[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 857 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 857

   Urging the Secretary of the Interior to recognize the historical 
   significance of Roberto Clemente's place of death near Pinones in 
 Loiza, Puerto Rico, by adding it to the National Register of Historic 
                                Places.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 16, 2021

Mr. Soto (for himself, Miss Gonzalez-Colon, Mr. Torres of New York, and 
 Ms. Velazquez) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Urging the Secretary of the Interior to recognize the historical 
   significance of Roberto Clemente's place of death near Pinones in 
 Loiza, Puerto Rico, by adding it to the National Register of Historic 
                                Places.

Whereas Roberto Clemente was a renowned baseball player born on August 18, 1934, 
        in Carolina, Puerto Rico;
Whereas Roberto Clemente started playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates of the 
        National League in Major League Baseball in 1955, and went on to play 
        for them for 18 seasons, becoming a baseball legend;
Whereas Roberto Clemente won the 1960 and 1971 World Series Championships with 
        the Pittsburgh Pirates, the 1971 World Series Most Valuable Player 
        Award, the 1966 National League Most Valuable Player Award, 15 All Star 
        selections (1960-1967, 1969-1972), 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards 
        (1961-1972), 4 National Batting Titles (1961, 1963-1965, 1967, 1969), 
        and hit the only walk-off, inside-the-park grand slam home run in 
        professional baseball history on July 25, 1956;
Whereas Roberto Clemente became the first Latin American ballplayer to reach 
        3,000 career hits on September 30, 1972;
Whereas Roberto Clemente enlisted into the United States Marine Corps in 1958, 
        and served as an infantryman for 6 years until 1964, when he was 
        honorably discharged;
Whereas Roberto Clemente embodied the values of a model citizen through his acts 
        of service and humanitarian efforts toward those in need, regardless of 
        their location;
Whereas Roberto Clemente was on his way to selflessly provide humanitarian aid 
        to earthquake-ridden Nicaragua when he died;
Whereas the plane that Roberto Clemente was on crashed into the ocean shortly 
        after taking off from Isla Verde International Airport/Aeropuerto 
        Internacional de Isla Verde on December 31, 1972;
Whereas Roberto Clemente was only 38 years old when he passed away;
Whereas Roberto Clemente was the first Puerto Rican inducted into the National 
        Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973;
Whereas Buenaventura Boulevard was designated as the Roberto Clemente Memorial 
        Roadway by the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners in 2015;
Whereas Stonewall Jackson Middle School was renamed Roberto Clemente Middle 
        School by the Orange County School Board in September 2020;
Whereas Stonewall Jackson Road, a mile-long stretch of road off of Semoran 
        Boulevard, was renamed for Roberto Clemente by the Orlando City Council 
        in June 2021;
Whereas a portion of Route 21 in Newark was designated as the Roberto Clemente 
        Memorial Highway by the New Jersey Legislature in June 2016;
Whereas the Paterson School District, the City of Paterson, and New Jersey 
        Schools Construction Corporation inaugurated the New Roberto Clemente 
        Middle School in April 2005;
Whereas the Paterson School District designated an elementary school the Roberto 
        Clemente Elementary School in September 1975;
Whereas the Newark Board of Education designated an elementary school the 
        Roberto Clemente Elementary School;
Whereas The Roberto Clemente Little League in Branch Brook Park in Newark, New 
        Jersey, is named in his honor;
Whereas Roberto Clemente was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of 
        Freedom, Presidential Citizens Medal, and the Congressional Gold Medal 
        for his civic and charitable contributions; and
Whereas the crash site in the adjacent area to Playa Aviones in the municipality 
        of Loiza, Puerto Rico, was the last place where Roberto Clemente graced 
        this world 49 years ago: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives requests that the 
Secretary of the Interior recognize the crash site of Roberto 
Clemente's airplane and the adjacent land by adding the site to the 
National Register of Historic Places.
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