Smithsonian to hang Roberto Clemente portrait in 'Recognize' series
Clemente, a Hall of Famer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, would have been 81 years old Tuesday.
By
Dave Brown
•
1 min read
Roberto Clemente would have turned 81 years old Tuesday, and the anniversary of his birth comes with a bit of good news for his family, friends, fans and memory.
An iconic photo of Clemente will hang in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery as part of its "Recognize" series, the institute announced Tuesday. Clemente's portrait, taken in 1960 by Charles "Teenie" Harris, won a popular vote at Smithsonian online over Babe Ruth and Sandy Koufax.
Born in Puerto Rico in 1934, Clemente was a transcendent Latino pioneer in Major League Baseball. He came to the majors at age 20 in 1954 but didn't gain stardom until his sixth season in 1960, when the Pirates won the World Series. Clemente skyrocketed from there.
He was the first Latin American/Caribbean-born player to win a World Series as a starting player, the first to win be named Series MVP and the first to receive a NL MVP Award. A 12-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, his defense (notably his arm) was as much of a calling card as his bat, though he also won four batting titles. His offensive game seemed to improve as he aged. In his final season, 1972, he batted .312 with an .845 on-base plus slugging.
Clemente's death is as famous as his life: Known for his humanitarian efforts, Clemente died in an airplane crash on the way to Nicaragua. He was on a mission to aid earthquake survivors. Clemente had been expected to keep playing. And helping others.
Without further delay, here's the portrait by Teenie Harris (via Getty Images):
Harris, who died in 1998, led an unparalleled life himself. A semi-pro ballplayer as a young man, he also co-founded the Pittsburgh Crawfords, a prominent Negro League team, and later became a photojournalist, documenting the lives of African Americans in Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh Courier and other publications. The honor of Clemente's portrait hanging in the Smithsonian belongs to Harris as much as it does Clemente.
As for a moving picture of Clemente's life, one is said to be in the works. It would be based on David Maraniss's book, "Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero." A short and rarely-seen biography -- "Roberto Clemente: A Touch of Royalty," narrated by Jose Ferrer and produced by Donald Fedynak -- is heretofore the best-filmed story of Clemente's life.
