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It was so like him. As waves of applause washed over him and he gazed at the scroll of appreciation signed by more than 300,000 of his fellow Puerto Ricans for his special "Night" at Three Rivers Stadium in 1970, Roberto Clemente thought mostly of the money an other gifts he received that would go to his favorite charity, Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital. What more could he want for himself? He had a splendid .349 the year before for the Pirates and was on his way to a .352 season; he was a hero to baseball fans in his adopted Pittsburgh and elsewhere, and he was living his philosophy of life on the field and off.
And it was so like him, when an earthquake struck Nicaragua in December 1972, to begin logging 14-hour days as "honorary" chairman of the Puerto Rican earthquake relief committee. Hearing of theft of emergency supplies he had helped procure, he gave up New Year's Eve festivities to fly with a planeload of material to ensure its distribution...only to die in a tragic plane crash at age 38.
But fittingly, at the time of his death, Clemente had just reached a career base-hit total of 3,000, a feat accomplished by only 15 other players in major league history. He had hit .300 or better 13 times while winning four National League batting titles; was twice the league's Most Valuable Player, was a 12-time All-Star selection, and had captured 11 Golden Glove awards for his awesome fielding skills at his right field position in a remarkable 18-year career.
With all that, Clemente saved his best for the best, helping lead the Pirates to World Championships in 1960 and 1971 by driving in seven runs and hitting .362, including a Series-leading .414 in the 1971 classic.
Proud of his black and Hispanic roots, Clemente turned to his upbringing to weather incidents of racial prejudice early in his career. "I don't believe in color, I believe in people, "he said. "My mother and father taught me never to hate...someone because of their color."
That attitude, his zeal and passion for his sport, and his devotion to serving the poor and underprivileged, were so like Roberto Clemente.
Also known as Roberto Clemente Walker he has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedomand the Congressional Gold Medal.
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