Roberto Clemente Jr. stood with his hands delicately draped upon the shoulders of 93-year-old Wilkins resident Angie Gialloreto.
The pair was reunited on a rainy afternoon on Saturday outside PNC Park in the shadow of the statue honoring Clemente Jr.’s late father — the legendary Pirates right fielder who died in an airplane crash while trying to provide humanitarian aid to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua 50 years ago to the day.
“Nobody knows how great Roberto was,” said Gialloreto, a family friend of Roberto Clemente and his wife, Vera, who often babysat the couple’s three children. “He would come to my house in pain, lay on my living room floor and just ache from pain in his back. And, yet, he was such a star out there on the field.
“If only all of you would have got to know him you would love him as much as I did,” she added. “Vera was the most compassionate woman that I have ever encountered, and the boys, I just love them like my own.”
Roberto Clemente was honored by dozens of assembled fans and family friends as part of a noon ceremony that included his son and grandson, Roberto Clemente III, placing wreaths and photos beneath the statue of their family’s beloved patriarch.
“God wanted us to be here and pay our respects to Pittsburgh, the place where our father made his mark, a place where the city opened its arms for this kid from Puerto Rico,” Clemente Jr. said. “The love affair is still strong. We love the city. We love the people of the city.
“The way that you have loved and respected our family has been precious. We couldn’t be prouder that the Dodgers let him go.”
The life and career of Clemente were also honored during an evening ceremony at the Clemente Museum in Lawrenceville.
Former Pirates pitcher and broadcaster Steve Blass led a panel that included Clemente Jr., WTAE-TV morning news anchor Ryan Recker and Duane Rieder, Clemente Museum executive director and curator.
The event was also intended to include former Pirates players Manny Sanguillen and Tom Walker, who were unable to attend because of illnesses, Rieder said.
“Those numbers, those stats that he left behind are stagnant, they’re right there, but his legacy continues to go stronger with every year that goes by,” Clemente Jr. said of his father during the evening ceremony.
Former Steelers and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris was scheduled to serve as master of ceremonies for the event before he died last week at the age of 72.
Rieder led a toast intended to honor Vera and Roberto Clemente, along with Harris.
“It’s a treasure to live in a city who hasn’t forgotten this man and this family and what he did,” Blass said.
Clemente Jr. said Saturday night that his family originally intended to be in his father’s native Puerto Rico for the weekend, but their Southwest flight was canceled as part of the airline’s scheduling woes related to recent winter storms across the United States.
“We’re very lucky that he became a Pirate and I’m very fortunate that I was born with an eye patch,” said Clemente Jr. in reference to Pittsburgh’s National League franchise’s mascot. “I’m still connected to the city, and I know that mom made it a point to be connected to the city, and here we are today, because of her.”
After her husband died on Dec. 31, 1972, Vera Clemente remained linked to Pittsburgh while raising her sons, Roberto Jr., Luis Roberto and Roberto Enrique. Vera Clemente died on Nov. 16, 2019, at 76.
“I would like to make sure that my sons understand the impact that their grandfather left, the legacy that he left for all of us, not for them, but for all of us to be better neighbors, to be better sons and brothers and sisters,” Clemente Jr. said.
Clemente’s on-field excellence — largely seen locally at Oakland’s Forbes Field and briefly at Three Rivers Stadium — has been widely documented.
In 18 seasons, Clemente was named an All-Star 15 times, won 12 Gold Gloves, was named National League MVP in 1966 and World Series MVP in 1971.
Clemente, who led the Pirates to World Series titles in 1960 in addition to 1971, was a lifetime .317 hitter and became at that time the 10th player — and first of Latin American heritage — to record 3,000 hits in his final season in 1972. He was elected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.
“We watched Roberto right from the get-go when he first became a Pirate, and we’re all familiar with his legacy as a player and as a human being,” said PJ Maloney, who attended Saturday’s ceremony. “He’s part of my soul. He’s part of the soul of everybody in the city of Pittsburgh. I’m sorry for being emotional about it, but, you know, he’s part of what we are. He’ll always be a part of us.”
And that’s because many from Pittsburgh, and around the world, were touched by Clemente’s humanitarian efforts.Clemente died when the Douglas DC-7 aircraft he was a passenger on crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after it departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The plane was loaded with supplies for victims of an earthquake that killed 10,000, injured another 20,000 and left nearly 300,000 homeless in Nicaragua’s capital city of Managua.
Before his tragic death, Clemente was also known for his charitable contributions around Pittsburgh where he was a regular visitor at Pittsburgh’s former Children’s Hospital.
“I remember exactly where I was, and my heart still aches,” recalled Chris Bolla, 63, of Mt. Lebanon of Clemente’s death. “Roberto died serving, helping others. That’s how we’re supposed to be. He’s such a person of teaching. He taught us how to act, how to be human beings, how to give back. If we’re not giving back, we’re not getting anything. That’s the only way we can receive. I’m so truly grateful for that.”
Forest Hills resident John Damico brought his 11-year-old son, Nicholas, to the memorial. The elder Damico said he wanted the Clemente family to know Pittsburgh still cares “deeply and dearly” about their patriarch.
“I’ll remember that stuff forever,” said Damico of Clemente’s storied baseball career in addition to his philanthropic efforts. “I know my son will remember this stuff forever. Bringing him down here. This is what we have to pass on — the love and helping other people.”
“I think it’s beautiful,” added Nicholas. “Everybody’s coming together and really still thinking about him.”
Nicholas said his father has been recounting stories of the Pirates great in recent days. John Damico said one of his favorite stories was when he met Clemente and Sanguillen at the home of a Forest Hills neighbor when he was 6 years old.
“There’s a lot of stories coming back to him, and he’s now telling me,” Nicholas said. “Learning that kind of stuff is really great.”
For Dick Jones, 76, of the North Hills, the stories have been flooding back to him as well.
“He’s been my hero, lifelong hero, No. 1 hero, from when I first saw him back in 1956 until the present day, for what he did on the field and what he did off the field,” Jones said.
One of Jones’ fondest memories was listening on the radio as Clemente hit a walk-off, inside-the-park grand slam to lift the Pirates to a 9-8 victory against the Chicago Cubs on July 25, 1956, at Forbes Field.
“Clemente came up with the bases loaded, with the Pirates down by three runs, and he hit a drive over the outfielder’s head,” Jones recalled. “It caromed off the base of the light tower out there and deflected away.
“[Pirates broadcaster] Bob Prince was going crazy,” he added. “Surely, Roberto had hit a bases-loaded tying triple, but, no, he didn’t stop at third base. He ran through the stop sign, raced home, slide, safe, inside-the-park grand slam, walk-off home run. One time ever in baseball history.”
Jones also shared tales of Clemente’s exploits with his children, and many others, over the years. He said he will continue to do so.
“He’s just meant so much to me all my life,” Jones said. “He’s been an inspiration. When I coached my sons on their Little League teams, and Pony League and Colt League teams I always talked about Roberto to them, and they always liked to hear my stories, ‘Mr. Jones, tell us one more story about Roberto.’
“I just had to be here,” he added. “He’s a hero. Pittsburgh loves him and still embraces him. He still lives on in everybody’s heart.”
And that includes the hearts of those in Puerto Rico.
Joe Manich, a native of Puerto Rico who has lived in Pittsburgh for 36 years, attended Saturday evening’s event at the Clemente Museum with his daughter, Crystal.
“He was an excellent human being,” Joe Manich said of Clemente. “He put his life on the line and he lost it.”
For the father and daughter, the chance to honor Clemente together will be something they always cherish. Crystal, who now lives in Puerto Rico, returned to Pittsburgh to be at Saturday night’s ceremony with her father.
“He meant so much, not just to Puerto Rico, but to Pittsburgh as well,” she said of Clemente. “His legacy in the world of baseball will always live on. Even when you talk to somebody who’s not necessarily into baseball now, they at least know who Jackie Robinson is and they know who Clemente is.
“For me, having those two names said in the same sentence is an incredible homage to what both men accomplished in their life.”
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.