Baseball Great's Family Hoping To Make Memorial Park A Reality
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Earlier this year, Josh Gibson's granddaughter and great-grandson unveiled a new portrait of the Negro League's slugger.
It's one of several panels that will celebrate stars who were denied entrance to Major League Baseball because of their race.
Eight months later, in Station Square, grandson Sean Gibson expressed his hope that Josh Gibson Heritage Park will become a reality within the next two years.
Artist Dino Guarino hopes his work will help today's generation understand.
"Josh and the Negro Leagues allow us to remember how African Americans struggled to find and build their own sporting life, despite segregation and inequality," the artist told a crowd of supporters.
Josh Gibson played for the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords. The interactive panels in Station Square will include voice activation, telling of the players' successes and struggles.
"Hopefully, my kids will be able to see this for the next 25 to 30 years, and live on through the generations," Sean Gibson said. "I mean, that's the most important thing for our family, is to continue the education and history of the Negro Leagues. And this park will definitely do that."
Building such a park takes money. Wednesday morning at Station Square, FedEx delivered, donating a check for $500,000.
It was a "special delivery," bringing Josh Gibson Heritage Park a half million dollars closer to reality.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
