It was more than 30 years ago when a great American visionary came to the Dominican Republic; Wayne Fuller, who during his life was a great dreamer and businessman with one particular dream and “favourite son”; the Dominicus Americanus, known today by the name “Dominicus”, an oceanside community and tourist hotspot, just 20 minutes from Casa de Campo. Sadly today, we share the pain of his passing with his family and friends and in honor of his memory, we remember his great contribution to the economy of the Dominican Republic, as well as his brilliant legacy.
On June 11th 2012, we received the sad news of Mr. Wayne Fuller’s passing, the founder of Dominicus Americanus – a project developed in the Bayahibe area, a prosperous area with numerous all-inclusive resorts, attractions and a vibrant community of both Dominicans and international settlers. Although we did not have the privilege of getting to know its founder personally, many of his colleagues and friends who have known him for years, have joined the family in this moment; remembering not only his great contribution to the development of the Dominican Republic’s economy through it’s tourist sector, but also for being a true inspiration, as a professional and as a human being.
Riccardo Jovino, who for many years was quite closely attached to Mr. Fuller and the “Dominicus Americanus” project, was kind enough to share with us some of his best memories of Wayne Fuller:
“Memories of Wayne Fuller” by Riccardo Jovino
Fuller was a great visionary, he had the dream of developing the four worlds in his own project, he had a concept of a well focused world based on science and inspired on meditation. Here the realities and dreams that always guided him throughout his life:
I met him in 1992, when buying some land. I started working with him in 1999 with an exclusive contract as the projects’ General Manager. I continued working for him until 2008 and then stayed as a Consultant. Fuller was an incredibly “two-sided” visionary – on one hand he was a complete dreamer and on the other, a businessman with his feet well on the ground. I never understood how his character allowed him to be both.
He also loved baseball, in his youth, he was a very good “pelotero”. He always used to tell me that his favorite son was Dominicus, a project for which he kept dreaming on. It was often a difficult task to negotiate. Before selling anything, it was an essential requirement that the person who bought the land actually had a dream. But if the client’s dream was not what he had in his head, he simply didn’t sell the land.
He always wanted to be part of the dream, he usually sold out parts of the land, but in a way, he always had to be a part of whatever was constructed on that territory (morally, not economically). Most people who actually bought land could not understand why he wanted to keep being a part of the projects developed – but it was only because Dominicus was like a son, his one dream that he could never let go of.
Inaugurating the Dominicus Casino
When he received people at his villa at the Viva hotel, he used to tell his story, as well as the Fuller’s story – a family who arrived to the new continent in 1600 in a boat called Mayn Flower. He has this huge painting on his wall, where he briefly tells the whole story, starting from the “Big Bang” all the way through to the Mayn Flower voyage, until the foundation of his big project.
Dominicus Americanus means: Dominican(US) American(US) – which only means a union between Americans and Dominicans; a fact that bloomed with his last child Sean, conceived with his current Dominican wife, Arelis Fuller.
He was a fighter who never gave up against any problem, and who only gave up against that which will someday defeat us all.
Riccardo, thank you very much for contributing to this tribute for Mr. Wayne Fuller. On behalf of the Dominican Republic and all it’s people, our sincere gratitude to Mr. Fuller for his dedication, commitment and love for our country in which he decided to develop and accomplish his many projects and dreams.
Spanish
