Leopoldo Fernández Pujals enrolled at Suffield in 1963, the year his father arrived at the school to teach Spanish. His dad, Genaro Fernández Centurión, taught here from 1963 to 1973. Leo has had a remarkable professional career, leading TelePizza and now Jazztel, a top telecommunications and data transmission carrier. A son of Leo’s named Carlos Centurión was a member of the Suffield Class of 1997. Leo and his wife, Marilina Fernández Vílchez, have three sons and they are all part of the Suffield Academy family. Alberto graduated in the Class of 2012, Andrés was a member of this year’s graduating class, and Alfonso is in the Class of 2015. SUFFIELD learned more about the common bonds these four family members share with their relationship to the Academy.
WHAT ARE YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES AT SUFFIELD? Leopoldo: We left Cuba in 1960 after my family lost everything. In 1961, there was the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and in 1962 The Cuban Missile Crisis. After that showdown, we knew Cuba was not going to be free for quite a while. To prepare for a long diaspora, my father, Genaro Fernández Centurión, who had a private law practice in Cuba, decided to become a Spanish professor to help maintain the family. After interviewing with Appleton Seaverns, my father accepted the position in the languages department at Suffield in 1963. I came along as part of the package for my senior year. My memorable experience was the sacrifice that my father made for his children, and in his honor Centurión Hall exists! Andrés: There are two experiences that always stand out in my Suffield career: Sunday brunches and the varsity golf road trips to away matches. Every Sunday the 2013 class reunited at 10:00 a.m. for brunch, and we shared captivating stories and loved each other’s company. I will never get tired of hearing Hat’s many tales and trying to pound chicken nuggets from Spring 2013 | 63