The historian and professor Jorge Alberto Aldana Martínez, considered the dean of Santiago historians, died on Wednesday January 11 in this city at the age of 92.
Aldana Martínez was born on April 28, 1930 in the Antilles in the north of the former province of Oriente.
In a statement to the press, Dr.C. Israel Escalona Chádez, one of Jorge Alberto’s closest colleagues, described Professor Aldana as “an example of the will to develop professionally, who at the age of 40 graduated from the Universidad de Oriente with a degree in history”. And adds:
“The ex-railway worker has prioritized the historical research of this important sector with the publication of the books Sugar, mining: the first railroads in Cuba (1837-1937), Editorial Oriente (1979) and The revolution in the railroad sector of Santiago. by Santiago Editions (2005).”
But Professor Aldana also left his experiences as an active contributor to the 26th of July Movement in the book Heroism in a Santiago district: La Mariana (1956-1958), published by Ediciones Santiago in 2011.
Escalona points out that “Aldana, as a professor of Cuban history for more than 30 years, has trained numerous professionals of various careers in the social sciences and humanities from different provinces of the country”.
Within the intellectual work of the professor, his passion for studying the life and work of José Martí stands out, and as a staunch Martian, “he has contributed to promoting the legacy of the Maestro of Mars exploration with his work in the Cátedra Martiana and in the youth seminary”.
Jorge Alberto founded the Union of Historians of Cuba and the José Martí Cultural Society and was a very active member of their directorates, for which he was awarded the José María Heredia Plaque, the National Culture Award and the Arturo Duque de Estrada by his peers -Prize in the category “Consecration to Historical Science”.
Aldana’s work was also recognized by his classmates and students, who always saw the teacher as a role model to follow, especially when it came to defending national history and culture.