Geygla G Riley
I am Geygla Gonzalez Vergara, Gerardo's Daughter. My parents made my name out of theirs, Gerardo y Gladys. I want to share part of what my chess playing, golf playing, tennis playing, basketball playing, salsa dancing, poem writing, etc Father accomplished in his life, besides being the greatest love of many of our lives in this family and among his friends.
While attending El Instituto in Havana Cuba, my dad did an exchange student program at Hiwassee College in Tennessee and perfected his English. After finishing his Juris Doctor at the University of Havana, he left the newly Communist Cuba and came to America in 1961, where he worked three labor jobs simultaneously for two years to support his family.
In 1963 he had the opportunity to relocate to Terre Haute, Indiana to participate in a program for professional Cubans to prepare to teach Spanish in Indiana high schools. He got a Bachelor’s Degree in Education at Indiana State Teacher's College, began teaching at Hammond Gavit Highschool, continued to study for his Master’s all the while driving my mom to Chicago to get her second teaching, this time, American, degree at Roosevelt University.
In 1968 we moved from Munster, Indiana, where my mom also taught Spanish at Bishop Knoll Institute in Hammond. In the meantime my Dad got two master's degrees, one in Counseling at Purdue University and one in Psychology at Indiana University. I remember the hundreds of hours studying, talking about Cervantes, Josep Pla, and Molina. We discussed great Philosophers and Religion. My Dad invited Leo Buscaglia to IU to speak because his sentiments reminded with his so much. My dad loved Jesus and love and forgiveness above all. He loved the unloveable.
Meanwhile he was teaching my sister and me French on our summer vacations in Miami Beach, hiring a woman from Paris as a tutor. He made going to the library an adventure, saw to it that we viewed classical and contemporary movies, that we went to plays, the ballet, and concerts, and that I had ballet and modern dance classes. We had many trips to New York City at Christmas, trips to Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Nashville and Indianapolis, and to lots of basket ball games. He loved basketball. He coached basket ball off and on all his life after his highschool and college career and time in Cuba’s Olympic Team. He taught us how to play tennis, dance salsa, and even how to box, another passion of his! He loved Trini Lopez.
We danced and sang at home, had our own little dance parties. My dad was so fun. He called himself carrancho and chased us around like a funny bear. Life was music, arts, stories, sports, beach and adventures. He wanted us to become Americans and remain Cuban, both, so every Summer of my youth he and my Mom would drive us to Miami Beach for the season so we could go to the beach every day, visit family and friends from Cuba, go to parties and events. My dad would save pennies if he had to so we could cap off the summer with a great concert or trip to Disney before we headed home and back to school.
If I were to share all the great memories of my Dad’s strength, joy, kindness, thoughtfulness, perseverance, and love for his family, it would fill volumes in whole city libraries. The greatest testament to my Dad is the people my Sister and I and our kids are, people who want to be good, serve others, and be just like our Mom and Dad. We were a powerful quartet. Much credit to my amazing Grandparents, Ramon Gonzalez Barreto Febles, and Loreto Estela Fundora Cuevas de Gonzalez. What a blessed family. So much love. Here is my Dad’s beautiful Mom, Abuela Estela.
Geygla