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It was also determined that the University of Bridgeport would host this unforgettable tribute and the fans of the ‘Great One’ didn’t disappoint. Whether it was a Pirate jersey with the #21, a t-shirt with his name printed on the back or a young child carrying the entrance ticket with Clemente’s image, close to 300 guests gathered into the Arnold Bernhard Arts and Humanity Center for an evening filled with emotion and optimism.
The Hon. Dale Radcliffe, along with college president, Neil Salonen would welcome the invited guests to Bridgeport and congratulate Latino Sports on a job well-done. Included in the evening program, the audience was also able to hear a rare audio of Clemente from December ’72 taped prior to his tragic flight while en route to Nicaragua.
There were moments throughout the showing of the documentary whether it was the spirited music, stirring poetry or reflective words, the endless applause by the audience seemed to say, ‘Bravo’ to those who were responsible in making this production a lasting tribute to an unbelievable human being.
After the documentary, a Bridgeport resident, Wilfredo Matos would share a moving poem entitled, ‘El Legado de Clemente’. His words touched everyone as he described what truly made Clemente a complete man on and off the field. His organization, ‘Amigos de Clemente’ holds an annual ceremony every December 31 at Seaside Park. There’s a granite monument dedicated to Clemente inside the park and as Matos stated so eloquently, ‘We commemorate his life not his death.’
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State
representative, Rep. Minnie Gonzalez would also present an official citation
from the Connecticut General Assembly, to Latino Sports congratulating their
perseverance and dedication in bringing Clemente’s life onto the movie screen in
order to educate a future generation of fans of all colors and creeds. After the
film, there was an impromptu symposium, hosted by a local radio personality,
Bobby Ramos of WICC who moderated the Q/A portion of the evening. Byron Hunter
and Julio Pabón would field questions from Ramos and the audience that remained
for that particular segment. Pabón stated, “We want this movement to be a
positive virus. This film wishes to educate that he was more than just a
ballplayer.”When the question was asked whether Clemente’s number should be retired along with Jackie Robinson, Byron Hunter summed it up. “Why not have his number on the outfield wall along with Jackie Robinson in every ballpark? Let Clemente live with the all the questions future children and fans will ask when they point to his number. For me, that’s the impact of retiring Clemente’s number. We should all follow and become Roberto Clemente in our own way.”
The evening would finally come to an end with the drawing of 21 raffle tickets, sponsored by Latino Sports and the concluding invocation by Rev. Justin Rosado.