U.S.-Cuban detente worries refugees By David Dinnell Carlos Mayans remembers April of 1962 as if it were yesterday. "Some things you never forget," he said of what was a monumental year for him and his family.
Photo by David Dinell
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All of Carlos Mayans’ possessions were jammed into this suitcase when he left Cuba in 1962.
That was when 13-year-old Mayans escaped from Communist-controlled Cuba, a month after his brother and sister did. He lived in a refugee camp for almost two months before he came to live with foster parents in Kansas. He's been here ever since. He made a new life for himself, including serving as Wichita's mayor from 2003 to 2007. Mayans has not been back to Cuba. He can't go, even if he wanted to. His passport is stamped, "not to return." Now 67 and retired, he and his wife, Linda, live in west Wichita. Mayans recently spent some time reflecting on the huge changes going on between his native country and his adopted country. For the first time since 1961, the United States and Cuba have diplomatic relations, which started this past summer. Mayans has mixed feelings. "Opening it up is not necessarily a bad thing," he said, "and I hope things will change. But I have my doubts." He's disappointed that the United
Photo courtesy of Operation Perdo Pan Group
Aircrafts such as this one brought children from Cuba to the United States in the early 1960s during Operation Peter Pan. States is not getting concessions from the Cuban government to improve its human rights record, to hold fair elections and to ensure that economic development reaches the poorest among the Cuban population.
'Hypocritical' rulers Moving into a new phase of U.S.-Cuba relations will take careful stewardship and wary oversight, Mayans said. "Good things can happen, but they have to be managed." He makes no secret of his disdain See Cuba, page 12
Memories of the days of live TV Editor’s note: KAKE-TV, Ch. 10, celebrates its 61st anniversary Oct. 19, 2015. By David Dunn I have great memories about my days at KAKE-TV. In 1952 I was working as the engineering studio supervisor at KANS radio. I was 19 and had been with them since 1947, or since I was 14. I was in radio heaven. I had worked my way through North High School and bought a new Chrysler. (I don’t know how I did that on $50 a week.) I felt so successful that I started planning a wedding to my 7th grade sweetheart. We met at Horace Mann and just knew that we had the world by the tail.
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The day after my wedding Imagine waking up in the Lassen Hotel Bridal Suite the morning after your Saturday-night wedding with your beautiful 18-year-old bride next to you, and then telling her you have to do a remote broadcast of a choir at the Forum Auditorium. Well that was me, the devoted engineer. It was a blessing in disguise though, because the chief engineer of KAKE Radio, Harold Newby, was doing the same thing. I don’t think it was his wedding morning, but he was broadcasting the same singing group. We started talking afterwards, and he wanted to know See KAKE, page 8
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