My father was born in the city of Cienfuegos, Cuba, on 25th of November 1868, and died on 8th November 1949, when he was 81 years old. His father and mother were Lorenzo Martínez Arquiaga and Julie Blanchard Gougerot. His oldest brother Ramón was ten years older than him, then Carlos, Carlota, Julia Eugenia, and then Alberto the youngest, who was five years younger than Carlota.

It was the year 1900 when he returned to Cuba, well prepared and educated. He spoke French perfectly and knew how to play the piano and enjoyed playing Chopin waltzes, his favorite music. He had many friends, attending many social evenings, soirées and theater concerts. He also went on excursions and picnics in the countryside organized by his friends, family reunions, nocturnal moonlight boating trips, had several girlfriends in the younger years of his life, and therefore, he enjoyed a romantic environment in his life when he was young, but decided not to get married soon.

“Colegio Cienfuegos” had a good Zoological and Mineralogy Museum, and also a Laboratory in Physics and Chemistry. Initially, the building that he had prepared and in which he installed the school was situated on San Fernando Street, corner of Independence Avenue, nowadays 54th Avenue, corner of 37th Street. While his school was at this location, in the year 1902, he met the person who later would become his wife, María Esperanza Pérez Manzanares.

My mother, María Esperanza, was born in the city of Matanzas, Cuba, who with her grace and beauty knew how to enchant Alberto, the marriage following soon afterwards, in the city of Cienfuegos, Cuba, on 10th of May 1903. They prepared to reside in the house next to the school, on San Fernando Street.

“Colegio Cienfuegos” started to grow and, after a while, the building where the school was located became too small, and having to expand the space, they decided to move to Independence Avenue, Prado corner to Arguelles, nowadays 37th Street, corner to 52nd Avenue, the school occupying a land extension of 1/4 of a block, and at the same time, they moved their residence next to the new school, on Arguelles Street.

At this residence their children were born, who in chronological order are: Alicia, Albert, Luis, Emma and Elsie, although the latter one was born many years later. Their second child, Albert, died when young and this was a great sorrow to the family.

The school did not stop growing, and now, not only the students from the city of Cienfuegos attended, but also families from the surrounding areas. Also families from all the adjacent municipalities sent their children to “Colegio Cienfuegos”, attending the section of student interns. Due to the existence of the school and the prestige it had acquired, it had become very well renowned, the news having reached many of the surrounding areas. It is also well to mention that the school had students from other provinces, Havana and Camaguey.

It was the year 1916 when Alberto, with the courage and enthusiasm of his personality, was able to bring forth all his goals and had to move the school premises again for need of more space. The school occupied a splendid and marvellous house three stories high, situated on #123 Arguelles Street, between Santa Isabel and San Luis, nowadays 52nd Avenue, between 27th and 29th Streets. This house was ideal for the school, because it had splendid rooms for classrooms, laboratories, office, museum and spacious courtyards. The house that was occupied by the student interns was situated across the street from the school, on #150 Arguelles Street, nowadays 52nd Avenue, between 27th and 29th Streets.

Years passed well, and it was the year 1923 when their youngest daughter was born, Elsie Margarita Raquel.

The school continued to flourish for many years, although upon coming into power the second stage of the Machado government, there were not enough jobs in the country, and life was very difficult. However, although the situation in the country was not good, “Colegio Cienfuegos” maintained an acceptable amount of students, during this time.

His son, Octavio Luis, who studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Havana, Cuba, for which career he always felt an inclination from the time he was quite young, graduated from the University of Havana in 1936. He was Professor of Electrical Engineering Machinery at the University of Havana. He also was the owner of an electrical company in Havana.

At the same time, his daughter Alicia also attended the University of Havana, where she studied for four years and received a Doctor in Pedagogy degree, after having studied previously for two years at the New Rochelle School for young women in New York. Also attending the school in New Rochelle at the same time was her first cousin, María Julia, the only daughter of Alberto’s sister, Carlota. Alicia became Professor of Geography at the Public Institute of Secondary Education, in Cienfuegos.

Besides being the owner and schoolmaster of “Colegio Cienfuegos”, Alberto also won a very difficult competitive exam in 1935, among many other applicants who were also in attendance, and therefore, he went on to become Professor in French Language of the Institute of Secondary Education, College Preparatory, in Cienfuegos, where he also started teaching in 1936.

During 1945, his youngest daughter Elsie started working as Assistant Professor in French at the Public Institute of Secondary Education, in Cienfuegos. Alberto was very happy. It was not yet another year when his daughter Emma, who had also recently graduated with a Doctor in Pedagogy degree from the University of Havana, started teaching Natural Sciences at the Basic Secondary Education School in Cienfuegos.

Upon his retirement in 1947, he was able to dedicate more time to his family and friends, also attending on a daily basis the Lyceum Society, in Cienfuegos, of which society he was the Chief Librarian for many years, as well as Honorary Member for Life. Alberto with his wife and family also attended the beautiful get-togethers and Christmas parties that the Lyceum Society offered. He also frequently attended the Cienfuegos Yacht Club and Club de Cazadores, where he enjoyed swimming in the ocean during the summer months.

In the Lyceum Society, he also enjoyed playing chess, where on one occasion he had the opportunity in a round of many tables of chess and among many friends to play against the famous Cuban chess player Capablanca, who naturally won the games.

He always studied and analyzed Christian Science, with which he had become acquainted during one of their trips to New York, and in which he always remained interested. He was also a Mason and was a Board Member of the Fernandina de Jagua and Asilo de la Virtud Lodges.

Towards the end of the year 1945, Alberto had started to be less active and led a more serene life, although he always went every morning to the Library of the Lyceum Society to work as the Chief Librarian. At home he spent time reading, writing, listening to radio programs, and also enjoyed his family and the new grandchildren that had been born, who were: Lillian Alicia and Giselle Estrella Martinez-Blanchard de la Torre, Virgilio Alberto and Alberto de Jesús Regueira Martinez-Blanchard, and Leonardo Alberto Inclán Martínez-Blanchard, however, not getting to know the rest of his grandchildren. He died surrounded with the love of his closest relatives on the 8th of November 1949.

There was a great manifestation of condolences at his burial. All the schools in Cienfuegos, religious as well as laic, sent buses full of students on the day of his burial. Many Catholic congregations attended his funeral and prayed for him. The faculty and students of the Public College Preparatory High School in Cienfuegos stood at guard in his honor. Since he had belonged to Masonry, the Fernandina de Jagua and Asilo de la Virtud Lodges offered the liturgies that are customary for a member of his level. A few days before his death, as he wished, he confessed with a Father of the Catholic Church and he was administered the Saintly Oils.

His casket was covered with a beautiful flower arrangement that his widow and children had bought for him. On the 9th of November 1949, at 9 o’clock in the morning the funeral procession of Alberto Martínez Blanchard left from their house to the Tomas Acea Cemetery, where he received Christian sepulchre in the family vault. The cards with dedications, the telegrams of condolence received, and letters of condolence were archived by his widow.