The Humanitarian Efforts of Roberto Clemente

With the recent attention to Justin Turner being awarded the Roberto Clemente Award, I felt the need to discuss a bit of the background regarding the Hall of Famer who gave his life to a humanitarian cause for whom the award is named.

Justin and his wife Kourtney have been instrumental in aiding homeless veterans, the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Boys and Girls Clubs, various food banks, and more. He has really been instrumental in humanitarian efforts in the greater Los Angeles area and is extremely worthy of the award he received on Tuesday, November 2nd. His work has epitomized the spirit of charity and exemplified the character that Roberto Clemente possessed.

My wife was born in Nicaragua, so there is a special reverence in our household for the name “Roberto Clemente.”  We all know the basics of the story of his humanitarian efforts and the life he tragically lost while arranging for the delivery of supplies to that earthquake ravaged nation, but the details of how his death occurred and the background behind it is somewhat overlooked.  I’d like to step away from Dodger news a bit and talk about the events surrounding Roberto’s death on New Year’s Eve, 1972. Had some basic decency been conducted regarding the distribution of humanitarian aid to Nicaragua, Clemente would not have died in that plane crash.

The Managua earthquake took place nine days before Clemente’s death on December 23, 1972.  Roberto had been in the Central American nation the month prior for a few weeks in November where he managed a Puerto Rican All-Star team in an amateur baseball World Series in Nicaragaua.  He had become close to many in the nation and had a soft spot in his heart for them.  When the disaster occurred, he immediately spearheaded relief efforts.

On the night of December 23rd, Clemente was attending an award ceremony in his honor at the San Jeronimo Hilton in San Juan where he received a prestigious award, the “Agüeybaná de Oro.” This award is given to Puerto Rican citizens of note and it isn’t restricted to athletes, it represents Puerto Ricans of note that represented their country with honor and respect. What should have been a joyous occasion for Clemente turned sour as the news of the earthquake was received. The night weighed heavily, and he immediately started humanitarian efforts that evening in front of numerous island celebrities that pitched in as Roberto took the lead to provide assistance.

There were persons in Nicaragua who died that Clemente knew personally.  There were others that were injured or in need of immediate assistance. He volunteered to spearhead relief efforts.  Years later Clemente’s wife Vera said that Roberto worked for those nine days, up until the date of his death, day and night, barely sleeping in efforts to collect relief supplies, even soliciting for help in door-to- door requests in his native Puerto Rico.

It was estimated that between 5,000-7,000 died in the Managua quake and that 20,000 were injured.  Additionally, 250,000 were displaced from their homes.  Clemente arranged for emergency supplies to be delivered by sending four plane loads with over 20 tons of supplies between December 25^th and 30^th, but he received word that those supplies were not being delivered to those in need due to governmental interference.  Roberto figured that if he arrived with the supplies, he could ensure the goods would be delivered as his presence would bring international attention to the situation and the Anastacio Somoza government wouldn’t want to be embarrassed by any negative attention.  When Clemente’s wife asked him not to travel, he is reported to have told her “there are babies dying.  They need these provisions.”

Unfortunately for Clemente, he was not aware that the aircraft he chartered for the delivery was involved in an incident 29 days prior to the accident where it had lost hydraulic power and it crashed into a water-filled concrete ditch.  The DC-7 had its propellers replaced and was required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to undergo three hours of air worthiness testing prior to being certified to fly again. Though the FAA was supposed to examine the plane before it flew again for air worthiness, the owner of the aircraft, Arthur Rivera, assured FAA inspectors that the repairs were made and inexplicably his word was accepted without that inspection taking place.

Upon take off on December 31, 1972 at 9:20 p.m. from San Juan International Airport, the DC-7 was unable to gain significant altitude and at 9:23 the tower was notified that the plane was turning back.  Sadly, it didn’t make it and the aircraft ditched into the ocean about one and a half miles from the shore.  Aside from Clemente, four others perished in the crash. 

The pilot was Jerry Hill. Hill’s body was the only one recovered in search efforts that were hampered by the shark infested waters where the plane went down. Rivera, the owner of the aircraft, served as his co-pilot, (even though he was not certified to co-pilot a DC-7), and two crewmembers were also on board.  By law there should have been a flight engineer as well, but again, Rivera cut corners and didn’t have one. Additionally, it should be noted that the aircraft’s payload was 4,200 lbs. over the maximum allowable gross take-off weight.  The whole venture was essentially a disaster waiting to happen.

Vera Clemente filed suit and initially prevailed against the FAA in federal district court.  That trial court found that the cause of the crash was “overboosting” of the number 2 engine and the fact that the plane was overloaded by more than two tons.  Because the flight crew was inadequate, the pilot was essentially flying solo in emergency conditions without the aid of a co-pilot or engineer.  This court blamed the FAA for the crash.

Months later, a fedreal appellate court overturned the ruling against the FAA.  Their ruling read as follows: “The passengers on this ill-fated flight were acting for the highest of humanitarian motives at the time of the tragic crash, it would certainly be appropriate for a society to honor such conduct by taking those measures necessary to see to it that the families of the victims are adequately provided for in the future. However, making those kinds of decisions is beyond the scope of judicial power and authority. We are bound to apply the law and that duty requires the reversal of the district court’s judgement in favor of the plaintiffs.”

A further appeal to the U.S Supreme Court was filed, but the highest court decided to not hear the case.

In Nicaragua there is a respect for Clemente that exceeds all native athletes.  On the 42^nd anniversary of Clemente’s death, Nicaragua’s Executive President of Athletics and Sports, Marlon Torres, said the following at a ground-breaking ceremony of another youth sports complex that will bear Clemente’s name: “We have a debt to pay to Roberto Clemente, to commemorate his sacrifice and recognize the type of person that he was, and not only in sports, but in actions for human rights and decency.  His legacy as an athlete combined with his efforts to alleviate misfortune and tragedy are unparalleled.”

I am fortunate to have witnessed Roberto Clemente’s greatness as a player. I was young but I remember it was an amazing spectacle and that he dominated on the field one particular night at Dodger Stadium. For years my dad would tell the story of how I refused to allow him to take us home early, even though it was a 16-inning affair and he needed to be up early to go to work the following day.

How much Clemente dominated that game I was unaware of until I looked up on baseball-reference.com and saw his stat line. He was 5 for 7 in a 16-inning marathon at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 1970. There were 4 hits off Hall of Famer Don Sutton and one rocket line out. He stole a base, drove in a run, made a dazzling catch, he held a runner from advancing with an amazing throw and eventually he started the game winning rally with a hit where he came around to score. It was everything you see in today’s highlight reels and more. No one else in the Pirate lineup that day had more than one hit.

That was Roberto as a player. As a humanitarian, he took things to another level, primarily with children from impoverished backgrounds. He staged clinics, donated equipment and essentials. He talked to kids. This wasn’t a guy who showed up for photo ops. He stayed with them. Heard their problems and tried to teach them life lessons. He would walk int he poorest neighborhoods of the island and talk to kids, ask them what they had for breakfast, reach into his pockets and hand them money.

He fought discrimination and injustice. He expressed anger at the Pittsburgh press for anglicizing his name to “Bob” or “Bobby.” He was an activist, and he stepped forward and voiced his refusal to accept racism in the Jim Crow south that he experienced as a young player in Spring Training. There are stories of him refusing food brought to him by white players from establishments and would only serve whites. Martin Luther King Jr. was a friend and he met with Clemente on several occasions, even at his Puerto Rico farm.

When asked about his philanthropy and activism Roberto had this to say: “They say, ‘Roberto, you better keep your mouth shut because they will ship you back,’ But this is something from the first day I said to myself: I am in the minority group. I am from the poor people. I represent the poor people. I represent the common people of America. So I am going to be treated like a human being. I don’t want to be treated like a Puerto Rican , or a black, or nothing like that. I want to be treated like any person. My greatest satisfaction comes from helping to erase the old opinion about Latin Americans and blacks.. ,and I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give”