Roberto Clemente mural comes to life at area school
Roberto Clemente Middle School’s transformation reached a new milestone this week with the creation of a mural depicting historical scenes of the Major League Baseball Hall of Famer.
The Puerto Rican sports figure, also known for his humanitarian legacy, came to life with the stroke of Neysa Millán’s brush, a local graphic artist who donated her talent to the project.
“I wanted to show the children, the community, that this is the type of person you should aspire to be,” said Millán, an artist and muralist of Puerto Rican heritage.
In an exclusive interview with El Sentinel Orlando, Millán explained the selection of prints and photographs chosen for her design include Clemente’s 3,000th hit on Sept. 30, 1972.
Also included are when he was awarded the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award in 1966 and a photo with his three sons, all wearing Pittsburgh Pirates uniforms.
“He was great in all aspects of his life. He was a great father, you know? Many kids do not have a good father and can see someone whom they can admire and shape their future and emulate his image,” added Millán in tears.
“He overcame many
obstacles. A great husband, a great father, a great athlete and that is what the mural represents,” said Millán. “He deserves to be represented.”
The collage outside the school’s gymnasium is crowned with Clemente’s phrase: “Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.”
The project was led by Earl Lugo, president of the Azalea Park Little League. Over a decade, Lugo has helped renovate the neighborhood baseball park to provide new generations in Orange County’s District 3 with a positive environment.
The school mural is the third Clemente art project promoted by the Puerto Rican activist, in alliance with Ray Santiago, who is Millán’s husband and a coach in the little league. Technically the first two are in the same location after a mural at Azalea Park Elementary School’s ball field was painted over in 2014. Lugo fought to have it restored.
Funds were donated by businesses and community organizations including the Greenberg Traurig law firm and Alianza for Progress, according to Lugo.
As for the 40-year-old Millán, who has worked on projects for Disney and Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, she admits the new Clemente mural marks a special point in her life and career.
“It is a community with a high Hispanic population so giving (life) to someone they can admire like Roberto Clemente is a great honor for me,” she said.
The increase in the Hispanic population along with the national call for justice and social equality propelled a movement to change the name of the campus, formerly known as Stonewall Jackson Middle School.
After years of campaigning, approval of the initiative by the Orange County School Board came on Sept. 22, 2020.
Betzabeth Reussow, principal at Roberto Clemente Middle School, indicated that the change has been positive, and the mural incorporates an image “with whom most of our students can identify and can admire.”
Clemente’s international impact goes hand in hand with the mission of this IB World School, added Reussow. Known for his charitable work, the sports icon died on his way to deliver relief supplies to Nicaragua following a devastating earthquake in 1972.
“We teach our students about the world to empower them. How are we going to impact the world, how are we going to make the world a better place and we are always trying to foster our students in trying to learn to give back,” Reussow said. “So this is just another way that they can look at a Hispanic leader and leader in our society and how he made a difference as a humanitarian.”
School Assistant Principal Tim Baumbach noted that the name change approved in September of last year occurred in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The name of the school (changed), but we still haven’t been able to celebrate it, and I think the mural brings out that image and gives us something to celebrate and something visual for people to see,” he said.