Rosa Leonor Whitmarsh Dueñas

Rosa Leonor Whitmarsh y Dueñas was born in the El Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Republic of Cuba. From childhood she developed a habit of reading. She was the great-granddaughter on her father's side of General and Lieutenant of the Liberating Army, Calixto García Iñiguez and on her mother's side of Doctor Joaquín L. Dueñas, considered by the National College of Physicians of Cuba as the first pediatrician on the island.

After completing her basic studies at the Colegio de Las Ursulinas and later at the Instituto público del Vedado, she went on to study at the University of Havana, where she graduated with a doctorate in Philosophy and Letters.

In 1961, she left Cuba through a scholarship in Ecuador. She arrived in Mexico where she resided for 22 years, working in different universities in the country, such as the National Autonomous University of Mexico. In 1984 she emigrated to the United States where she lived in Miami until her death, as a Cuban exile.

The Cuban intellectual, professor and writer "was an irreplaceable person in the Cuban community in exile, a woman dedicated to Cuba, who had as one of her objectives to continue the work of Calixto García and her ancestors. She was proud of her roots," said lawyer Rafael Peñalver, president of the Instituto San Carlos, who worked with Whitmarsh in organizing numerous events, such as the centennial of the Republic of Cuba in 2002.

Whitmarsh was in charge of the committee that directed the grand celebration, for which Duval Street was closed, where the Instituto San Carlos is located, and many people from Key West, Tampa and Miami attended. She was also the one who proposed that the Medal for Cuban National Excellence be established, which the Instituto San Carlos has been awarding since 1999 to almost 300 people who have made special contributions to the Cuban nation.

"She did this following Martí's phrase 'To honor honors' and the last presentation was this May 20, when [Rosa Leonor Whitmarsh] delivered one of her most extraordinary speeches," said Peñalver.

The lawyer also highlighted the sweet tone of Whitmarsh's voice, the respect and decorum with which she expressed herself. She offered numerous lectures about Cuba without "charging a cent," he pointed out.

In Miami Whitmarsh was a member of the Agrupación Calixto García, the Institut Jacques Maritain de Cuba, the Coalition of Cuban-American Women, the Grupo Concertación de Miami, the Círculo de Cultura Panamericano and the board of the National College of Journalists of Cuba in exile. She was also a member of the board of the Revista Herencia Cultural Cubana and the Pen Club de Cuba in exile.

"She was devoted to the highest Cuban values. She was not a person of superficialities, she was interested in achieving well-being for the Cuban people," said Peñalver, noting that she was always moderate in her tone and that she encouraged discussion from different points of view.

Representative of Cuban intellectuality of the Republic
Whitmarsh studied primary education at the Colegio de las Ursulinas and high school at the Instituto del Vedado, and also studied piano with professor Emma Botet under the supervision of Hubert de Blanck. She graduated in Philosophy and Letters and English from the University of Havana.

One of her fundamental roles, in keeping with her role as a defender of women's role in society, was as a member of the board of the Lyceum and Lawn Tennis Club of Havana. This club, founded by women in 1929 in Havana, was key to the development of cultural life on the island. The organization promoted the founding of the first free public library in Cuba and also the first one for children, as well as exhibitions of international artists such as Picasso.

Whitmarsh was in charge of the Music section of the Lyceum and Lawn Tennis Club in the 1950s and from there she encouraged the presentation of young talents, concerts and lectures. She also contributed to the publication of the Contradanzas by Manuel Saumell.

Peñalver noted that Whitmarsh encouraged women to be independent and to take on leading roles. "She opened paths for women, that was very important to her."

A great achievement in Whitmarsh's extensive career was that Dominican-Cuban professor and hispanist Camila Henríquez-Ureña invited her to be assistant professor of Spanish Language and Civilization at Vassar College in New York. She held this position until 1957, when she returned to Cuba.

"She was a brilliant representative of the best of Cuban intellectuality of the Republic," said professor and journalist Emilio Sánchez, who described her as "a bastion of Cuban culture in exile and a distinguished patriot."

"We crossed paths at conferences and events and I had the privilege, last year, of working together on the awarding of the Medal for Cuban National Excellence from the Instituto San Carlos. We will miss her very much," Sánchez concluded.

In 1960 Whitmarsh obtained, by competitive examination, the Chair of Spanish at the Instituto de Guanabacoa, but was unable to serve due to her opposition to Castroism. In 1961 she left Cuba with a scholarship to study in Ecuador.

She later went to Mexico where she studied at the National Autonomous University and worked as a professor of English and Spanish in Hebrew schools and university institutions.

Upon her arrival in Miami in 1984, she began her work as a teacher in Miami-Dade public schools and Miami Dade College, where she taught for more than a decade.

She also shared a segment of history with Agustín Tamargo that "raised the level of Miami radio," Peñalver noted.

She was also an inspiration and mentor to writers such as Angel Pardo and his wife, Emelina Núñez, who became involved in cultural life in Miami after spending several decades in Cuban prisons.

"She had vast knowledge. You always learned something from her," says Pardo, whose several books she reviewed.

She also wrote the prologue to Emelina Núñez's book, Las garras de los cuervos verdes—about the repression of political prisoners in Castro prisons—and was responsible for presenting it at the University of Miami.

Peñalver recounts that when visiting her at her home, near the very end, he tried to find the strength to record a voice message for the members of San Carlos, to encourage them in their work, but he could not.

"She asked that they maintain the vision of San Carlos and the struggle for Cuba," Peñalver concluded, saying that they will miss her smile, which she always gave to anyone, because for "her there was no distinction of class or race."