a newspaper man adjusts his pen

Monday, August 6, 2012

Former Pirates pitcher delivers smiles

Kent Tekulve, a retired member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, delivers smiles Sunday to a Rostraver Township woman. (Unity a Journey of Hope photo)

ROSTRAVER, Pa. - Props to the Washington Wild Things Frontier League baseball team for helping a Fayette County nonprofit fulfill a terminally ill woman's dream of meeting a member of Pittsburgh Pirates who played in the 1970s.

The Washington, Pa., ball club knew Kent Tekulve because he previously worked there as director of baseball operations after retiring from Major League Baseball and sent the request in an email to him after hearing about the wish from Unity a Journey of Hope in Vanderbilt, Pa.

Tekulve, who is famous for showing off his 1979 World Series ring, did more than that for 93-year-old Grace, who suffers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, when he visited her Sunday at her Rostraver Township home. He let her wear the ring after learning she never missed watching him play a game on television.

Volunteers with Unity and Albert Gallatin Home Care & Hospice Services provided food for a family reunion for Grace, timed for the visit from the former right-handed relief pitcher.

Tekulve even found time to appear with one of the volunteers in this silly video:

2 comments:

bobbi said...

hey scott meeting you was awesome ,love history ! thanks for being a part of unitys day ! couldnt have done it without you ! you helped change one life one wish at a time :)

Gina said...

I LOVED Kent Tekulve!I remember when that idiot guy grabbed the hat off his head after the 1979 World Series & I cried because I was so mad!