[icollectDCsports]

Originally Posted by 71buc

I have quite a few programs. However these are two of my favorites. Sept. 24, 1971, at Shea Stadium 35,936 fans watched the Pirates beat the Mets 3-2 in just under two hours. Clemente was the honoree that night in a pre-game ceremony at Shea Stadium. With his wife, three sons and parents were in attendance, he stood proudly alongside a contingent of Puerto Rican civic and community leaders from the New York area.

Vera Clemente said that of all the accolades he received during his baseball career, the heartwarming weekend, dubbed “Superstar — Roberto Clemente,” on Sept. 24-25, 1971, touched his heart.

These celebratory festivities included an opening reception at LaGuardia Airport and a press conference at the Hotel Commodore. Before the Pirates-Mets game Friday night, community organizers held a pre-game ceremony in Clemente’s honor. The following evening, a dinner/dance inside the Grand Ballroom of the defunct hotel capped the weekend.

Here is a program to the game and an ultra rare Superstar program that was made available for attendees of the diner/dance at the Commodore Hotel. I am aware of one other copy of the Superstar program. The first photo (courtesy of the Clemente Museum) is of the Ballroom event. The second is a Type 1 of Roberto and Vera taken at the game. It includes a ticket stub to the game and a pinback given to fans by WADO which was a Spanish language radio station that was a sponsor of the events.

Great stuff. I’ve seen those pinback buttons but didn’t know the story behind them. Thanks