On December 10, St. Thomas University celebrated its 70th anniversary, an event that sparked memories of the college that started in Cuba.
STU, originally founded in 1946 as the Universidad de Santo Tomas de Villanueva in Havana, Cuba, by American Augustinian priests from Philadelphia, was ordered to shut down in 1961 by Fidel Castro.
But many of its administrators, faculty and students were determined to continue their education, and came to Miami to start a new Catholic men’s college.
It was initially called Biscayne College and became St. Thomas University in 1984.
Students who persevered through the closing of the university in Cuba and fled to the United States to complete their degrees also attended the anniversary celebration.
St. Thomas University was the practice facility for the Miami Dolphins for many years before the team moved to Southeastern Nova University.