La Vida Voices: Duane Rieder

Duane Rieder couldn’t keep his passion for all things Roberto Clemente to himself. He shared it with all other admirers of the Great One by opening the Clemente Museum in 2007.

Rieder, the executive director and curator of the museum, has spent years dedicated to gathering items that allow visitors to see and feel the power of the Clemente story. Located in the renovated Engine House 25 in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh, the museum is a must see for any baseball fan or admirer of Clemente.

In June 2018, I witnessed this on my first visit to Pittsburgh and tour of the Clemente Museum. On June 21 we started the day speaking at a special panel on Clemente’s legacy, which I had organized for the Society of American Baseball Research conference. There before a crowd of about 300 in a hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, Rieder shared how Clemente inspired him from his childhood days in Pittsburgh.

He also discussed Clemente’s legacy in Pittsburgh and the origins of the Clemente Museum.

In the Clemente Museum one sees the results of the work Rieder has dedicated himself first as a Clemente aficionado and now as the museum’s curator. Rieder’s passion really came through when he led me on a personal tour of the museum. As we walked through the different floors he shared stories about the artifacts collected over the years. Different walls and staircases are aligned with bats of not only Clemente but also from retired and also active players who visited the museum to learn more about Clemente. Then there are the photos, letters, and other personal items that capture Clemente as more than a superstar player, but as a family man and everyday person.

Rieder shared with La Vida Baseball what inspired his love for baseball and to build a museum dedicated to Clemente.

Adrian Burgos: What sparked your love of baseball? Was it something passed down in your family? Who were your favorite baseball players or team growing up?

Duane Rieder: My love for baseball was sparked by playing it as a kid. We were poor, so that is all we could do. I had three brothers, so we had almost half of a team, so it’s really all we did. It wasn’t passed down. My dad wasn’t around growing up. My uncle Duane did play and he had polio but was a great player, but that was a big inspiration. My favorite players growing up were Roberto Clemente, Matty Alou, and Manny Sanguillén. I loved those Pirates teams and still root for them.

AB: The Clemente Museum is an amazing place where visitors can see things from Roberto Clemente’s life on and off the field. What inspired you to start the Clemente Museum in Pittsburgh?

DR: Roberto Clemente is a true hero. I started loving him because of the way he played baseball, but once I heard how he lived and died, I couldn’t help but admire his heroic actions.

Meeting his widow, Vera, during the creation of the Clemente Calendar in 1993-4 for Major League Baseball was the spark. I saw that she needed some help with some old photos of Roberto and the family that had been ruined by hurricanes and time and began helping restore those photographs for her and the family. She asked if I would host a Clemente family party in 2006 [when the All-Star Game was in Pittsburgh] and at that point it was only an archive for 10 years. I was so honored to host her party that I went crazy and printed and hung [photos] throughout the first floor of the museum. When she came in, she made the comment, “It’s like a museum in here.” That was the beginning! I have been giving tours ever since.

AB: What are a few of your favorite items in the Clemente Museum and why?

DR: It has been amazing collecting things from Roberto’s life over the years. As a curator it’s so hard to select what to put out on display and where to put it. As an admirer of Clemente it is also really hard to choose which ones are my favorite artifacts.

One of my favorite items on display is his cleats, because he ran so hard in them and back then you had to wear your cleats often to break them in and he wore those out.

Also impressive is his Adirondack bat from 1972, because it was 39 ounces. That’s a really big piece of lumber. I had a replica one when I was 12 years old and it took 35 years for me to get one back.

Then there is the angel wing photograph, which is another real personal favorite perhaps for the story behind the photo and because I am also a photographer. It’s an incredible story. Negatives of a batch of old photos were found in a dumpster and had never been seen before. So we got to print this photo for the very first time. I still can’t believe no one had ever seen it before. The photo had been taken in 1960 and we printed for the first time in the mid-90s while I was building the archive for Vera. Every time I see that photo I see the clouds forming wings behind Roberto. It moves me. … And to think the negatives were in a dumpster, thrown out with the trash.

AB: Pirates players and other ballplayers from throughout the major leagues visit the Museum as they come through Pittsburgh. Who have been some of your favorite visitors?

DR: A lot of ballplayers come through the museum. Over the years we have hosted tours for Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, Carlos Beltrán, Francisco Cervelli, Yasiel Puig, Bryce Harper, Elvis Andrus, and Javier Báez. The respect that they have for Clemente is obvious and all have a connection through an older family member. It is always special to watch their reactions as they go through the floors of the Museum.

AB: In 2017, Javier Báez visited the Museum. How did that visit develop and what was it like seeing him engage with the Clemente artifacts? Were there any items in particular that impressed him?

DR: The whole Cubs team came through. Dave Martinez, the coaches and managers, and Lester Strode (bullpen manager), brought them all as a group. They all hung out and after the tour we sat and drank some wine in our wine cellar and had some great conversation.

Javier gravitated towards the angel wings photo and the Clemente suit when I sized him up and saw he was almost the same size. I let him try on the jacket, and Baez was in awe. He later wore the suit in Home Run Derby interview during the All-Star Game in Washington, D.C.

AB: The Museum also receives visitors from outside of baseball. What feedback have you received from some of the well-known visitors to the Clemente Museum?

DR: Clemente is such a profound person that he has admirers from all over the world and from all different walks of life. No matter who you are, after the tour, everyone walks away inspired and in awe of just how incredible Roberto Clemente was and how important it is to continue his legacy of humanitarianism. We give the same tour to you no matter who you are. The red carpet is out for all visitors.

Benicio Del Toro, Daddy Yankee, Steve Carell, Eddie Vedder, and Smokey Robinson are just a few of the famous Clemente admirers who were a blast to have at the museum. But the best visitor we have ever had to date is still Vera Clemente. It was an honor to have her at the Museum. It gave it such a different vibe, extra special.

Featured Image: NextPittsburgh