Armando Felix "Tantor" Hidalgo '63

Armando Felix "Tantor" Hidalgo '63. Nov. 20, 1943 - Jan. 16, 2010. , In the human experience, nothing has the power to transcend political and cultural boundaries quite like sport. On September 10, 1962, Armando "Tantor" Hidalgo '63, one of the 21 Cuban emigres that attended Salesianum from 1960-64, took the field on this spot as a member of Salesianum's Varsity Football Team., Just to reach this spot was a remarkable feat in itself., Like many of his Cuban classmates, Tantor arrived at Salesianum entirely alone via Operation Peter Pan, a program for unaccompanied minors whose parents made the agonizingly difficult decision to send their children to the US because they feared losing their parental authority to the Cuban government., By learning a sport he barely knew existed mere months prior, Tantor became a bridge to two different cultures for his classmates. For his Cuban classmates, he provided an avenue to participate in the American high school experience. For his American classmates, he embodied gentle strength by playing hard, embracing the unfamiliar, and participating every day in the classroom and on the field., Teammate and former All-American Harry Alexander '63, praised Tantor as having the "largest heart on the team." That heart enriched his classmates, Cuban and American, by facilitating a cultural exchange that defined what it means to be unidiverse, creating lasting bonds, and be a Salesian Gentleman., Tenui Nec Dimittam , [I held on and would not let go].