Cal Rodgers
The Rodgers family has a long history in Havre de Grace. Scottish immigrant John Rodgers (1726-1791), the family patriarch, was granted a tavern license in 1774 and operated both a tavern and a ferry on both sides of the Susquehanna River. The final location of his tavern, 226 North Washington Street, dated to 1788, is considered the oldest building in Havre de Grace. In addition to his business pursuits, Rodgers served in the militia during the Revolutionary War, thus giving him the moniker of Colonel. John and Elizabeth had eleven children, their fourth child, John (1773-1838), served with honor as the ranking Naval officer during the War of 1812, leading the American defense of Baltimore. Commodore John Rodgers was the first of a long line of Rodgers in
what some have called the “First Family of the U.S. Navy.” Six US Navy ships have been named in honor of the Rodgers Family.
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Not all of the Rodgers family made their name in the US Navy. Calbraith Perry Rodgers, Jr., of the fifth generation of American Rodgers, suffered from a bout of Scarlet Fever in his youth which resulted in a devastating hearing impairment. This caused him to be ineligible for military service, but did not deter him from reaching for greatness.
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Cal was born in 1879 in Pittsburgh, PA a few short months after his father died on the Western frontier during the Indian Wars. In addition to being a descendent of Commodore John Rodgers on his father’s side, he was the great grandson of Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry, who was credited with “opening Japan” to the West. One could say that adventure was in in his blood.
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Unable to attend the United States Naval Academy, Cal spent his early adulthood racing cars and sailboats. In 1911, he was introduced to the new field of aviation by his cousin John Rodgers. Cal and his cousin were close due to the summers they spent together at Sion Hill, the Rodgers’ family estate in Havre de Grace. Lt. John Rodgers, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, became the Navy’s second licensed aviator, the first to be trained by the Wright Brothers themselves, and the 48th licensed aviator in the world.John invited Cal to visit the Wright Company Training Center in 1911 while he was a student there. After 90 minutes of instruction, Cal was hooked. He soon became the 49th licensed aviator in the world.
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Like much of the rest of the country, Cal caught “aviation fever” and soon started competing in air meets. At these competitions, thousands of spectators watched events that tested the proficiency of pilots in specific tasks such as altitude, landing, endurance, and speed. Cal became a favorite at such events, winning the duration prize at the 1911 Chicago International Aviation Meet, after staying in the air for 3 hours and 3 minutes.
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Newspaperman William Randolph Hurst, also an aviation aficionado, upped the ante in aviation competitions and offered a $50,000 prize to anyone who could fly coast to coast, in either direction, in less than 30 days from start to finish. Cal was intrigued and sponsored by the Armour Company, entered the competition with the Vin Fiz. Named after the Armour Company’s new grape-flavored soft drink, the Vin Fiz was a Wright Model EX Biplane.
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Cal left Sheepshead Bay, New York on September 17, 1911, and after many stops and starts landed in Pasdena, California on November 5, 1911. Although he became the first person to complete a transcontinental flight, he missed winning the Hearst prize by 19 days. On that trip, he also carried the first transcontinental U.S. Mail pouch.
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Unfortunately, Rodgers wasn’t able to celebrate his success for long. He was killed just a few months later in April 1912 when, during an exhibition flight in Long Beach, California, his plane ran into a flock of birds. This tragedy earned him another place in the history books as the first pilot to suffer a fatal crash due to a bird strike. Cal was posthumuosly inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1964.