Roberto Fernando Jorge François Álvarez (born 23 November 1951), better known as Bobby François,[1] is a former Uruguayan rugby player and agricultural producer, known for being one of the sixteen survivors of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crash in the Andes Mountains in 1972.[2][3]
Roberto François | |
|---|---|
| Born | Roberto Fernando Jorge François Álvarez 23 November 1951 |
| Spouse | Graciana Manini |
| Children | 6 |
Like many other survivors, Bobby had studied at the Stella Maris school in the Carrasco neighborhood and was a member of the Old Christians rugby team.[4]
Tragedy of the Andes
editAt the time of the plane crash, Bobby was 20 years old (and turned 21 at the mountain range).[5] His companions say that he seemed to not have a survival instinct, from the moment of the accident, when he sat down in the snow, lit a cigarette and said: "We've had it!".[6]
On the mountain, Bobby seemed to have no will to live. The others thought he did not care whether he lived or died, such was his degree of apathy and depression. He was not very cooperative. He would melt ice when he was forced to. If they threatened to stop giving him food if he didn't work, he would reply "It seems fair to me".[7] Nevertheless, the group never left him alone and took care of him, to the point that Daniel Fernández massaged his feet so that they would not get infected.[8]
In Bobby's words: "I never saw a clear way out, what I could see was a series of shades ranging from opaque gray to deep black. In that inner struggle I lived the seventy-two days".
Personal life
editAs of 2023, he is married to Graciana Manini.[9] He has six children: Roberto, Federico, Sofía, Josefina, Milagros and Diego.[9] He is a technician and agricultural producer and lives between his ranch and Carrasco.[10] Bobby has kept a low profile and has not been seen much in the media.
In popular media
editRoberto François was played by actor Jack Noseworthy in the 1993 film Alive[11] and by actor Agustín Berruti in the 2023 film Society of the Snow.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Pedro Algorta. Las montañas siguen allí¡ LID Editorial Empresarial, S.L., 2015. p. 175. ISBN 9788483562833.
- ^ "¿Qué es de la vida de los sobrevivientes de la Tragedia de los Andes? | Nota al Pie | Noticias en contexto" (in Spanish). 2021-12-23. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ Retamal, Brenda García (2024-01-15). "Nando Parrado, sobreviviente de la tragedia de los Andes, cuenta la historia real de 'La sociedad de la nieve' | RPP Noticias". rpp.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ "Tragedia de los Andes: la relación de las víctimas y los sobrevivientes con el agro | Agrofy News". news.agrofy.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ John Guiver. To Play the Game. A History of Flight 571 Heddon Publishing, 2022. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-913166-69-4.
- ^ Karen Rodríguez (11 de enero de 2024).Así es la vida de los sobrevivientes de la tragedia de los Andes TV Azteca. Consultado el 2 de febrero de 2024.
- ^ Piers Paul Read. ¡Viven!. El triunfo del espíritu humano Open Road Español, 2017. p. 111. ISBN 9781504042895.
- ^ Piers Paul Read. ¡Viven! La tragedia de los Andes Círculo de Lectores. p. 88. Consultado el 2 de febrero de 2024.
- ^ a b Pablo Vierci. Society of the Snow. The Definitive Account of the World’s Greatest Survival Story Little, Brown and Company, 2023. p. 308. ISBN 9781408716366.
- ^ García, Jorge Luis (2023-09-11). "Coach de resiliencia, presentador o cardiólogo: los supervivientes de la película de Bayona". Uppers (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ J. Michael Dlugos. Mr. Mikey's Video Views; Volume One Trafford Publishing, 2000. p. 13. ISBN 9781552123164.
- ^ "BOBBY FRANÇOIS". Sociedad de la Nieve. 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2024-01-25.