Robert E. Copley - The Tall Mexican. The Life of Hank Aguirre All-Star Pitcher, Businessman, Humanitarian

As a personal friend of Aguirre, Copley is privy to fascinating details about him that raise this biography above standard fare. Descriptions of the subjects childhood are rich in detail, and the baseball highlights not only give a vivid sense of the game during the 1960s but also include personal anecdotes from legends such as Leo Durocher and Mickey Lolich. Meticulous, humble, and ethical, Aguirre proves a most worthy biographical subject and inspiring hero.

Booklist

The Tall Mexican chronicles the full life of this baseball player turned business owner The book is a fair, warts-and-all biography of a man who didnt have many. Very well written, The Tall Mexican is a fast read.

Rick Mendosa, Hispanic Business magazine

America is a country of immigrants, with a culture built from every corner of the globe For pure inspiration, theres The Tall Mexican, Robert E. Copleys moving biography of ballplayer, businessman, and humanitarian Hank Aguirre [who was] born in Azusa to Mexican immigrant parents.

Kevin Baxter, The Los Angeles Times

(please turn the page for more rave reviews)

I read The Tall Mexican in two gulps I dont know who Bob Copley is, but hes a real writer. The Hank Aguirre he portrays is a charming, clever, industrious, generous, high-spirited, two-enterprise success. He is also hot-tempered, and sometimes abusive an interesting mix of rugged individualism and affirmative action a fascinating bundle of contradictions.

Zev Chafets, author of

Devils Night and Other True Tales of Detroit

This book is an important Hispanic biography.

Book Report

Not only an engaging and inspirational story but also a reminder about the rich diversity of Hispanic America and especially of those Americans of Mexican heritage who have achieved so much in this society.

Prof. Lester Langley, author of

MexAmerica:Two Countries, One Future

This extremely readable account of the great 1960s Mexican-American athlete, while geared to young adults, is for all age groups. Aguirres life story shows that heroes can make a difference, both as role models and by giving back to the community. [A] fine book.

Mary Helen Ponce, Saludos Hispanos magazine

The Life of Hank Aguirre

All-Star Pitcher, Businessman, Humanitarian

Robert E. Copley

With a Foreword by Jos. Nio

This volume is made possible through grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency), the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Cultural Arts Council of HoustonHarris County.

Piata Books
An Imprint of Arte Pblico Press
University of Houston
452 Cullen Performance Hall
Houston, Texas 77204-2004

Cover design by Ken Bullock
Cover art by William C. Klemm

The Library of Congress has catalogued the hard cover edition of this book as follows:

Copley, Robert E.

The tall Mexican: the life of Hank Aguirre, all-star pitcher, businessman, humanitarian / by Robert E. Copley.

p. cm.

Includes index.

Summary: A biography of the All-Star major-league pitcher whose commitment to his Hispanic heritage led him to found Mexican Industries to help provide economic opportunities to the inner-city Detroit community.

ISBN-10: 1-55885-294-8 (paperback)

ISBN-13: 978-1-55885-294-8 (paperback)

1. Aguirre, Hank, 1931-1994Juvenile literature. 2. Baseball playersUnited StatesBiographyJuvenile literature. 3. BusinessmenUnited StatesBiographyJuvenile literature. [1. Aguirre, Hank, 1931-1994.
2. Baseball players. 3. Businessmen. 4. Mexican AmericansBiography.] I. Title.

Photographs from Aguirre family archives.
Reproduced by kind permission of Pamela Aguirre.

You Are Your Own Best Union, by Raoul Lowery Contreras,
originally appeared in the June 15, 1995 El Central (Detroit).
Reprinted by express permission of the author.

The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.

1998 by Robert E. Copley
Printed in the United States of America

5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

There is a destiny which makes us brothers,

None goes his way alone.

What we send out into the lives of others

Comes back into our own.

Edwin Markham

(from A Creed)

To Hanks children

Jill, Pam, Rance, and Robin

who hold Hanks legacy in their hearts.

[4.] High-school graduation, 1949;
the rookie pitcher, 1953.

HERO, MENTOR, ROLE MODEL. From an early age, Hank Aguirre was destined to have all three titles. I know this to be true from the stories I have heard of his youth, during which he laid a strong foundation for the rest of his life. At 4 AM, he would make deliveries to the many clients of the Aguirre Tortillas Factory in California. These deliveries were made on footmostly runningevery day of the week, before Hank went to school. The discipline he gained in these workouts prepared him for his journey to the major leagues, where he thrilled many baseball fans with his talent, and sparked dreams of opportunity in the eyes of the children and youths who watched him. Later, as a coach, he shared his knowledge and expertise with many aspiring younger athletes.

I met Hank in the early 1980s. By then he had moved on to succeed in yet another challenging area: He was a successful small business owner. He founded Mexican Industries in Detroit, and did work for the auto industry. In its early stages, Mexican Industries produced small, stamped, metal parts. Later, he decided to shift his company to a cut-and-sew operation, and it has remained in that business ever since. Hank hired most of his employees from the Mexican-American community in Detroit. As his business grew, he reinvested in his community, helping to bring economic development and opportunity to the place where his employees lived.

Hank had a caring nature, and it showed in the relationship he developed with his employees at Mexican Industries. Each morning he would walk through the plant, greeting each person by name, inquiring about his or her health and family. It was a genuine concern, and his employees knew it. Together, they built a great company.

In 1987, Hank was named Businessman of the Year by the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC). He was also recognized many times by other organizations and institutions. He assisted many people with their own businesses as he shared his knowledge in seminars. Hank showed a great deal of devotion to his church, his family, his community, and his business. I was grateful for all his support as a member of, and business advisor to, the USHCC.