I believe Angel was with Fidel Castro and his brother-in-law the famous geographer (and really great guy) Antonio Núñez during the revolution and was mostly in charge (with Antonio) of cave exploration and mapping. He is full of more stories than you will have time to listen to. Get him to talk! For those of you who have been to the cave house in La Havana, there is a big photo on the wall of the whole group in a cave, with Castro (especially) all decked out in his normal army field gear, and all slopping through the mud. I believe Antonio published this photo in some of his books, so it’s available. John Greer Casper
> On Jul 7, 2015, at 5:43 PM, via Texascavers <texascavers@texascavers.com> > wrote: > > Attention: Spanish Speakers attending the NSS Convention in Missouri next week > > After several years of effort we have surmounted the considerable red-tape > and logistical difficulties to have a prominent Cuban caver and speleologist > attend our convention this year. Angel Graña Gonzalez Is a long-time caver, > Vice President of the Sociedad Espeleológica de Cuba (SEC), and Museum > Director of the Antonio Núñez Jimenez Foundation for Nature and Humanity > (FANJ), a major conservation organization in Cuba. FANJ has "saved" a number > of outstanding cave and karst areas from inappropriate development. > > Angel has welcomed cavers and speleologists to Havana for many years and has > been great friend to all of us visiting the karst of Cuba. He has limited > command of English, so I want to alert all of you who have a functional > Spanish vocabulary to seek Angel out and visit with him. It would be a great > assistance if some of you would also invite him along for various trips, > meetings, and events taking place during the week. Help us return the > hospitality he has extended to foreign cavers visiting Havana over the last > 50 years! > > Thanks to the generous support of the National Speleological Society through > our International Participation Grant, the Cave Conservancy Foundation > (Virginia) providing a Travel Stipend, and the Eco Cuba Network project of > the Green Cities Fund (air fare from Havana to St. Louis and return), we have > been able to fund his travel and to provide a small stipend for his meals, > lodging, and other day-to-day expenses while in the USA. Quite a number of > NSS members have assisted in helping this come to pass, especially María > Alejandra Pérez, Assistant Professor, West Virginia University, who is > picking him up in St. Louis and bringing him to the Convention. > > FYI for those of you who DO NOT speak Spanish, "Angel" is pronounced > "Ahn-hell". > > DirtDoc
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