Willie Stargell family feud over memorabilia auction

[trdcrdkid]

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/p...s/201705230169

Willie Stargell's children 'blindsided' by widow's decision to auction memorabilia
May 24, 2017 12:00 AM
By Jill Beckman / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Members of Willie Stargell’s family, including several children and grandchildren, are angered by his widow’s decision to auction some of the Hall of Famer’s possessions.

Memorabilia for the auction, which begins Wednesday, is being donated by Willie Stargell’s second wife, Margaret Weller-Stargell. But Dolores Stargell, who was married to the late Pirates first baseman from 1962 to 1983, says her anger was “released” upon hearing of the auction.

Dolores Stargell said their daughter, Kelli, is handicapped, and son, Willie Jr., has post-traumatic stress disorder from serving in the Gulf War. The family, she said, is living in poverty.

“I just hate to see the kids get screwed out of everything,” Dolores Stargell said. “We are just hurt.”

After learning of the auction, Dolores Stargell helped her children write an open letter on a Facebook page titled “WS Stargell,” tagging her children, as well as his other children.

The family said it was “completely blindsided” to learn of the auction, which includes items such as Willie Stargell’s 1979 National League MVP award and World Series ring, as well as his Hall of Fame induction ring.

“Dad would want the accomplishments of his lifetime achievements to be on display and enjoyed by all, as opposed to sitting in someone’s basement collecting dust,” the Facebook post read. “Pops loved his fans. He would want his most treasured items on display for all to see.

“We are grown children and were not honored, forewarned or offered the right of first refusal to make a fair offer on dad’s belongings.”

Terry Melia, spokesman for SCP Auctions Inc., which is administering the auction, said the items were willed to Ms. Weller-Stargell when Willie Stargell died in 2001.

Ms. Weller-Stargell, who married him in 1993, said she and SCP Auctions are aware of the social media posts.

“I don’t want this to become any more difficult than it has been,” Ms. Weller-Stargell said, noting the auction is completely legal.

“Willie made the decision years before his death that he wanted these items left to me because I know that he trusted me to do what was in the best interests of both a game that he loved, the Pirates organization and its fans that he honored and respected,” Ms. Weller-Stargell said in a statement.

While Ms. Weller-Stargell will be the beneficiary of the auctions, a portion of the proceeds will be donated. Some will go to the Willie Stargell Foundation, which helps people suffering from kidney disease, as well as the Pirates Charities and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, according to a statement from Ms. Weller-Stargell. Some proceeds also will benefit the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C., home of the Willie “Pops” Stargell Dialysis Unit.

“There is no doubt that Willie trusted Margaret to do what she thought best with these items,” Willie Stargell’s cousin, Jonathan Stargell, said in the release. “I’m confident that he would agree that this auction process will make these items available to passionate sports memorabilia collectors and Pirates enthusiasts.”

Brantley Stargell, Willie’s grandson and Kelli’s son, said the memorabilia should be passed on to the Hall of Famer’s children and grandchildren instead of being sold. He said he’s upset that he will never get to see his grandfather’s memorabilia.

When his mother learned of the auction, Brantley Stargell said, her eyes teared up.

“This is the last straw,” Dolores said.

Jill Beckman: jbeckman@post-gazette.com and Twitter @_jillbeckman.