Puerto Rican professor Pedro Hernández López honors Marti’s concept that “homeland is the most beautiful word” and another one almost as beautiful as homeland is friendship. It shows his love for the beloved land of Puerto Rico, where he was born 76 years ago, and the love he feels for Cuba since he visited it for the first time in 2010, adding since then, very good friends.
“That first ten-day visit to Havana I made with the doctoral students of the Inter-American University of San Germán (Puerto Rican city founded on August 12, 1573), on the initiative of Dr. Zulma Quiñones Senati (educator, writer and cultural manager). Since then, I have been fascinated by this country, for its admirable history, its noble, hard-working, revolutionary and very supportive people”.
A native of San Sebastián de las Vegas del Pepino – where he keeps his roots, the house of his grandparents and mother, although he lives in San Juan, the capital -, Pedro brought back to Cuba a group of students, in 2015, in coordination with the “Amistur” Agency and the Cuban Friendship Institute (ICAP) and in 2022 he had the experience of integrating the “Juan Rius Rivera” Solidarity Brigade and had the opportunity to meet the first secretary of the Party and President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.
“There are more occasions when I have traveled in the company of one or another friend and, in recent years, with Ramón Soto Vélez. That has made it possible for me to visit almost all Cuban provinces, where I have exchanged with many people from different social sectors, which has allowed me to admire their sympathy and altruism, their culture and determination to defend the conquests that have cost so many sacrifices to sustain”.
Among the territories visited, he admitted that he likes most the cities of Havana, Holguin, Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos and Trinidad, although “in all of them I have had very nice experiences, which allow me to love more this country and its heroic and noble people”.
This simple, kind, generous and upright man, whose qualities he inherited from his parents, Pedro and Angela, together with his siblings Silvia Esther and Alberto, devoted himself to his studies since childhood, which he spent between his homeland and New York, whose teaching base, enriched with reading, made it possible that in 1969 he finished his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with excellent grades, followed in 1974 by a Master’s Degree in that specialty and in business administration at Harvard Business School. Six years later, he earned his PhD in science at New York University.
“I also served as a professor at the University of Puerto Rico, Seton Hall in New Jersey, Baruch College in New York, as well as at the Metropolitan University of San Juan. I was Dean of the business school and Professor in the Master of Business program, until 2020, when I retired.”
The history also highlights how this site, then known as El Pepino, evolved from 1690, when its inhabitants were dedicated to cattle raising and in 1770 agriculture began to take center stage in its economy, it started to be called Las Vegas del Pepino, until Basque and Catalonian immigrants, who became important investors, promoted the idea of honoring the religious martyr, without leaving aside the original name. Thus, in 1976, it was decided to officially register this municipality as San Sebastian de las Vegas del Pepino, which prevails to this day.
Pedro, a supportive friend, has mastered the history of his beloved Puerto Rican island, he is pained by the wounds suffered by his people and its colonial status, but admits that nothing can dent the pride he feels for his roots. He, who since his retirement has visited several countries, knows how to make good friends, practices solidarity with total detachment and as a lover of culture, particularly music, he distinguishes himself as a tireless dancer, who does not miss the opportunity to move his body on any stage.
Pedro, which is derived from the Greek Petrus and in the Holy Scriptures means stone, is certainly of strong character and convictions, someone who does not give ground when it comes to doing what he sets out to do and knows how to command respect, while distinguishing himself as an altruistic, communicative, faithful and friendly being.
As the active, resourceful and persevering professional that he is, in addition to trips with students to Cuba, he organized one to China, in 2009, with 45 students and in 2011 he shared responsibilities in an important activity that took place at the headquarters of the Latin American Council of Management Schools, in which more than 700 Latin American professors participated.
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