Madeline Hernandez's Obituary
Madeline Hernández was born in Havana, Cuba, on November 29, 1932. Her mother and grandmother were teachers. Her father was a doctor. She attended a prestigious private school, studied piano and mandolin, and graduated from the University of Havana School of Education. She had a postgraduate course in Applied Psychology and studied the French language at Alliance Française de la Havane.
In 1954, Madeline and her mother founded a Learning Center —the only private center of its kind in the whole history of Cuba— where they, together with a staff of 30 professionals and employees, took care of approximately 350 children.
Between 1957 and 1959, she was the anchor of a radio program with news and information about children and education; she also served as a consultant for The Children’s Paradise TV show and anchored another TV show named Infants and Toddlers.
When the Cuban government seized their school and imprisoned her then-husband, it started a long black period of her life, with three children, no job, and no money. She sold her car and her jewelry, did some translations from French to Spanish, and started what would be her support for a long time: teaching Spanish to foreigners, almost all of them members of diplomatic missions.
In 1987, when the Cuban government finally allowed her to leave the country, Madeline went to Spain. There, she worked where she could: as an interpreter of French, a copy editor of textbooks for an Editorial, and sometimes as a translator.
In 1989 Madeline entered, as a legal resident, in the USA. She immediately enrolled in Miami Dade College to study English and later took a Translation course. During that period, Madeline also taught Spanish and French at the College. She was a student and a teacher at the same time, at the same College.
Her first steady job in the United States was teaching Spanish at Motorola in Plantation. She also conducted seminars for Spanish Speaking Members of The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, at Republic National Bank, Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Beacon Council, and the Federal Public Defenders Office, all those in Miami. Madeline wrote a couple of articles for El Nuevo Herald about education and daycare centers.
Years later, she started working at Diario las Américas as a copy editor and then routed her career as a translator. In 1994, Madeline began working as a freelance translator for El Nuevo Herald until the Company hired her in 1997 to translate advertising. However, she also translated big campaigns of the University of Miami, Miami Dade College, Mount Sinai Hospital, and other important projects. She also had the opportunity to collaborate for several years with Event Marketing for the Annual Miami Herald’s Americas Conference and was even appointed as a part-time assistant to the Publisher.
On the side, Madeline translated for The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation, The Florida Children’s Forum, Miami-Dade School Readiness Coalition, University of North Florida Institute of Education, Miami-Dade Family Learning Partnership, The Children Trust, Healthy Start of Miami-Dade, Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation, United Way, and Ready Schools of Miami.
She retired from The Herald on June 5, 2009, the oldest person leaving that day. Madeline was always very grateful to The Herald for giving her an opportunity when she was 61, and she kept wonderful memories from the people she met and worked with.
She continued translating until she was 88 and left some writings about the correct use of Spanish, specially dedicated to the Spanglish-speaking Miamians.
Madeline Hernández died in her home on April 11, 2023. She is preceded in death by her ex-husband, José Ramón González-Regueral. Madeline is survived by sons José Ramón (Pepín) and Delio, daughter Madeline, and six grandchildren: Delio Jr., Rafael, Max, Eric, Karen, and Camila.
The family will receive friends Wednesday, May 10, 2023, from 5:00 pm to 10:30 pm, at Memorial Plan Westchester, 9800 SW 24th Street, Miami, Fl 33165.
Private interment will occur at a later date at Miami Memorial Park Cemetery.
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