Clemente’s Legacy: Living the legacy
By Adrian Burgos
The Clemente name comes with expectations and a responsibility. The name has become synonymous with humanitarian action and with service to others. This is true in Puerto Rico and throughout the baseball world.
Maintaining and building on the legacy of Roberto Clemente has been the mission of his widow Vera Clemente. She has spent the last four decades as the caretaker and active interpreter of her late husband’s vision for his Sports City and the Clemente Foundation.
Major League Baseball likewise honored the Great One when it renamed the Commissioner’s Award as the Roberto Clemente Award in 1973. The postseason announcement of the Clemente Award winner is a much anticipated event that also marks another means through which baseball celebrates the Clemente legacy.
Connecting with Clemente
People want to interact with the Clemente family. They want to be close to the Great One, to feel a part of him. This is the reality that Vera Clemente and her sons have lived since Roberto Clemente’s 1972 death. Others look to them as their direct connection to the Great One.
This is clear in the interactions between Clemente’s three sons and those who admired their father.
“All the time, I run into people, that when they find out that we are Clemente’s sons, they shake our hand,” said Luis, the middle of Clemente’s three sons. “And all of a sudden, you know, as they’re shaking our hands, they start squeezing it tighter and tears start coming down their eyes. They want to speak, but they can’t.”
The look on their faces, the tears welling up, and the reverence these people express for Roberto Clemente make for emotional encounters. There is a powerful release that happens, according to Luis, one that impacts them all.
“To feel that energy, that presence of Dad and how he was able to impact so many people is truly a very special feeling,” Luis said.
Sharing the Legacy
Sharing the legacy of Roberto Clemente has been the mission of Vera Clemente. It has been her work to bring his vision to life.
Vera Clemente has worked towards accomplishing his dreams as a humanitarian through the Clemente Foundation.
“Mom has been the pillar of the family,” Luis proclaimed. “She has been the source of inspiration for us to do what we do today, through the Roberto Clemente Foundation. She basically spearheaded all of the efforts to have the legacy continue.”
It has been in the role of translator, of seeking to bring into being that which Roberto Clemente had dreamed of and had shared with her that Vera Clemente has labored. She has also raised three sons while doing so.
“I am very proud to be Roberto’s son, but I feel extremely fortunate to be Vera’s son as well,” Luis said.
Clemente Award
The Roberto Clemente Award is treasured by players. Winning the award is an achievement unlike any other in baseball. Merely being a nominee signifies that a player has had a significant impact beyond the baseball field.
Award winners are immensely proud.
When visitors come to the home of Hall of Famer Rod Carew, he is quick to show them his 1977 Roberto Clemente Award.
“That’s the first award that I show them. I don’t show them the Silver (Slugger) bats and stuff like that,” Carew said. “It’s always the Roberto Clemente Award because it meant that we were doing things for other people. … And I knew what Roberto went through. I knew how important that was to him. So it’s a very treasured piece in my awards.”
The pride Clemente Award winners have is felt by the Clemente family. In fact, each October when a winner is named during the World Series, Vera Clemente welcomes them into their extended family. And each year for Luis Clemente and his siblings, it feels like they have gained a new brother.
“It’s amazing to have all of these gentlemen become part of the Clemente family,” Luis said. “And we make them understand that we mean it. As Clementes, everything that comes along with that, we see in all of them. So that’s why we always tell them, ‘You know what? Dad would be so proud of you, of meeting you and seeing what you’ve done with your career.’”
Featured Image: Library of Congress