Daily Herald photographer recalls meeting Castro
Despite not knowing a lick of Spanish, Daily Herald photographer Mark Welsh remembers stopping in his tracks when he heard Fidel Castro speak.
"He had a very loud voice, a voice that made it known he was in the room. All eyes were on him when he was talking," Welsh said. "He was the type of guy you couldn't understand a word he was saying, but you could stand there and watch him for hours."
Welsh had an opportunity to do just that in 1999, while covering former Illinois Gov. George Ryan's humanitarian trip to Cuba. Ryan and Castro were set to meet at the University of Havana to discuss agriculture and other trade opportunities, but Welsh said there was speculation Castro might not show.
When Castro entered the room in his green military fatigues, Welsh recalls jumping over desks and chairs to get the two leaders in the same frame. When Ryan left, Castro stayed to talk with journalists for several hours afterward, Welsh said.
"I was about two feet away from him," he said. "I did not want to give up that spot for anything. I just wanted to soak in that moment."
During the 5-day trip, Welsh had an opportunity to visit a few areas outside Havana as well, including some farms and Ernest Hemingway's home. He said he hardly slept because he was so pumped with adrenaline.
"If I wasn't taking pictures I was just venturing out on my own, all hours of the night and day," he said. "The country is beautiful, the people were beautiful. The music, the night life was just spectacular."
Getting images back to the U.S. was tricky, as the internet was not widely available at the time. Welsh remembers getting his film developed at a 1-hour photo lab for $1 per roll and then hurrying to an Assocated Press office to get the images transmitted, which didn't always work. Despite some troubles, Welsh said the Cuba visit was a great moment in his life and meeting Castro was "icing on the cake."
"I didn't agree with his politics or his tactics or how he went about change in the government, but it was still fascinating to meet the man and be part of that history," Welsh said. "Meeting him was one of the highlights of my career."