Everyday
People: From Cuba to the North Coast
Manuel Suarez loves Astoria … and the rainPosted: Monday,
June 30, 2014 1:51 pm
By
Ted Shorack
The Daily Astorian | 0 comments
How does one end up
in Astoria after fleeing Fidel Castro’s Cuban Revolution
and living on the East Coast their entire life?
The same reason many
people fall in love with the area: the green scenery, the
river and ocean views, the small town atmosphere, and, the
rain?
“We like the
weather,” said Manuel Suarez. “People complain about the
rain, but let me tell you, it’s nice. It’s a nice
change.”
Suarez lived in
Florida for 35 years before moving to the Northwest. With a
son who lives in San Diego, he and his wife Kathryn wanted
to move to the West Coast. The couple came to Astoria after
trying out Seattle for a year.
Kathryn visited the
North Coast during a whale-watching trip and became enamored
with what she had discovered.
“When she drove through Astoria and Seaside, she just fell
in love with the area,” said Suarez. A nurse practitioner,
his wife transferred to Providence Seaside Hospital. They
now live in Jeffers Garden.
Suarez is a substitute teacher for the local high schools.
“I’ve enjoyed getting to know and meeting a lot of the
teachers at the different high schools and the students,
too,” he said.
Suarez was born in Cuba as the 13th child of 14 siblings.
His father, who was an academic, was arrested following the
Cuban Revolution in 1959. Suarez said his father was able to
bribe a guard in order to make his escape and get on a boat
destined for the United States.
“Once he left,
they weren’t very interested in the rest of us,” said
Suarez, who was 6 years old at the time. The rest of the
family was able to get tickets on a ferry boat with the help
of a friend at the Brazilian Embassy. They landed in Fort
Lauderdale, Fla.
His father
eventually got a teaching job at The Catholic University of
America in the District of Columbia and the family moved to
McLean, Va.
Suarez sprouted up
to 6-foot-6 and played basketball at St. Anselm’s Abby
School, an all-boy prep school in Washington, D.C., He then
received a scholarship to play for Jacksonville University.
After college, he became a math teacher at a prep school in
Tampa, Fla.
At the other end of
the state, his brother, Xavier Suarez, famously became the
first Cuban-born mayor of Miami and of any major U.S. city
in 1985. His brother is now a Miami-Dade County
commissioner.
Suarez began
substitute teaching at Astoria High School first, but now
fills in at Warrenton, Seaside, Jewell and Knappa. He
teaches everything from physical education to math and even
helps out in the special-needs class at Astoria. It’s
another nice change from what he’s used to.
“I find the
students to be very respectful of adults,” he said,
remarking at how they open the door for adults. “It’s
something you don’t see at other schools.”
Suarez has also been
introduced to the local bridge players and is now a board
member of the Seaside Bridge Club. He’s often playing down
at the Port of Astoria offices or at players’ homes.
Suarez still plays
basketball from time to time at some of the local pick-up
games. He hopes to mentor a basketball player at Astoria
High School next year and take him to check out a game at
Lewis & Clark College in Portland.
