The Day the Flying Saucers Landed in Cuba

This memoir is dedicated to the memory of Walter Frederick Morrison, the inventor of the Frisbee, who died on February 9, 2010.

In late June of 2000, I traveled to Cuba with a group of educators on a tour sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia.

I knew from my Summer of 1979 experience in the former Soviet Union that the best little gift one could bring to Cuba was a Frisbee. I knew it would be a great way to win the "hearts and minds" not only of children but of children of all ages. In Moscow in 1979, young and old alike delighted in watching the Americans throw the Frisbee in Gorky Park. Our Soviet fan base of spectators grew daily, and eventually, they also got into the act. We left them with many of these wondrous flying saucers, and a new pastime was born.

After three days in Havana, we took off one day to tour a collective farm. I figured that I would run into children, and I knew that a Frisbee would be a great way to break the ice. Sure enough, there were lots of kids around. I got out my Frisbee and tossed it. The kids looked on in awe and wonder as it soared through the air bending to the will of the currents. Before I knew it, the kids were all over me, and their parents were gathering around, too. After a few elementary lessons- the kids caught on very fast- the American educators and the Cuban collective farm kids got into a memorable game of Frisbee. Parents gathered around, as you can see in one of the pictures, pointing to the sky as the Frisbee soared ever higher, looking at each other in amazement, and looking on in delight at their children, who were experiencing an entirely new form of recreation.

When we finally had to leave, I left two Frisbees behind. To this day, I wonder how long they lasted. Considering all the still running 1950's American cars we saw on the streets of Havana, I suspect that the farmers' skills at keeping things going were just as honed as the Havana mechanics' skills were.

Those kids are now ten years older. Some of them may have even made their way to the big city and are studying at the University of Havana. Maybe they're still tossing those Frisbees around. Even if the Frisbees have long since been relegated to the dumpster, I bet the kids are still talking about the day the Americans, who might as well have been aliens from another planet to them, landed on the farm with their flying saucers.

Going for the catch!Going for the catch again!