JOURNEY TO AMERICA

HUGO BIRTHDAY

Nov 5, 1936

-Hugo Acuna was born in Santiago, Chile to Miguel Acuna and Olga Fernandez.
-Family was middle class
-Dad works as a Doctor and encouraged his childeren to find a career in the same line of work
-Hugo was the baby of the family out of 5 childeren
-3 sisters
-1 brother

GWENDOLYN'S BIRTHDAY

Oct 15, 1938

-Gwendolyn born in Santiago, Chile
-Gwendolyn was the 3rd born child out of 5 childeren of Lelin James and Carrie Norman
-2 brothers 2 sisters
-Middle class family
-Lelin James was an engineer for a compan that produced matchine parts for mining

Graduated highchool

Jun 1, 1955

-Hugo graduates high school at Barros Arana
-Santiago, Chile
-Boarding school that ran from kindigarten to the 12th grade

HUGO AND GWENDOLYN MEET

Jan 28, 1959

-Gwendolyn went with her friend to the beach where she met her friend's cousin, Hugo.
-Hugo at the time, was a medical student and insists on driving Gwendolyn back home on his motorcycle
-Gwendolyn: 21 years old
-Hugo: 23 years old

Political chaos in Chile

Oct 7, 1960

-Chile had always had political issues, however, during the 1960's, their government came under control of "Conservative-Liberal Coalition",
-the president was elected in response to strong opposition from the newly legalized Communist Party and the newly formed Christian Democratic Party
-parties proposed a ten-year plan that included various government reforms/resuming ties with the USSR.

-Political unrest and disturbances very strong for the next decade.

Wedding

Feb 5, 1962

-Wendy and Hugo are married at a church in Santiago, Chile
-small wedding
-Payed for their own wedding
-Hugo: 26 years old
-Gwendelin: 24 years old

Medical Deegree

Jun 12, 1962

-Hugo was earned his medical degree.

Ariel Acuna is Born

Nov 5, 1962

-Ariel Acuna is born in Santiago, Chile

Carolina is born

May 20, 1964

Carolina is born in Santiago, Chile

Paulina is Born

Aug 12, 1966

-born in Santiago, Chile.

Move to America

Dec 16, 1968

Why;
-Hugo wanted to continue his medical education
-Chile was about to become a Communist Country

Communism

Nov 1, 1970

-Allende became the first president elected on a Marxist-Leninist program in a non-Communist country of the western hemisphere.

Military takeover

Sep 11, 1973

-General Augusto Pinochet takes military control of government.- -Allende commits suicide.

-Military is now in complete control of government. It immediately suspended the constitution, dissolved Congress, banned all politcal parties.

-Military embarked on a campaign of terror against leftist (communist) elements in the country.
-Thousands were arrested; many were executed, tortured, or exiled, while still others were in prison or simply disappeared.

Hugo in Medial Training

Mar 16, 1974

(1969-1970):
-completed fellowships in surgery at Lahey Clinic in Boston
(1970-2971):
-Sloan Kettering Foundation Memorial Hospitle in NY
(1971-1974):
-Completed residency training in gerneral surgery at Boston University

Gwendolyn Graduates High School

Jun 21, 1974

-Gwendolyn never finnished high school in Chile
-she addmited herself to Wellesley High School while her son, Ariel, and dautgher, Carolina, were attending (my father and aunt)
-Students figured Gwendolyn was a guest teacher
-Usually sat in the back of the classroom with her youngest daughter (Paulina) because she had no one to watch her

MOVE BACK TO CHILE (uh-oh)

Jul 30, 1974

-Student visa permitted the Acuna's from staying in America any longer
-U.S. goverment required Acuna's to go back to Chile for at least 2 years and reaply for a new (immagrant) visa
-"most immportantly, the socialist/communist Chilean goverment had been overthrown by then and we belived there was now hope for a safe and good future for our childeren in a free Chile"-Guendelin Acuna

BACK TO THE STATES

Aug 18, 1976

-An immagrant visa was offered to the Acuna family, where they could take it or leave it
-If they did not take their visas now then they would have to start the process of obtaining a visa all over again (several years)
-Once back in the states Hugo was able to earn his "license" to practice medicine and surgery in the US

Surgery

Dec 18, 1979

-Hugo finally earned his "surgical specialty" degree when passing his surgical examinations
-He finally finnished with all his medical training "the icing on the cake"-Hugo