Even Pittsburghers who don’t follow the Pirates have never forgotten Roberto Clemente.

In the nearly half century since his tragic death, there has been a bridge named after him and a museum created to honor his memory. And next week there will be plenty to remind people of the great humanitarian and Hall of Fame baseball player.

On Monday the Roberto Clemente Foundation and the Pittsburgh Pirates are hosting a cocktail reception to “Celebrate Roberto” at the Jim Beam Leftfield Lounge at PNC Park. The thrust of the event is to discuss future plans to honor Clemente’s legacy and also to gather support for the International Baseball Academy of Haiti. Manny Sanguillen, a member of both the 1971 and 1979 Pirates championship teams, is among the former players who will be on hand.

Luis Clemente, co-chair of the Clemente Foundation along with his brothers Roberto Jr. and Roberto Enrique, said that while the VIP ticket price to the event is $121, that fee will be waived in lieu of donations of baseball equipment and school supplies to the academy in Haiti.

From Monday through Wednesday, special activities and charitable events have been organized by the Clemente Foundation, City of Pittsburgh, the Pirates and the Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation to celebrate the permanent annual designation of Sept. 15 as “Roberto Clemente Day” throughout Major League Baseball. It’s also the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month.

“I thought this was an opportunity for people from Puerto Rico to connect with people from Pittsburgh,” said Luis Clemente. “The concept is to have people come to Pittsburgh and experience Pittsburgh.”

Also on Wednesday, the 30 nominees (one from each MLB team) for the Roberto Clemente Award will be named. The award is given annually to the Major League player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.” It’s voted on by baseball fans and members of the media.

Luis Clemente said he and his brothers are working to convince Allegheny County to change the name of the Roberto Clemente Bridge to include the name of their mother, philanthropist Vera Clemente who died in 2019.

“I’ve dedicated my life to honor dad’s legacy through mom’s efforts,” said Luis. “Now, after learning how she dedicated her whole life to it and the passion she had for doing so, I felt that it was the right time to honor both of their legacies. My mom did so much and it’s time people find out who Vera Clemente was as well.”

He said the next three years will feature a number of important Roberto Clemente anniversary dates. Earlier this summer, the Pirates recognized the 50th anniversary of the 1971 World Series championship team. Clemente was on that team and became the first Latino to be named World Series MVP.

Last week, Clemente was honored as one of the members of the first all-minority starting lineup which took the field for the Pirates on Sept. 1, 1971.

Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of Clemente’s final season and his 3,000th and last hit. Sadly, it will also mark a half-century since his death in a plane crash as he was flying to Nicaragua to bring supplies to earthquake victims on Dec. 31, 1972.

And 2023 will mark the 50th anniversary of Clemente’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Luis Clemente said, however, his efforts to honor Roberto Clemente’s legacy have more to do with celebrating his father philanthropic efforts than his exploits on the baseball field.

“It’s great to be a Clemente fan. But it’s not just to look at pictures and posters. If you’re a Clemente fan, it’s about taking action. That’s what he was all about,” he said. “It’s nice to acquire items and talk about his stats, but the most important thing about Clemente was his impact and his focus on how you should care for each other.

“How do my actions affect others? That’s the key to being a Clemente and that’s what we want to get across.”

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