Rebel With a Cause

Immigrant's love for UF opens door for others

Dr. Sergio F. Galeano
(MSE '64, PhD '66)

Just after midnight on April 17, 1961, Sergio Galeano and 1,400 other CIA-trained Cuban exiles determined to put an end to Fidel Castro's rule, slipped into the island nation's Bay of Pigs (Bahia de Cochinos) for a covert mission. By dawn, the invasion had gone from secret to full-on firefight. Over the next two days, Castro's men would capture — or execute — almost the entire brigade.

And Galeano, an engineer by trade, would spend the next 20 months as a political prisoner.

When he was released, he became a  Gator — a graduate student, a father, an immigrant returning to school at the age of 29.

"UF symbolized everything that America had to offer our father and our family: opportunity. An understanding that if you worked hard and maximized your talents, the experience could, literally, change the course of your life," son Michael Galeano said.

The father of four, grandfather of eight, great-grandfather of five, and leader in his industry passed away last August.

He was 85 and grateful to the very end for his UF education. One of Galeano's last acts was to support environmental engineering students in perpetuity with a planned gift. The Dr. Sergio F. Galeano Endowment is for students who, like him, have the will and fortitude to strive for a greater good.

The scholarship, Michael and his brother, Sergei, say, is their father's way to "pay it forward."

Dr. Sergio F. Galeano in 1963 (center) with two Bay of Pigs invasion veterans, Enrique Rodriguez (left) and Enrique Llacs, Jr. (right). Historical AP Wirephoto

"He wanted those who were deserving, but perhaps not financially able to take advantage of a great education, to have that opportunity," Sergei Galeano explained.

"One of our hopes is that [scholars] will recognize that someone was willing to make this available to them, remember his name and even perhaps take the time to research him a bit to understand his history and career success."

It's an improbable tale of grit and faith.

Galeano (MSE '64, Ph.D. '66) had already started to rise in his profession when Castro's revolution unfolded. An expert on water systems, he'd been part of Cuba's delegation to the World Health Organization in the 1950s. After being exiled to Miami and moving to Gainesville to earn a master's and doctorate degree, he began his almost 50-year career. Galeano became an international leader in pollution control standards, with seven patents to reduce pollution and as a U.S. representative at international environmental collaborations. Colleagues so admired him, Galeano received the pulp and paper industry's highest award for his lifetime contributions.

Even with those achievements their father should be remembered for something even more important, his sons believe.

"He never ignored his responsibilities, even under the worst of circumstances," Sergei Galeano said. "He made no excuses, moved forward and did what had to be done. He assumed he would prevail and find solutions to each problem."

It's a lesson he would have wanted to share with his scholarship's recipients, Michael Galeano added.

"Don't waste your talents. Hard work is a necessity and completely under your own control. You don't need a Ph.D. to know right from wrong and do the right thing. Don't waste time arguing or complaining. Recognize and accept things as they are, then try to change what you can."

You, too, can create your legacy at the University of Florida with a gift in your estate plan. To get started, contact UF's Office of Estate & Gift Planning at 352-392-5512, toll free at 866-317-4143 or giftplanning@uff.ufl.edu.