Jorge Moran’s Remarkable Journey from Cuban Fugitive to American Entrepreneur

A story of defiance in the face of tyranny and the hope found in freedom

In 1959, high school senior Jorge Moran faced a devastating choice: prison or exile. After voicing disapproval of Castro's regime, he helped orchestrate a student strike that shut down several private schools. His participation in this open defiance led to a 30-year prison sentence. He was 19.

His escape reads like a thriller: 

• A Venezuelan ambassador arranged his rescue  

• A mystery car with a single password “Venezuela”  

• Hidden in a trunk and smuggled onto a plane  
• "That was the last time I saw Cuba and the moment I became free" 

In Venezuela, he joined hundreds of other refugees living in a stadium. Then came an unexpected gift: an anonymous envelope containing a plane ticket to Miami.

Landing in the U.S., Moran joined thousands of other Cuban refugees in Miami's Freedom Tower. It was there that Tennessee Baptist preacher Frank D. Wright discovered Moran's family and offered the young exile an opportunity that would change his life: an education in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville 

With no suitcase, Moran flew to Nashville where he was picked up by Wright and stayed at his Belle Meade home. It was the first time in years Moran slept on a nice mattress.

“I will never forget going down Woodmont Blvd. in October and seeing the trees change color. What is this?” he said.

Wright first set up a meeting at Vanderbilt University where Moran was turned away for two reasons: he did not speak English, and he lacked a high school diploma as he was forced to flee from Cuba before finishing his senior year.

Wright then scheduled a meeting with Dr. Herbert Gabhart, the then-president of Belmont College. Fearing Gabhart would reiterate Vanderbilt’s sentiments, Moran pleaded for a chance.

“I looked at him, and through the interpreter, I said, ‘What do you have to lose? Give me an opportunity to show that I’m college material.’”

Gabhart agreed to admit Moran to Belmont if he would take multiple semesters of English classes without degree credit, and Moran jumped at the opportunity. He enrolled in 1963, electing to major in biology.

“We see God come to earth through people like Mr. Wright and Dr. Gabhart,” said Moran. “They gave me and my family hope, and a little hope can quickly lead to more and more hope.”

Aspiring to be a doctor, Moran attended classes in the mornings and afternoons before working in the respiratory therapy wing of a local hospital in the evenings. While he excelled in biology and other science classes, trying to learn English while it is being spoken in classes at the college level proved understandably difficult.

“I don’t know how many times I called my mother from Herron Hall saying that I couldn’t do it — that I couldn’t understand anything anybody was saying around me,” he said. “But my mother told me to be patient. She said to remember this was the opportunity of a lifetime.” 

Megatrade International, Inc. 

Moran graduated with his biology degree in 1967 and began working for a company that manufactured vacuum-sealed water bottles and thermoses. After 10 years of employment, the company encountered financial difficulties and Moran was laid off. 

After giving everything he had to the company, Moran decided he would not work for anyone again. He started his own company in 1983 and secured a contract from his previous employer’s biggest competitor to distribute products in Latin America.

He named his company Megatrade International, Inc. Initially a distributor and wholesaler for houseware products to Central America and the Caribbean, the company now manufactures its own products as well. Moran still serves as its president and CEO today at 81 years old. 

“I still have the passion,” he said. “My mind still thinks I’m 21, but my body knows I’m 81.” 

Under his strategic operation and leadership, Megatrade has seen steady growth and success, earning Moran “Nashville Business Journal’s” Small Business Executive of the Year award in 1998.

Moran’s Message of Hope and Triumph 

“Through 81 years of life, I have found that everything negative in my life — all of the challenges — brought me closer to God,” said Moran. “The things that have been the most challenging became the best things to ever happen to me.” 

Moran also emphasized the opportunity the U.S. grants its people and encourages Americans to be continuously thankful for their country. 

“You live in the greatest country on earth. You don’t know what this country represents, even to yourself — as an American, you have the freedom to go to church and express your beliefs. Our world is not perfect and it will never be perfect, but appreciate you were born in the greatest country on earth.” 

Lastly, Moran reflected on God’s promise in 2 Corinthians 5:2 which reads “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” 

“Our world is temporary, including the bad things and the worst times,” said Moran. “As believers, we have a better house waiting for us. Everything has a solution, and everything has hope — both temporary hope and eternal hope. All the credit goes to God. That is the message I want to share.”