Friends:
I cannot thank you enough for what you do to maintain relationships, memories and friendships for the 1964 Robert E. Lee High School. But let me try. . . .
At our gathering, I enjoyed very much the remarks made. It made me realize how fortunate we (the Rodons) were to have arrived at Lee and Staunton when we did.
I did not think that I deserved the honor to make remarks. After all, we were very late comers compared to speakers who shared many, many years of experiences growing up together. But if I had spoken, this is what I would have said:
"Our memories of Lee High are maybe more uniquely personal. We were from a different culture, spoke a different language and were brand new to the community. Just two years after leaving Cuba we were in this wonderful and very different world.
Yet, you welcomed us with open arms. Never did we not feel a part of your community that shared an ethic of hard work, honesty and a deep sense of personal and communal responsibility. My father once told me that what Americans appreciated most was "honesty and hard work." He was very right.
Today, we are bombarded by words that create distrust and promote divisions amongst good honest people. Some are labeling others which lead to distrust and rancor and perhaps make us all feel different or less worthy. I for one, have tremendous pride in being "American," not a bifurcated version, but just ..... "American." You, the friends at Lee High, reinforced our respect and love for this, The Greatest Country on Earth. I would never have it another way.
I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I tell my (adult) children about you (our Lee High friends) all the time, and urge them as Americans, to consider and accept the responsibilities that they now have. They are blessed beyond words to live here in America, to enjoy the sacrifice made by their grandparents to leave a tyrannical place for the democracy that is a shining example to the world!
With great respect we say THANK YOU! we never forget Robert E. Lee High School and the life long relationships that have with many of you.
God bless you, and this great and wonderful country.
Sincerely,
George Rodon
May 17, 2017, following the mini-reunion at the Clocktower Restaurant