Antillean Adventist University has its roots in Cuba of the early 1900s. After a disrupted educational attempt in 1911, the school became established in 1923. In 1939, the Inter-American Division of Seventh-day Adventists decided to move the campus to
Santa Clara from Bartle,
Oriente Province and to upgrade the institution to that of a junior college. It was the only educational institution in the Antillian Union which offered courses in Spanish above the primary grades. At the time, the Antillian Union of Seventh-day Adventists included the Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Jamaica.
The Battle of Santa Clara The
Cuban Revolution's decisive
Battle of Santa Clara in December 1958, took place within a few miles of Antillian College. Walter J. Brown, then president of the college, provided an eyewitness account for the Adventist flagship journal, the
Review and Herald. The battle took place in the last days of December, 1958. Bombing had destroyed transportation routes causing two hundred of the college's students to remain on campus during the Christmas season. Across the road from the college was
Central University. On Saturday, December 27, the college cancelled all their many activities off campus. Special prayers were offered for protection and the return of peace to the nation. Around midnight, Saturday night, two
barbudos from Ernesto (Che) Guevara column were posted to guard the college's building. Others had taken over the university across the highway from them. The college folk went to see these famous "men from the hills." The two bearded and armed barbudos were very tired, yet confident of their cause. They soon discovered that the college folk were not hostile to them. Charles R. Taylor, of the Bible department, obtained a sleeping bag. The two soldiers took turns sleeping in it. The college folk went to the university entrance. There they found a large number of rebels. The rebels were tired and hungry but friendly. They were offered cold milk from the college dairy, for which they expressed their gratitude. Brown further recounted, "We walked to the university campus and there found the commander,
Dr. Ernesto (Che) Guevara (who had previously been befriended by Adventist), with an assistant looking over the map of the city. He soon came over and spoke with us, requesting the school to provide food for doctors, nurses, and others who might be coming through during the next few days. When we indicated that we had a problem in obtaining milk and food, he indicated that we were now in the Free Territory of Cuba, and that the rebel soldiers would see to it that we received all that was necessary.... At noon of that first day, about one hundred men came in for dinner. Mrs. Pena, our acting matron, had them sit at the tables. Then she explained the procedure in our cafeteria, adding that it is our custom always to ask God to bless the food before we begin to eat. She asked Mr. Santos, our food-factory manager, to pray. As he started, the rebels, who had been sitting down, stood up, turned in Mr. Santos' direction, and stood in complete silence during the prayer." ==See also==