From Cuba to Louisiana: 1961-1975

Many people know that the Chemical Engineering Department was, in the past, closely linked to the Audubon Sugar School. The sugar industry was one of those industries that helped create "a new kind of professional, the chemical engineer" (see "Honoring Norbert Rilleux" in this issue). However, what some may not know is that a large number of Cuban students came to study at the Audubon Sugar School, and later the Department of Chemical Engineering, particularly during the two decades after Castro's rise in Cuba. We were able to contact some of these students and explore the reasons why they chose LSU, how they felt about their experiences here, and how it felt to leave Cuba behind.

René L. Sagebien (B.S. 1963) chose LSU because of a family he knew nearby in New Orleans. "Additionally," says Sagebien, "a close friend of my father had graduated as a Chemical Engineer from LSU and spoke very highly of the University."

Sagebien found a lot of friends in his new home town of Baton Rouge. "Math department Professor Dr. Richard Anderson offered to take my sister into his home to help me out financially and also to help my sister learn English," says Sagebien. "My sister had left Cuba and intended to enroll at LSU. She had no money and no place to go. I did not have any money either (having left Cuba without any money or support from home). I am quite grateful to Dr. Anderson for this wonderful gesture. In addition, Dr. Thom, whom we met through the Andersons, helped my parents find jobs and provided my parents with a place to stay free of charge. There were many other examples of families in the Baton Rouge community that helped the Cuban students and their families in many ways. These are wonderful memories."

Sagebien was the first Cuban student to re-enroll at LSU after Fidel Castro took over. "I had attended LSU for the Fall Semester of 1958 and was re-admitted in June 1961upon my return from Cuba as an exile," states Sagebien. "Upon my return, I found a number of Cuban students who I had met before at LSU who had not returned to Cuba like I did. They refused to believe that Castro had turned to communism and went back to Cuba upon graduation from LSU. A number of these students were not able to leave the country after their return for various reasons. Unfortunately, some of them are still in Cuba today. This is a not-so-fond memory."

After graduating, Sagebien began working for the DuPont Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as a Research Engineer. He has since worked for Ethyl Corporation, Hess Oil Virgin Islands Corporation, Amerada Hess Corporation, and HOVENSA (a joint venture between Amerada Hess and Petroleos de Venezuela). Currently, Sagebien resides in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, and is the President and COO of HOVENSA. We are proud to report that Sagebian received the Refining Executive of the Year Award from World Refining in April 2002. Interested readers can find an article on this prestigious award in the April edition of World Refining.

Sagebien accepts award.

Our own Professor Armando Corripio (B.S. 1963, M.S. 1967, Ph.D. 1970) went to work full time for Dow Chemical in Plaquemine after receiving his B.S. For five years he took graduate courses in the evening until he received his M.S. Then he left Dow and came full time to work on his dissertation research while teaching undergraduate courses as an instructor.

Professor Armando Corripio in 1971.

Corripio cites "the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion" as the beginning of his decision to come to LSU. "I was in the second semester of my junior year at Catholic University of Cuba on April 17, 1961, when [the invasion] took place. On that day Castro confiscated our University and closed it. I decided to come to the States to continue my education and join my fiancée and future wife Connie in Miami. There I met my friend and classmate Al Lopez (now VP at ExxonMobil) who told me he had decided to come to LSU to continue his education. We knew about LSU in Cuba because of its strong sugar engineering program, then part of the Chemical Engineering Department. So I decided to join Lopez and come. LSU was very generous in accepting our credits, and we were able to finish [the B.S.] in three semesters.

Corripio says that his fondest memories were of "the professors who were very knowledgeable and created an atmosphere of learning. There were only six professors, Jesse Coates, Bernard Pressburg, Frank Groves, Arthur Keller, James Cordiner, and Dale Von Rosenberg. I took courses from all of them and learned a lot about chemical engineering."

Corripio did not suffer much homesickness. "Since what I left behind was a concentration camp consisting of the entire island, I was so happy to be free that I did not even notice how much hardship I was going through. I was trying to eat three meals a day at Hatcher's Cafeteria for less than $2 total. I was able to do it, but I lost so much weight the doctors at the health center thought I had tuberculosis. After one semester at the North Stadium dorm-no air conditioning, but only $72 a semester-I married Connie, and my mother came from Cuba and joined us. This changed the nature of our hardships."

While most of the Cuban students from his period dispersed to other places, Professor Corripio chose to remain in LSU's Chemical Engineering Department. As he explains, "the second semester after my B.S. I took an evening course on process control from Professor Paul Murrill, who got his Ph.D. and replaced Von Rosenberg at the time I got my B.S. From that moment on, Paul started working on me to return to school and get a Ph.D. Four years later, when I finally decided to come back, he was head of the department. As I was about to finish my Ph.D. and accept a job with Exxon, Paul came in one morning and asked me if I had accepted a job yet. I told him I had not, and he asked me to wait, but he could not tell me why. What happened was that he was becoming Provost, on his way to Chancellor, and he offered me his position on the faculty. Being a case of the right place at the right time, I had to accept, and here I am. I have never regretted it."

Professor Corripio in the classroom in 1998.

Like Corripio Carlos A. Smith (M.S. 1970, Ph.D. 1972) also worked at Dow Chemical while attending LSU part-time. Smith recalls no homesickness for Cuba, only good memories of LSU: "Great memories all over! Great time, great University, great friends, and my two children were born in Baton Rouge!" Professor Smith became a faculty member at the University of South Florida, going "through the regular Assistant Prof, Associate Prof, and Professor steps." He is now the Associate Dean for Academics and has written two books, one of them with Professor Corripio.

After Alfredo Lopez (B.S. 1963, M.S. 1965, Ph.D. 1968) left Cuba for Miami, FL, he chose LSU as the place to finish his Chemical Engineering education. "I remember going to the city library to research the various university programs and costs," says Lopez. "I selected LSU because of the quality of their Chemical Engineering program and the very reasonable cost." Lopez has many fond memories of LSU, including "my life in the stadium dormitory; the tough courses by Dr. Pressburgh and Dr. Coates; my evenings in the Field House reading or studying; the extensive work required for the Process Design Project, which required several nights without sleep to complete; and the many friends that I made during those years." Lopez does not report feelings of homesickness. "I was starting a new adventure in a new country," states Lopez. "My home town in the US became Baton Rouge, Louisiana."

After graduating, Lopez joined Exxon Research and Engineering Company in Florham Park, NJ. He began as a Project Engineer in developing and applying advanced process control and optimization methods to refinery units. He is currently Vice President of Research & Development at the ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company and was inducted into LSU's Engineering Hall of Distinction in 2001. "I remember fondly a time when the President (Clarence Eidt) and two vice-presidents (Lopez [myself] and Don Daigle) out of 4 senior executives were LSU graduates!" says Lopez.

Like Lopez, Ivan Navarro (B.S. 1969) was drawn to LSU largely because of its quality Chemical Engineering program, but also because of friendship ties: "The school had a good reputation among the Miami Cuban community. Also I had a close friend who had a brother at LSU getting his Ph.D.; he was also a part time teacher." Navarro speaks of good memories, but notes loneliness for a family that was (at that time) still in Cuba.
After graduating, Navarro began working for UOP (Universal Oil Products) and has worked there since. He is a Regional Technical Manager in Europe.

The LSU Department of Chemical Engineering would like to recognize the Cuban students who received their degrees in this Department. Those who received their degrees between 1961 and 1975 are listed here. These students are invited to send us their email addresses and other information changes for inclusion in our alumni database:

Ricardo Abascal (B.S. 1970); Israel Cabrera (B.S. 1967); Ricardo Callejas (B.S. 1961, M.S. 1963); Robert Camacho (B.S. 1972)*; Leonardo Caraballo (B.S. 1970); Raul Cardenas (B.S. 1967)*; Orlando Cardoso (B.S. 1966); Joseph Curbelo (B.S. 1971); Eduardo Gonzales Del Valle (B.S. 1965, M.S. 1969, Ph.D. 1975); Ignacio Gonzales Del Valle (B.S. 1965, M.S. 1970); Gilberto Escobar (B.S. 1969, M.S. 1971); Alberto Espino (B.S. 1968, M.S. 1970); Enrique Espino (B.S. 1965); Ramon Espino (B.S. 1964); Segundo Fernandez (B.S. 1971); Jorge Ferrer (B.S. 1967); Carlos Finalet (B.S. 1967); Louis Gonzalez (B.S. 1967, M.S. 1969)*; Rafael Juantorena (B.S. 1975, M.S. 1977); Jose Lima (B.S. 1961, M.S. 1966); Ricardo Lima (B.S. 1970); Alfredo Lopez (B.S. 1963, M.S. 1965, Ph.D. 1968); Enrique Lopez-Aguiar (B.S. 1968, M.S. 1970); Mamerto Luzarraga (B.S. 1971); Jorge Martinez (B.S. 1977); Eduardo Martinez Lima (B.S. 1967)
John Medina (B.S. 1966); Carlos Moreno (B.S. 1972)*; Ivan Navarro (B.S. 1969)*; Ivan Peraza (B.S. 1970); Oscar Peraza (B.S. 1968); Martin Pinilla (B.S. 1967, M.S. 1975); Maria Rodriguez (B.S. 1963)* ; Alberto Rovira (B.S. 1964, M.S. 1966, Ph.D. 1981); Francisco Rovira (B.S. 1963)*; Rene Sagebien (B.S. 1963); Rodriguez Salazar (B.S. 1973); Nora Sanchez (B.S. 1965)*; Juan Santa-Coloma (B.S. 1964)*; Carlos Smith (B.S. 1970, M.S. 1972); Felipe Suarez (B.S. 1970); Jose Villa (B.S. 1964)*; Nemesio Viso (B.S. 1964, M.S. 1971).

*We have no contact information for these alumni. Any help in locating them would be greatly appreciated. Please send information to gradcoor@lsu.edu.

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