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His Family and His Legacy
The youngest of seven children, Roberto Clemente grew up in a tight-knit, humble, but proud Puerto Rican family. His tragic death left behind his wife, Vera, three young sons, Roberto Jr., Luis Roberto, and Roberto Enrique — and a humanitarian reputation that lives on.

Many organizations honor Clemente’s spirit of caring. Major League Baseball gives the Roberto Clemente Award to current players who exemplify Clemente’s commitment to community and helping others. The Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities offers free college courses to thousands of economically and educationally disadvantaged people in American cities. In Puerto Rico, Clemente’s family helps support a sports complex that teaches and inspires hundreds of thousands of youth annually, and in Pittsburgh, they founded the Roberto Clemente Foundation to help disadvantaged youth.

Here, Clemente family members describe their famous relative and his legacy.

• Clemente’s Fame
• Puerto Rico and the U.S.
• Clemente’s Legacy

Clemente in the News
From the start of his career in the early Fifties to his tragic death in 1972, Clemente commanded press attention. Sportswriters chronicled his feats on the baseball diamond; they also wrote about Clemente’s many ailments and sometimes mocked his poor English.

Read about five high points in Roberto Clemente’s baseball career.

• October 1960: World Series
• November 1966: Most Valuable Player
• October 1971: World Series
• September 1972: 3,000th Career Hit
• December 1972: Plane Crash

Puerto Rican Memories
Filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz looked to a distinguished group, including Clemente’s family and some lifelong friends, to tell the story of Roberto Clemente. Read excerpts from his interview with legendary first baseman Orlando Cepeda, an All-Star slugger who ranks among top hitters like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Albert Pujols. Here, Cepeda remembers meeting Clemente in Puerto Rico in the Fifties, and describes the two worlds they both lived in.

Filmmaker Interview
Writer/filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz works on both sides of the narrative-documentary border. He was the co-producer of the award-winning The Sixth Section, which aired nationally PBS’s P.O.V. series. Ruiz also produced Migrations, a web-based documentary project for P.O.V.'s Borders series. Here Bernardo Ruiz talks about his new film, Roberto Clemente.