Roberto Clemente statue to be placed in Graham Park
CRANBERRY TWP — A likeness of Roberto Clemente will soon grace Graham Park near Miracle League of Southwestern Pennsylvania Field.
A 7-foot-tall wood carving statue of the famed Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder and humanitarian is complete after being commissioned last year by the Cranberry Township Community Chest, said Bruce Mazzoni, board member with the CTCC.
Mazzoni said the statue will go up at the park as soon as a pedestal is built for it to be mounted upon, hopefully by September. It was commissioned to chain saw artist Ken Tynan, of Butler, last year as part of the Miracle League field resurfacing and playground project, the 2016 CTCC Project of the year.
Tynan said he has committed about 200 to 300 hours to working on the carving to get it exactly right.
Clemente is a baseball Hall of Famer who played 18 seasons with the Pirates, winning four National League batting titles, 1966 National League MVP and 1971 World Series MVP.
He was killed on Dec. 31, 1972 at age 38 in a plane crash while on his way to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Clemente would have celebrated his 83rd birthday on Aug. 18.
Tynan said he remembers watching Clemente play at Forbes Field when he was a kid. He also vividly remembers the day Clemente died.
“I remember where I was when my sister came to tell me that Roberto was dead,” he said. “I remember that vividly.”
A full report will appear in the Butler Eagle.
