NEW YORK — A new Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese monument in Brooklyn was unveiled on Nov. 1. The privately-financed monument at KeySpan Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team, commemorates the courageous friendship forged between the two baseball players.
An inscription on the monument, which depicts Reese putting his arm around Robinson, tells the story of the two legendary athletes: “In May 1947, on Cincinnati's Crosley Field, Robinson endured racist taunts, jeers, and death threats that would have broken the spirit of a lesser man. Reese, captain of the Brooklyn Dodgers, walked over to his teammate Robinson and stood by his side, silencing the taunts of the crowd."
At the unveiling, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said, “When Pee Wee Reese threw his arm around Jackie Robinson's shoulder in this legendary gesture of support and friendship, they showed America and the world that racial discrimination is unacceptable.”
Besides city officials, the unveiling’s attendees included Rachel Robinson (wife of the late Jackie Robinson), Dorothy Reese (wife of the late Pee Wee Reese), monument sculptor William Behrends, sportswriter Stan Isaacs, former Warner Bros. Chairman & CEO Bob Daly, and former Mets star John Franco.
Speaking about the monument, Rachel Robinson said, “We hope that it will become a source of inspiration for all who view it, and a powerful reminder that teamwork underlies all social progress.”
The idea to commemorate these two New York City icons arose shortly after Pee Wee Reese's death in August 1999, when Newsday columnist Stan Isaacs suggested that instead of naming a parkway or highway as a memorial to Reese, it would be a fitting tribute to honor the great Reese-Robinson moment with a statue in Brooklyn. Isaacs' suggestion was telecast on the Mets game that night, and the late Jack Newfield, then with the New York Post, wrote several columns in support of the idea.
“I am delighted that my idea to memorialize a great moment in American sports history has come to fruition,” said Isaacs.
Former mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani embraced the proposal for the monument, and in December 1999 announced the formation of a committee to study the project and commission the statue. Mayor Giuliani was one of the lead donors, personally making a $10,000 gift after he left office.
The selection of the artist was taking place on September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center attacks occurred, and the project lapsed for a period of time in the aftermath. William Behrends of Tryon, North Carolina, the artist who was selected, is a noted sculptor whose work has included a series of monuments of Giants baseball players including one of Willie Mays located outside SBC Park in San Francisco.
“Most importantly, this monument should translate universally both human nature and the human spirit,” said Behrends.
When Mayor Michael Bloomberg took office in 2001, he resurrected the project. Nearly $1.2 million has been raised to build and maintain the monument, and to landscape the surrounding area.
The Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese Monument was made possible through the generous contributions of 110 donors. The largest gift of $200,000, which led to the completion of the fundraising for the project, was made by Bob Daly, former Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. and former Managing Partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I grew up in Brooklyn and have been a Dodger fan since I was six years old,” said Daly. “Jackie Robinson was my favorite player and Pee Wee Reese is someone I always looked up to.”
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