IV 117th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 857 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 16, 2021 Mr. Soto (for himself, Miss González-Colón , Mr. Torres of New York , and Ms. Velázquez ) 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 Piñones in Loíza, 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 Loíza, Puerto Rico, was the last place where Roberto Clemente graced this world 49 years ago: Now, therefore, be it

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.