UM - Among top 20 US universities w/ wealthiest alumni

[TheMatador]

It's all good, I was just surprised. I went to UM with Jose Mas, and during that time, his father (Jorge Mas Canosa) was one of the leading figures in the Cuban exile community. He bought a small local company, Church & Tower, and built it into MasTec.

And, for the record, the political stuff shouldn't be used to evaluate Shalala, it's such a silly distractor. When I went to UM in the 80s and 90s, I was a registered Republican and the Mas family were all Republicans. However, UM and the greater Miami community (with the obvious differential of Cubans who came over during Mariel) tends to vote Democrat, and I was very aware of that.

Tad Foote's wife, Bosey, was the daughter of Senator Fulbright (who created the academic program and scholarship named after him). Fulbright was a Democrat from Arkansas, who also served as President of The University of Arkansas. Another crazy political footnote, Fulbright's sister was the grandmother of Tucker Carlson.

As for Chuck Cobb, yes, I met him numerous times when I was at UM. I was at a luncheon where he basically announced he was taking the ambassadorship to Iceland (though I'm sure some already knew). His wife Sue was an ambassador to Jamaica under George W. Bush and was Florida Secretary of State under JEB! Bush.

At the same time, one of the most prominent UM alums was longtime US Congressman Dante Fascell (an alum of my fraternity), who was a Democrat. When I was active in Student Government at UM, I became friends with Joe Garcia, who was also a Democrat and US Congressman, and Bill Barzee (also a Democrat, and whose sister Mary was going to run against Shalala in the primary, but then she ran in another district against Mario Diaz-Balart).

Bottom line is that there are plenty of people registered in both political parties who love UM and are active in supporting UM. Chuck Cobb is a smart enough man to know that Shalala had prior experience in education that was independent from her political activity.

And there are plenty of dipsh!te posters who are going to slam Shalala for being a Democrat and/or not winning any football championships during her tenure.

Great post!

I'm in touch with a fellow in Miami who is an historian of Florida, and especially south Florida. We exchange emails frequently. I'm still fascinated by the city's history and how it has changed....and it has.

I was aware of Fulbright's family connection to Foote. Not aware of the Tucker Carlson connection. I didn't like Fulbright, despite the fact he was a Democrat and so am I (although not at home with the current direction of the party). I heard some stories forty years ago about how he was finally brought down although I never found out the whole story. Just glad he was gone. He was the darling to a lot of liberals because he was an opponent of the Viet Nam War (an isolationist really) but he was also something of a Dixiecrat and maybe a pro-segregation politician. I really don't want to discuss Fulbright. Just knew that Foote was related.

I think Foote was a journalist who got a law degree at Georgetown. He eventually became Dean at WUStL law school. Ended up as President of the U.

I met Chuck Cobb at Georgetown's old gym sitting with a group of UM fans during a women's basketball game. That was Ferne Labati's best year. Chuck Cobb was sitting on the other side, he saw the UM group and came over.

Funny thing is, one of my degrees is from Georgetown, but I don't have a degree from UM. I've always been a dedicated UM fan, though.

I made some friends with other UM fans in the '80's, guys I met at away games. Some were prominent leaders in the Hurricane Club and were truly what we call here "insiders." One, in particular, bugged me endlessly about not showing my Hurricane chops by moving back to Miami so I could go to all the games.

I thought about it, but there were so many reasons why it never would have been a good idea. Besides, the area has changed so much. The south Florida of my youth is gone...I don't know I could live down there now. It would be true culture shock.

Fascell was my Congressman when I lived in South Florida and that was early '60's. In the late '80's, UM had a reception on Capitol Hill and I think it was hosted by Congressman Fascell. I remember his office was involved somehow and he spoke at the reception. At some point they reapportioned the Congressional districts, and many people I knew on the Beach got a new district which I think was filled by Claude Pepper.

Pepper himself was an interesting story because he was a relatively populist, left-leaning Senator, who was subject to a vicious, ugly "red-baiting" primary by George Smathers. That might have been 1948.

Anyway, post is getting long and off-topic, but very interesting nonetheless.

Just a sidenote: As I understand your comment, the Mariel Cubans are exceptions to the pro-Democratic leanings of the South Florida electorate. What about the pre-Mariel Cubans? Didn't they lean Republican? Or are they so assimilated now that they are indistinguishable from the rest of the electorate? My impression is that most of the Cuban population pre-Mariel would have been so strongly anti-Communist that they leaned Republican. Maybe not.