As I roamed the Biography section of the Library, a book caught my eye about a baseball player, Roberto Clemente. I had a vague memory of him and after a slow start, found his history and legacy fascination in Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero by David Maraniss.
Clemente began his love for baseball in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Those who watched him play from an early age witnessed “a beautiful fury” that they would never forget. After a brief time as part of the Brooklyn Dodgers farm team system, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and was a key player when they won the World Series in 1960 and 1971.
He not only had a deep love for baseball but was a serious student of the game, especially opposing pitchers. He was one of the first Latin players to be prominent in the Major League. He never forgot where he was from nor the children in Puerto Rico and his young fans in the United States.
Unfortunately his life was cut short while on a flight from Puerto on a humanitarian mission to Nicaragua with aid after a massive earthquake when the overloaded, uninspected plane dropped into the sea. His story is heartbreaking and inspiring.
-Nancy Hanaman