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PUBLISHED ON EDITION NO.
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323L
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10/22/2009 |
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Square named after the Tabits |
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By Alberto Surís
albertosuris@rumbonews.com |
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“Proud
immigrants and loyal citizens,” reads the sign placed at the
corner of Massachusetts Ave., and Shepard St. in Cambridge, MA
honoring Eddy and Cloty Tabit, recognizing their efforts in
maintaining and running Montrose Spa for the past 35 years.
The Square was dedicated in a ceremony held Sunday, October
18, 2009 at Chez Henrí Restaurant, on Shepard St., where City
Councilor Kenneth Reeves made the announcement and delivered a
city proclamation honoring the Tabits, a few steps from their
Montrose Spa Convenience Store, located at 1646 Massachusetts
Avenue.
The Tabits took over the store in February of 1974, after
working for First National Bank of Boston in the Comptroller
Department for several years. In 1980, Cloty’s brother Tommy
joined them and with his help, they decided to add a deli
department to the store and started featuring Cuban
sandwiches, promising themselves to produce the best Cubano in
town.
Always striving to offer the best to their clientele, their
efforts were rewarded. On Wednesday, August 12, 1998, the
Boston Globe published an article by Ted Wisner, “On the case
of The Cubano.” After traveling all over the United States
sampling Cuban sandwiches, Wisner determined that the Cuban
sandwiches from Montrose Spa Convenience Store were the best
in the country. “The rest is history,” said Eddy.
Being in the convenience store business was not new to Tabit.
Back in his native country, Cuba, his father Manuel Tabit used
to own “La Moderna,” a variety store located in the City of
Vereda Nueva, Southwest of Havana where as a young boy, he was
always ready to help specially during Christmas time, the
busiest season.
“La Moderna”, located at 20 Maceo Street, was established back
in the late 1800s by 18-year-old Salim Tabit Tabit, Eddy
Tabit’s grandfather, an immigrant born in Beirut, who first
came to New York looking for the American dream but found the
place was too cold for him. Instead, he landed in Cuba and
started a family.
Education has been a must and a tradition in the Tabit family.
During his younger days, Eddy Tabit went to local schools
first, moving later to Havana for higher education. After
graduating in 1955 from Baldor Business Academy with high
honors, he went to the University of Villanova from where he
could not graduate due to the political unrest under which
Cuba was living.
A few months after January of 1959, when the new government in
Cuba showed its real color, Eddy, like many other Cubans went
clandestine. Different groups were formed to fight the new
rulers. Eddy joined the Movimiento de Recuperación
Revolucionaria (M.R.R.) where many members who had fought in
the mountains in pro of the revolution found themselves
already involved.
With the Cuban security forces closing in, Eddy and a group of
five M.R.R. members asked for asylum at the Uruguay embassy in
Havana. Under the protection of the embassy, in 1962, the
group left the island for a short flight to Mérida, Yucatan,
where they boarded a U.S.A. plane which flew them into Miami,
Florida.
Immediately after their arrival, the five friends joined the
U. S. Army. One year later, Eddy got an honorable discharge
from the Army, after being through training in Fort Knox,
Kentucky and Fort Jackson, North Carolina. “It was after the
Missile Crisis that I made that decision,” said Eddy.
At the time of the Bay of Pigs invasion, Eddy felt a brief
hope of freedom for his beloved Cuba, which ended in fiasco
when a group of 1,297 Cubans, members of the 2506 Brigade were
captured and later exchanged for $53 million worth of food and
drugs.
Eddy remembers with pride that he was selected to call that
group of Cubans heroes to attention during a 'welcome back'
ceremony held at the Orange Bowl in the City of Miami,
Florida, hosted by President John F. Kennedy on December 29,
1962.
When Atty. Salim Tabit who is well-known in Lawrence spoke,
there was not a dry eye in the room. He spoke from his heart
about his parents, and the sacrifices they went through to
give their children an education and especially his father’s
suffering for the political situation in his beloved Cuba.
Eddy Tabit's Speech
First, I would like to thank Bill Walsh, City Councilor
Kenneth Reeves, the Cambridge City Council and everyone who
has helped make this event possible.
Years ago, my wife and I received a great honor from the
Cambridge City Council; an official resolution recognizing our
efforts in maintaining and running Montrose Spa. Today we
receive the greatest imaginable honor, also from the City of
Cambridge.
When I was first made aware of efforts being made by certain
individuals to have a square named after my wife and me, my
initial reaction was that we were not deserving of such an
honor. Any citizen of this city would have done the same
things that we have done over the years given similar
circumstances. The welcome that Cambridge offered us from the
beginning has been so special that it has made our priorities
a reality, the ability to provide the best possible education
for our children. We are very proud of Salim, Eddy and Nancy,
their spouses, and our grandchildren.
From February 1974, until February 2009, when we retired from
Montrose Spa, Cambridge has been a charming place, giving me
insight into this country and a true sense of democracy. The
people of this place live here with attitudes not commonly
found, a sense of caring, the way they treat other human
beings, demonstrating on a daily basis the values of a city
committed to maintaining democratic values without rancor and
incivility.
The people of Cambridge have taught us the value of
integrating neighbors, making them friends, and eventually,
considering them family.
Now, I would be remiss if I did not mention those individuals
who have provided support and made this day possible. I would
like to acknowledge my father-in-law and mother-in-law, who
are no longer with us, but without whose support and
encouragement, we would not have been able to succeed. I want
to thank all those who have worked at Montrose Spa over the
years. They became like a family to us and made Montrose Spa
feel like home.
I would like to thank my wife, Cloty, who has always been the
most special person in my life. I want to acknowledge our
customers, neighbors, and friends who have made Montrose Spa
the special place it has been for our family all these years.
And I want to especially thank Tommy, my brother-in-law,
business partner, and currently sole owner of Montrose Spa.
Tommy came to work at Montrose Spa at a very young age. He has
been here since the beginning, and often times over the years,
was the only person running the place. He has always run the
store better than me. Without his support and tireless work we
would have had a much more difficult time surviving these many
years. I would not have felt right about leaving Montrose Spa
without knowing that Tommy would be here maintaining our
family’s legacy. Cloty and I retired, knowing Montrose Spa was
left to the one person who loved and cherished it as much as
we did.
This honor which we receive today is quite ironic. In 1959 one
of the worst dictators the globe has ever known visited
Cambridge without leaving a trace, and today, 50 years later,
an immigrant that struggled and fought against him defending
his country’s liberty, leaves his name for all time in honor
of democracy, justice and human rights.
Today, as American Citizens, we accept this honor in the name
of my murdered compatriots, all political prisoners and the
Cuban people still fighting for their freedom. |
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Eddy and Cloty
Tabit |
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