{"id":27863,"date":"2021-07-12T12:00:49","date_gmt":"2021-07-12T16:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/?p=27863"},"modified":"2021-07-12T12:04:47","modified_gmt":"2021-07-12T16:04:47","slug":"he-fled-cuba-and-made-mdc-his-home-pepe-celebrates-50-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/he-fled-cuba-and-made-mdc-his-home-pepe-celebrates-50-years\/","title":{"rendered":"He Fled Cuba And Made MDC His Home\u2014\u201cPepe\u201d Celebrates 50 Years At North Campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jos\u00e9 \u201cPepe\u201d Garcia has witnessed most of Miami Dade College\u2019s history first-hand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the 85-year-old started working at North Campus in 1970, only one other campus existed<\/span>\u2014South Campus, which was later renamed Kendall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scott Hall\u2014North campus’ main edifice\u2014had been completed only seven years prior and buildings 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 and the daycare center didn\u2019t exist.<\/span><\/p>\n

Garcia has seen North Campus\u2014sandwiched between Opa-locka and Hialeah\u2014transform into an educational giant that serves more than 41,000 students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud to say I work at MDC,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cI love MDC as if it were my own life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In many ways, it has become that.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Looking Spiffy: Jos\u00e9 \u201cPepe\u201d Garcia poses for a photo commemorating his 50th anniversary at Miami Dade College. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN COBAS\/ NORTH CAMPUS MEDIA SERVICES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On May 26, Garcia\u2019s dedication to what is his second<\/span>\u2014though you could argue it\u2019s his first\u2014home <\/span>was celebrated at the <\/span>North Campus Service Awards <\/span><\/a><\/span>commemorating his 50th anniversary with the College.<\/p>\n

As a mariachi group serenaded him, he gingerly walked to center stage in a blue polo and brown trousers sporting his trademark crew cut accented by healthy tufts of white hair.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Visibly emotional, Garcia struggled to form words as he wiped tears from his eyes and patted his heart.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got excited knowing that I was receiving love and recognition for my work,\u201d Garcia said as he recounted the moment. \u201cI was so happy to the point that I was actually speechless.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Garcia was born in Havana, Cuba. He arrived in Miami on July 28, 1959\u2014at the age of 24\u2014fleeing Fidel Castro’s oppressive regime and becoming a United States citizen a few years later.<\/span><\/p>\n

He hit it off with his neighbor<\/span>\u2014<\/span>Angela Gotera\u2014who would become his wife a year later. Although they didn\u2019t have children, they were married for nearly 50 years before she passed away in 2009 from emphysema, a lung condition that causes shortness of breath.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe understood and treated each other so well,\u201d Garcia fondly recalled.<\/span><\/p>\n

His first job in the U.S. was as a carpenter for Coda Wood. Garcia worked there for 11 years making dining room table sets and couches. But in 1970, he was forced to look for another job when the company filed for bankruptcy.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the advice of a friend, Garcia applied to be a full-time night shift custodian at North Campus and he landed a job on the cleaning crew in the 600 building. He switched to day shift seven years later and was charged with cleaning various areas including the cafeteria and gym.<\/span><\/p>\n

By 2006, Garcia had joined the campus\u2019 moving crew. They set up events such as the inauguration for the <\/span>Rising Black Scholars Program<\/span><\/a><\/span> on June 15 or the recent Board Of Trustees meeting held at North Campus.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt 70 years old, [Pepe] joined the moving crew, handling chairs and tables like he was 40,\u201d said Henry Thompson, the recently retired director of custodial services in a pre-taped video commemorating Garcia\u2019s 50 years at MDC. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to see him outwork some of the younger guys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s with the moving crew that Garcia has felt most at home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s always willing to go the extra mile and always willing to stay when we run behind,\u201d said Glen Fulton, who serves as head custodian and has worked with Garcia since 1993.<\/span><\/p>\n

The tight-knit unit has also shared many fond memories. Every year during Christmas they host an intimate lunch on campus in their breakroom. They each bring a Latin dish to share with the group including arroz con pollo (yellow rice and chicken), Cuban black beans and rice, and ham.<\/span><\/p>\n

They have also been there for each other during tumultuous times. Like when Fulton\u2019s wife<\/span>\u2014<\/span>Charlotte Fulton<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u2014succumbed to lung cancer in 2017. Two years later they comforted each other when their long-time co-worker\u2014<\/span>Casey Thomas<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u2014died after suffering a heart attack at home. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They did the same for Garcia in 2013 when he <\/span>was hit by a Honda Pilot in parking lot 16 at North Campus<\/span><\/a><\/span>. Garcia was transported to Hialeah Hospital. He sustained broken ribs, a fractured femur and cerebral hemorrhaging and underwent several surgeries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After recuperating in the hospital for two months, he underwent a rehab stint at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Sunrise. But Garcia never felt alone. His co-workers, who have become life-long friends, checked in on him to make sure he was in good spirits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust knowing that they were there for me made me happy,\u201d Garcia said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now after more than five decades, Garcia is considering leaving the place that has made him the happiest. He is contemplating retirement in January. Those who know him say they would miss his sunny disposition, energy and the passion he has for his job.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re having a bad day, you can just sit and have a conversation with him and it melts your heart,\u201d said Evelyn Rodriguez, the director of campus services at North Campus. \u201cHe\u2019s a man that never argues or complains and is always willing to do what is needed, with an ability to be [a] light.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jos\u00e9 \u201cPepe\u201d Garcia has witnessed most of Miami Dade College\u2019s history first-hand.\u00a0 When the 85-year-old started working at North Campus in 1970, only one other campus existed\u2014South Campus, which was later renamed Kendall.\u00a0 Scott Hall\u2014North campus’ main edifice\u2014had been completed only seven years prior and buildings 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 and the daycare […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":582,"featured_media":27835,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2748],"tags":[3006,3007],"class_list":{"0":"post-27863","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-north-campus","9":"tag-campus-services","10":"tag-50th-anniversary"},"yoast_head":"\nHe Fled Cuba & Made MDC Home\u2014\u201cPepe\u201d Celebrates 50 Years At North<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jose \u201cPepe\u201d Garcia has worked at North Campus for 50 years. 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