Boulder - In Bob Walz's home office hangs a framed cover of the Sept 1, 1952, Life Magazine. It features a full-page head-and-shoulders photograph of novelist Earnest Hemingway. The upper left corner carries this legend: "Extra Dividend in this issue. "The Old Man and the Sea." Last summer, Gregorio Fuentes signed it and gave it to Walz.

Next month Walz will be in Cuba to host a weeklong celebration of Fuenteís 100th birthday.

It's a dream come true for Walz. He is a longtime, devoted fan of Hemmingway, whose robust, adventurous life-style fed his writing.

And with his ruby complexion, barrel chest, closely cropped hair and full but neatly trimmed white beard, Walz bears a striking resemblance to his hero.

"I've admired him ever since I read "The Old Man and the Sea," probably in 1954," Walz said. "I just wanted to live that life. But it was always driven into your head that it wasn't a practical life."

The Fuentes event - which will include a golf, tennis and Marlin tournament - is the latest of several sporting and cultural promotions that Walz has held in Cuba since 994. Today, he is the Island nation's leading foriegn promoter.

And as a consultant to those wanting to do business in Cuba, Walz escorts leading U.S. business, sports and entertainment figures to Cuban events where they make contacts that should serve them well when the U.S. trade embargo ends. Walz made the first of his 88 trips to Cuba in 1992 when he met with Fidel Castro at the behest of then Prime Minister Micheal Manley of Jamaica.

Manley and Walz met that year when Walz helped organize a Latin American conference at the University of Colorado. The conference included the first public appearance of author Salman Rushdie after he had gone into hiding because of a death sentence issued by Iranís Ayatolah Khomeini.

"Manley said, "If you can pull off this kind of event with Salman Rushdie, maybe you can think of one way to help my friend Fidel and get some positive publicity for Cuba," Walz said.

Walz and friend Mike Sandrock, a Boulder runner sportswriter, went to Cuba as guests of the Jamaican businessmen and their government. The Americans pitched Castro the idea of a 10k race, saying they would bring 85 people to Cuba for it.

"Fidel was busy doing other things, of course, but he gave us the time because we were with Manley," Walz said.

Castro approved the idea after asking Walz if he really could bring 85 people, mostly Americans, to a country under U.S. economic sanctions.

"That put me under a lot of pressure. Could I really bring 85 people? Well, I didnít have a clue if I could get 85 people or not. But the fact that we did it integrated us with him."

Off and Running

By the time the runners raced through downtown Havana in May 1994, the event had expanded into the first International Ernest Hemingway Sports Classic. It included a marlin tournament that pitted the Americans against teams from provinces throughout Cuba.

That's when Walz met Fuentes. The fishing competition was staged at Cojimer, a small town 15 miles out of Havana.

ěThe Old Man has lived there for 99 years," Walz said. "And when Spencer Tracey played him, they actually filmed the whole movie in this tiny, tiny harbor town. So that is where we want to have our first event. We had our Marlin tournament in that town.

"It was so cool. They said, "Why don't we put on a parade for you. - our group of Americans. I am not kidding you. They had a little parade . . . Our group marched down a little street in Cojimer, one block long, to the dock. They all sat on the dock. The Old Man was there. They waited for us to go out fishing, for good luck."

Walz's luck has been good and intertwined with Cuba ever since.

He goes there every three weeks or so to stage or prepare for events.

One recent event garnered international coverage. It was a $500--plate dinner to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Cohiba, a legendary cigar supposedly created by Castro himself.

"If Cuba had a national cigar, the Cohiba would be the national cigar. It is the one the hype is all about. Whether it is justified or not, who knows?" Walz said. ěThere were 1,000 people from all over the world at the dinner and a virtual "Who's Who" of American businesses. I brought 62 people with me, all of them in a fully hosted capacity."

"Fully hosted" means the visitors' expenses were paid by a foreign government, individual or company. An American trade embargo, which began in 1961, prohibited its U.S. citizens from spending money in Cuba unless issued a licensee by the department of Treasury.

In 1996 about 75,000 people subject to U.S. law visited Cuba, and 60,000 of them were there under general or special licenses issued by the Treasury, said John Kavulich Jr., executive director and trade Council.

Of the 60,000 licensed travelers, 43,000 were of Cuban descent, the other 17,000 people were journalists, business representatives, academicians, humanitarian groups, congressional staffers and students, Kavalich said.

The other 15,000 travelers had no license or authorization to spend money there, meaning they traveled fully hosted or illegally.

"I am not aware of any U.S. citizen outside the of those who had traveled to Cuba more than Bob Walz in the past few years," Kuvalich said, "Bob's company has set a president in terms of sports sponsorship, and at this junction there isn't anyone else who has developed the relation he has with the athletic sectors within Cuba from the Olympic community on down."

In September, Walz will bring back the Havana Open Golf Tournament, which was held 40 years ago. It will be held at the Havana Diplomat Golf Club, the country's only course.

"Because of all the (cigar) hype, it will be called the Havana Open & Cigar Lovers Golf Tournament. Just throw cigar lovers on anything now and it works. It does. Like the Old Man's birthday party, presented by Partegas Cigar and me," Walz said.

Earlier this month, he put on Cuba's first Triathlon.

He does two marlin tournaments a year, the Hemmingway sport classic, a junior grand slam tennis tournament, wind surfing competition and is working to revive the classic Tour de Cuba =bicycle race that was held in the 50's.

Cuba was hungry for more sports events but didn't have the money to run them. So Walz worked out a deal where he would raise the money and organize events in exchange for exclusive rights to promote those activities for six to eight years.

He makes no money on them now, even though he has rights to six of the country's largest sporting events. Walz is betting the embargo will end while he still has the rights. If that happens, he will sell sponsorship to American companies.

He also is involved with the Latin American Film Festival. During the second week of February, he will do Carnival and the Latin American Jazz and Salsa Festival.

It is illegal for most Americans or U.S. business to make money in Cuba. The exceptions are those involved in communications and medical supplies and equipment.

But anyone can sign a contract with Cubans that could prove profitable after the embargo.

Walz for example, has a contract to open Cuba's first sports bar, which he plan to build at the golf course's "19th hole" once the embargo ends.

"Not to demean the Cubans by saying this , but they are so American, U.S. focused," he said,"they know every product we have here. Part of it is because we were such a strong presence and part of it is that so many in Cuba's exiled community go back every year. So any event that we conceive up here that works will also work in Cuba."

One idea, however, stumped the Cubans.

Walz has a contract to open the first Cigar club in Havana. Officials wondered why anyone would want a club in a country where smoking is allowed everywhere. But they agreed, and Walz on Sept. 1 will start selling membership to the Club de Tobacco Hemmingway.

Americans will be able to buy a membership, but most will not be able to visit the club until after the embargo ends.

"Of all the things I have done, I get the most demand from this," he said. "People just want to belong to this Cigar Club in Havana. They can't do a thing with their membership now, but someday . . . The Cubans just didn't understand this."

Beer Bonanza

They also didn't understand when Walz approached them with a deal for marketing Cuban beer.

Walz had learned that the U.S. trademarks on many Cuban products had expired, including the brand names of the countryís five favorite beers.

He registered the names, giving him the right to sell beers under those names.

"We just signed a contract with a brewer in Los Angeles to produce what we call the Cigar Lovers Beers from Old Havana. They will be original Cuban-style beers. They will be produced in the states, totally legal, using Cuban formulas and artwork." he said.

Walz said a group of lawyers in Miami has done the same thing with Cubita, Cuba's major brand of coffee. They had told the Cuban government they would have to pay $13 million if it wants the American trademark back.

Walz, however, took a different approach.

"I was the first person in the United States to ever go to Cuba and say, "Listen, let's work together. I will protect your trademarks. I don't need your permission to produce the beers in the U.S. It's legal. We could just steal them if we want. It is no problem at all, but I would rather do it with you for our futures in Cuba.

"We are working right now and it will be finalized in a month. Cuba gives us the recipe and lets us use the artwork. Then when the embargo goes away, we will cease production of the beers for the right to import the originals. They were blown away."

Walz admitted he has fallen in love with Cuba and its people, partially because of the charm of a country that seems to be in a time warp back to the 50's with safe, clean streets and a focus on the extended family.

"They never ask which car you drive, where you live, if you have a Rolex," he said. ěAnd if they like you, it is absolutely as good as gold."

Changes are on the horizon, however.

Many Cuban observers say the trade embargo could end as soon as next year with a scheduled visit of Pop John Paul II.

Once the embargo end, American tourists will flood the tiny country of 11 million people that long has been traveler's forbidden fruit.

"I dread the day when the embargo goes away, because Cuba tries its best but its tourism is not that sophisticated," Walz said. ěThey don't know how tough East Coast tourists can be. I think it is going to shock them to se how demanding American tourists can be. On the other hand, you have got to want the embargo to go away to help them out. Just think: A flight from Denver will be about three hours. Miami is 30 minutes. New Orleans will be 50 minutes."