Welcome to my site.

This website is designed to educate and share information about Cuba and related topics based on my personal travel, living experiences as well as personal research conducted both in the U.S. and Cuba including interviews with people living in Cuba (not government officials).

José I. Ramírez was born in Cuba and came to the United States at the age of fifteen as part of what is known today as Operation Pedro Pan as one of the over 14,048 unaccompanied children that left Cuba 1960-62. Over fifty-four years ago, he married Judy and they have two sons (José Jr. and Jason).

José obtained a Bachelor’s degree from Merrimack College and a Master’s degree from Boston University. He had a 40 year career in human resources with an emphasis on Employee Relations, International practices, Diversity and Inclusion, and taught Human Resources Management at the University level for ten years. He also consulted and taught on multicultural and inclusion matters throughout and following the end of his career. José also delved into writing on a set of topics reflecting the diversity of his interests. In the academic field, he was a contributor to a paper formally presented at the Oxford University International Conference on Social Values entitled “A Perspective on Corporate Control and Local Responsiveness in the Policy Formulation Process.” He also coauthored an article published in the International Human Resources Journal entitled “When is a Worldwide Human Resources Policy Desirable?”

Following his full retirement, he translated, edited, and published a book entitled Notas y Recuerdos Notes and Memories, a set of stories about his father’s experiences in Cuba as a medical student and as a medical doctor in the countryside. He has also authored, co-authored, translated and contributed to a set of biographies for SABR (Society for American Baseball Research). These biographies can be found on the “Articles” page of this website and along with other SABR published biographies of Cuban born players at https://sabr.org/bioproj/category/birthplace/cuba/. José’s article entitled “Trees Are Crying Too” dealing with his arrival to the U.S. was published by the Southern Genealogist’s Exchange Quarterly also found in the Articles page. He authored Defining Moments A Cuban Exile’s Story about Discovery and the Search for a Better Future which relates the story of his arrival to the United States as a refugee and subsequent trips back to Cuba. Writing and editing Huellas and Footprints culminated a long held commitment to gather his family’s history. His most recent book is Cuba and the “Last” Baseball Season. This is a story not previously written in great detail about the last professional baseball season in his home country that captures the sacrifice players and their families endured during that time. Access to his writings can be found on the Books page.

From 2002 to the present, he has advocated for an effort that has provided support to an Elderly Breakfast/Lunch program and Religious Education for Children, as well as critical repairs to his former Church Parish in Cuba. In addition to writing, he delivers lectures about his many experiences, some of which can be found on the Videos page. He continues to do research for a yet to be published new book. José lives in Florida and Massachusetts and can be contacted at jignacior@comcast.net