HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. — A bronze statue stands tall in Tydings Park in Havre de Grace, Maryland, honoring a man whose life embodied service, perseverance, and generosity.
Ernest Burke, a Baltimore Elite Giants pitcher and World War II veteran, left a legacy that extends far beyond the baseball diamond.
Born in 1924 and orphaned at a young age, Burke was adopted by a family in Quebec before returning stateside at 18 to enlist in the Marine Corps. He served with a segregated unit in the Pacific Theater during World War II, and his time in the Corps is where his passion for baseball truly flourished.
"He was a pitcher with the Baltimore Elite Giants, right-handed pitcher," noted Louis Fields, founder of Leon Day Park in West Baltimore.
Burke made an impression both on and off the field. Despite facing the barriers of segregation that prevented Black players from competing alongside their white counterparts, Burke and his fellow Negro League players helped keep baseball alive in the Black community in spite of discrimination.
"People like Mr. Burke, those who faced segregation, discrimination, and prejudice did not let them stop them from continuing the history that goes back to the late 1800s of Blacks in baseball," Fields said.
Burke's impact extended beyond baseball. He dedicated himself to anti-drug work and taught tennis in his community. His commitment to service caught the attention of many, including the daughter of jazz legend Cab Calloway, who led efforts to memorialize him.
"Mr. Burke was the type of person who committed himself to service to others, and I think that's the type of thing that we want to promote. That's the type of thing we need from each other each day," said Peter Brooks, whose mother, Camay Calloway Murphy, knew Burke personally.
Burke's daughter, Valerie Hester, reflected on the lessons her father's life taught her about overcoming challenges.
"The road that we walk is not always smooth sailing, and in most cases it's the challenges that help build your character," Hester said.
Ray Banks, a co-founder of the Hubert B. Simmons Negro League Museum at the Baltimore County Library in Owings Mills, described Burke as having both physical and emotional strength.
"Big as I don't know what in stature, but he had a heart. He had a heart," Banks said.
Almost a century after his birth, Burke's statue was dedicated in his hometown of Havre de Grace, where the Susquehanna River flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The monument serves as a testament to his persistence and generosity.
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Burke's legacy lives on not only through his hometown memorial but also at the Hubert Simmons Negro League Museum in Owings Mills and wherever baseball is played.
"Everything that my father has emulated to me has always been a hero, a respected man, a strong Christian," Hester said.
Banks hopes Burke's story will inspire recognition for a man who remained humble despite facing discrimination.
"I'm hoping that everybody in the country recognizes a giant of a man who humbled himself after being torn at because of the color of his skin," Banks concluded.
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