Everyone knew about Jackie Robinson. Number 42. He was a great baseball player and was the first African American for the “major” leagues. Branch Rickey helped Jackie Robinson, who was the General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
In 1947, the Brooklyn Dodgers took the pre-season to Cuba to watch games in Havana. Bobby Madura and “Miguellitio” Suarez and Emilio de Armas formed the corporation and built the new Stadium in Havana.
Miguel Suarez was my grandfather. He and Branch Rickey had become friends.
In 1960, our whole family came to the United States to leave Castro. At first, my family moved to Pittsburgh and then moved to Havertown, west of Philadelphia. My mother, “Beba,” became friends with “Rickey,” who was Branch Rickey’s daughter. “Rickey’s” family had moved to Swarthmore. On a visit to her home, my mom said that her son, Emilio, worked for Shell in California. Rickey said that their daughter, Susie, was in college in California. Rickey and Beba gave the information to Emilio and Susie, and they got together. Susie was Branch Rickey’s granddaughter.
Emilio and Susie eventually got married and had two kids. Today they live in Texas.
