The Rest of Clemente's Story
When he was not playing baseball, Clemente devoted his time to charity work. In December 1972, Nicaragua, a country in Central America, suffered a massive, or very large and powerful, earthquake. Clemente paid for emergency supplies to be flown there.
On December 31, he decided to fly on one of these airplanes to make sure the supplies got to earthquake victims. But the plane was so overloaded that it crashed into the ocean. No one survived.
The next year, Clemente was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Major League Baseball (MLB) created the Roberto Clemente Award, given to players who volunteer to help other people. The U.S. government awarded Clemente the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Citizens Medal, and in 2002, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2005, he was made a member of MLB's Latino Legends Team. At the 2006 All-Star Game in Pittsburgh, the players wore yellow wristbands with Clemente's initials—R.C.
Write one to two sentences about why you think Clemente was a hero.
