The Fernandez Family Foundation established this fund in honor of Manny Fernandez, Sr., in 2003, and under the direction of his son Manny Fernandez, Jr.

The elder Fernandez was a wealthy and successful electrical engineer in Havana, Cuba. In 1959, he and his son came to the United States in search of a better life. The two settled in Daytona Beach, FL. There Manny struggled to make ends meet. He found work washing dishes, repairing stereos and running a gas station. The younger Fernandez graduated from UF in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineerin