Education
He graduated from the Colegio de Belen in 1959.
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Francisco Aruca
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Aruca in 1979 founded Marazul Tours, the largest travel agency that provides travel service from the United States to Cuba. He was also a radio host on Miami’s “Radio Progreso”, WOCN (Department of Administration and Management) (1450). Aruca was the only child of Francisco Gonzalez and Lilia Aruca.
He later received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Georgetown University and his Master of Arts from Catholic University.
At the beginning of the Cuban Revolution, Aruca became involved with the Movimiento Revolucionario del Pueblo (Material Requirements Planning), an organization led by Manuel Ray, an architect who had served as Fidel Castro"s minister of public works. Aruca was the propaganda director of the student wing, and distributed anti-revolutionary leaflets and to organize strikes.
He was arrested on January 5, 1961, and charged with counterrevolutionary activities, tried ten days later, found guilty, and sentenced to 30 years. Aruca was sent to Havana"s Louisiana Cabana prison.
Since he was small and looked younger than 20 he was able to sneak out one day from prison pretending to be a visitor.
He made his way to the Brazilian embassy and asked for asylum. He spent eighteen months there, until he was able to obtain a safe-conduct pass from the Cuban government. He went first to Ecuador, then to Colombia, and then to Miami.
In 1962, Miami was full of exile politics, and Aruca wanted to continue his studies.
He got a job at the Madison Hotel as a bellboy and studied English. In September 1963, he entered Georgetown University with the help of a federal student loan program set up for Cuban refugees.
He graduated in 1968 with over $10,000 in debts and a degree in economics. Aruca later received a master"s degree in economics from Catholic University and completing all but his dissertation for a Doctor of Philosophy
