Gustavo Zerbino

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Zerbino and the second or maternal family name is Stajano.
Gustavo Zerbino
President of the Uruguayan Rugby Union
In office
20 December 2007 – 2011
Preceded byPablo Ferrari
Succeeded byMarcello Calandra
Personal details
Born
Gustavo Carlos Zerbino Stajano

(1953-05-16) 16 May 1953 (age 71)
Montevideo, Uruguay
Children6
EducationUniversity of the Republic
Occupation
  • Businessman
  • motivational speaker
  • rugby official

Gustavo Carlos Zerbino Stajano (born May 16, 1953) is a Uruguayan businessman, motivational speaker, sports executive and former rugby union player.[1] He is known for being one of the 16 survivors of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 that crashed in the Andes on October 13, 1972.

Early life and education

Gustavo Zerbino was born in Montevideo on May 16, 1953, as the son of lawyer Jorge Zerbino Cavajani and his wife Susana Stajano Ferreiro.[2] He is one of the couple's nine children,[3] and a maternal descendant of Carlos Stajano, one of the founders of Carrasco Polo Club.[4] Raised in the Carrasco neighborhood, he attended Stella Maris College and played for its alumni rugby union team, Old Christians.[5]

In 1972, he enrolled at the University of the Republic to study medicine.[6] On October 13, at the age of 19, he was a passenger on Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 that crashed in the Andes and was one of those who survived 72 days in the mountains.[7]

Career

After returning to Uruguay from the Andes, Zerbino continued studying medicine but ultimately did not graduate.[8] Instead, he earned a business administration degree from the University of the Republic.[9] He also continued playing rugby union, he was a member of the national team, and participated in the 1973 and 1977 South American Rugby championships, in which Uruguay finished as runner-up.[10]

Since 1980, he has been director of Cibeles S.A., his family's pharmaceutical company founded in 1975.[11] He also has served as president of the Chamber of Pharmaceutical and Related Specialties of Uruguay (CEFA).[12]

He is co-founder and vice president of Rugby sin Fronteras (Spanish for 'Rugby without Borders'), a foundation created in 2009 with the aim of promoting the values of this sport through awareness campaigns, events, conferences and sporting events.[13] In addition, as a sports executive and administrator, in December 2007 he was elected president of the Uruguayan Rugby Union,[14] and in 2009 was re-elected for a second two-year term.[15] In 2011 he was succeeded by Marcello Calandra.[16]

Personal life

Zerbino was married for thirteen years to Paqui Paysée, with whom he had four children, Gustavo, Sebastián, Lucas, and Martín, the latter was a member of the band Toco Para Vos.[17]

In 2000 he began a relationship with the Argentine María González whom he later married. Together they had two daughters, Luma —Gonzalez's maiden daughter, whom Zerbino adopted—, and Lupita.[18] They both divorced and in October 2019, María González died of breast cancer.[19]

Filmography

Zerbino was portrayed by actor David Kriegel in Frank Marshall's 1993 feature film Alive, and by Tomás Wolf in the 2023 feature film, Society of the Snow.[20]

Year Title Role Notes
1993 Alive: 20 Years Later himself video documentary
2007 Stranded: I've Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains himself documentary
2009 Independent Lens' (Stranded: The Andes Plane Crash Survivors) himself TV series documentary
2010 I Am Alive: Surviving the Andes Plane Crash himself documentary aired on History Channel
2023 Society of the Snow Rugby Coach feature film

References

  1. ^ "'En las situaciones difíciles me muevo como un pez en el agua' | elmundo.es". www.elmundo.es. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  2. ^ "Revista del Old Christians Club - July 2011". Revista del Old Christians Club: 41.
  3. ^ "Gustavo Zerbino: «Sigo subiendo a aviones. El cobarde muere todos los días; el valiente, una»". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 2021-04-13. Archived from the original on 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  4. ^ "El Club". Carrasco Polo Club (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  5. ^ "One of the survivors of the Andes tragedy will sell NFTs to support social causes in Uruguay". infobae (in European Spanish). 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  6. ^ "A 50 años de la tragedia de los Andes, Gustavo Zerbino recuerda los 72 días que sobrevivió en la montaña: "Yo tengo la mente apagada permanentemente"". LA NACION (in Spanish). 2022-12-24. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  7. ^ Palomino, Por Ester (2024-01-12). ""La sociedad de la nieve": Gustavo Zerbino, la maleta y un poderoso momento llevado a la película". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  8. ^ "Gustavo Zerbino, superviviente del avión que se estrelló en los Andes: «En cada despegue me persigno»". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  9. ^ URRABURU, BENITO (2016-03-13). "Gustavo Zerbino: «Lo que sucedió en los Andes fue una historia de amor»". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  10. ^ Hart-Vorobyoff, Geraldine (2019-07-19). "Gustavo Zerbino: Rugbista al 100% – Rugbiers" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  11. ^ León, Mayte De. "Sin miedo a equivocarse". El Observador. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  12. ^ "SMU". SMU (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  13. ^ Blardone, Por Soledad. "La gran cena anual de Rugby sin Fronteras". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  14. ^ "Asumió Zerbino con directiva de consenso". EL PAIS. 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  15. ^ "Zerbino se mantiene por dos años más". EL PAIS. 2009-12-31. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  16. ^ "Montevideo Portal | Movil". www.montevideo.com.uy. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  17. ^ "La cumbia dulce: Meri Deal y el suceso de Toco para vos". EL PAIS. 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  18. ^ "Gustavo Zerbino, uno de los 16 sobrevivientes de la tragedia de los Andes: "Fuimos plenamente felices en la montaña sólo por vivir un poco más"". Revista Para Ti (in Spanish). 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  19. ^ Cabeza, María (2022-09-21). "Tragedia de Los Andes: conmovedor relato de un sobreviviente que "murió dos veces" en la montaña". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  20. ^ "La lección vital de Gustavo Zerbino, superviviente en los Andes: "He vuelto 15 veces al lugar del accidente"". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
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