Teofilo F. Ruiz (born 1943) is a Cuban-American medieval historian and professor currently at University of California,Los Angeles (UCLA). In 2012,he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by former President Barack Obama. He is consistently rated as one of the most popular professors at UCLA,and has published many books as well as dozens of articles in scholarly journals as well as reviews and smaller articles.
Born in Cuba,Ruiz was active during the Cuban Revolution. At age of 17,he fought against the regime of Fulgencio Batista. When his friend was killed in 1960,he resigned from the revolution and was immediately imprisoned. Ruiz was eventually released after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961) in order to make room for new prisoners of war.[1]
In 1961,Ruiz left Cuba for Miami with "only three changes of clothing,$45,a box of Cuban cigars to sell and a Spanish translation of Jacob Burckhardt's A History of Greek Civilization." By 1962,Ruiz and two cousins moved from Miami to New York City. He worked at various jobs including as a taxi driver for one year. Despite many obstacles,Ruiz finished his dissertation in the Graduate School of Princeton University by 1974.[1]
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