in the secret hiding of their home across from the police station; but many others risked their livelihoods and even their lives to cooperate with the largest exodus of children in the history of the western hemisphere.

THIS WEBSITE IS DEDICATED WITH LOVE AND GRATEFULNESS TO THE MEMORY OF OUR FATHER IN EXILE, MONSIGNOR BRYAN WALSH, OUR BELOVED FATHER WALSH, WITHOUT WHOSE COURAGE AND LOVE WE MIGHT HAVE NEVER BEEN SAVED FROM THE SLAVERY OF COMMUNISM IN OUR FATHERLAND.

This website is non-political in nature and will never advice anyone regarding a particular candidate, either in the local level or in the presidential race, although it may post articles of public interest regarding subjects that affect the Cuban community and specially as it involves Children of Pedro Pan; or show the well-earned praises for a particular Cuban citizen's actions or words. It is also a forum for responsible members' articles, prose or poetry that they may wish to share with others.

The major thrust and purpose of this website and of the sporadic Newsletters that it sends out to your kind and patient reception; is to re-acquaint us with each other, to re-unite old friends from Cuban High Schools, neighborhoods, Miami camps and scholarships. Not only will there be a list of Pedro Pan children found or remembered in the Alumni section, there will also be a place to send queries regarding a particular friend or roommate that others may read about and inform.

The managing Board of YOUR website, self-elected by their dedicated help and contributions, is made up of the following Children of Pedro Pan :
FOUNDER, CO-WEBMASTER AND EDITOR : Manuel Gutiérrez (Matecumbe-Lincoln,NE)
FOUNDING MEMBERS:
Frank Ramos (Matecumbe - Family in St. Louis) Original webmaster. [Retired]
Clemente Amézaga (Matecumbe - Whitehall, FL) Historian.
Pedro S. Gutiérrez (Matecumbe - Austin, TX) Website Technical Advisor and first contributor.[Retired]
Manny Gordon (Matecumbe - Albuquerque, NM) Information Support {Now Deceased]
Oscar Cossio (Matecumbe - Lincoln, NE) Information Support specialist.
Yvonne Conde - Information Support and Research.
Lourdes Colón (Kendall - David City, NE) Nebraska historian.

Angel Carballo (Matecumbe-Albuquerque, NM) Albuquerque historian, and Matecumbe High graduates contact.

Oscar Pichardo (Kendall - Green Bay, WI) Green Bay historian and Pedro Pan CA contact.

Early Map to Camp Matecumbe.

THIS WEBSITE AND THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER IT PUBLISHES IS IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH THE CORAL GABLES-BASED "OPERATION PEDRO PAN GROUP"; A LOCAL CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION.

Create Your Bio Page

To form the list (please look at Pedropánicos-at-a-glance Alumni now) we would like to receive AT THE VERY LEAST the following information :

Your full name.
The last school in Cuba,( including City if the school name does not "locate" you; such as Maristas de Camaguey or Ursulinas del Vedado.)
Month and year (day if known) at each camp, scholarship or location while in the program.
Nickname in camp.
Present city and state of residence.
Your occupation.
Your birthDAY.
Your e-mail so we can you inform quickly and inexpensively.
A personal statement of who you are, as you see yourself. You may expand on your thoughts regarding how you were affected by the abrupt separation from your parents during your formative years and your experiences as a stranger in a strange new land.
Details of any significant achievement you are proud of. [e.g., Yvonne Conde wrote the definitive Pedro Pan saga "Operation Pedro Pan"].

YOU MAY IF YOU WISH ALSO SEND US: (but are not necessary)
Your full address.
Phone number(s).
Your year of birth.

Create Bio Page Now Click Here

RECOMMENDED SOURCES FOR READING AND RESEARCH :

OPERATION PEDRO PAN by Yvonne Conde (1999 - Routledge, NY)
The only one to date (2006) written by a grown child of Operation Pedro Pan. Hard-hitting and factual, detailed and with examples of human interest. We can find each other in its pages, chapter after chapter. [Book was translated into Spanish in late 2001, you may now present your parents and grandparents with your story. Don't wait for the movie!]

FLEEING CASTRO by Victor Andrés Triay (1998 - University Press of Florida)
If one can hold it without spitting in its cover (and I have to assume the publisher may be to blame), the book is very well documented and extremely well written, though not as personally detailed as Ms. Conde's.

OPERACIÓN PEDRO PAN (a novel) by Josefina Leyva (1993-Editorial Ponce de Leon)
A very entertaining fiction-based-on-reality story by an accredited last-generation writer. This professor has also to her credit "Los Balseros de la Libertad" and "El Aullido de las Muchedumbres" and one of her books is apparently being prepared as a movie by Freedom Pictures Productions.

HAVANA USA by María Cristina García (published in 1996 by University of Cal. Press)
A history of Cuban migrations from 1959 to 1994. It has the added advantage of being an outstanding historical research book which debunks many of the myths created by Cubans for Cubans and does not pull any punches!

Monsignor Walsh was in the process of writing his own account of our odyssey but passed away (much too young!) before he was able to do so. As homage for his life and dedication to children, which he never stopped helping!, this website is dedicated to his memory.

[Manny Gutierrez - EDITOR]

This Page Last Updated on : 15jul06