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Roy Campanella Collectibles Go on Sale
Aired August 22, 2003 - 15:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's a home run for collectors who can now own a piece of Campy. Baseball Hall of Famer Roy Campanella's trophy collection is going on the auction block.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Its sale the three MVP awards he won between '51 and '55 while playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers and the now bronzed cleats he wore in his last game in 1957.
His widow, Roxy. joins us now to talk about this amazing auction. How are you today?
PHILLIPS: Also the daughter.
ROXY CAMPANELLA, ROY CAMPANELLA'S WIDOW: Fine.
PHILLIPS: And we -- Roxy, we understand Joni Roan, your daughter, has joined us also. Thank you both.
O'BRIEN: Good to see you both.
CAMPANELLA: You're welcome.
JONI ROAN, ROY CAMPANELLA'S DAUGHTER: We're glad to be here.
O'BRIEN: So what brings you to this auction? Is this something that is about money or what?
CAMPANELLA: This is about my physical therapy foundation. I organized -- Roy organized it just before he passed. He wanted to give children that were going to school taking physical therapy some assistance in their education. And this is the only way I can do it this year.
I've been giving golf tournaments to raise money for his foundation. This year I'm not going to have a golf tournament, but I am trying to sell some of his auction items -- the items to auction off to put the money towards the scholarship foundation.
PHILLIPS: And Joni, let's talk about your dad. We remember when he got hurt, actually paralyzed in that car accident and he didn't have a physical therapist. And so the reason why you started this foundation, of course, was to raise money for kids, in particular, in order to get therapy.
Let's just talk about your father's career and what an impact he made in baseball. ROAN: Pop was a courageous and he was an inspiration to everybody. And in terms of his baseball career, I can pick up more from when my mom and dad got married in '64. So I became acquainted with a man that was admired by all, had this wonderful career that he had had previously, and then he continued giving and being courageous when he was not on the field.
And I just remember being awed at the -- the many fans and the way that he could come into a room, and people just remembered him and were absolutely, you know, almost in tears just to be around him.
So in terms -- and with the physical therapy, I always remember him just saying that really the physical therapist was really kind of the first person, when he did come in contact with one, to help give him the courage to even -- you know, to live and to continue. And there were not enough physical therapists around in those times. And Pop was -- felt very strongly about the need of having qualified and good physical therapists out to help everybody.
O'BRIEN: Let's -- let's talk about a few of the things that will be up for auction. A couple of things that strike me here -- and maybe we can move down on our list a little bit here -- is the most valuable player award that your father and husband received in 1955. We're looking at a sketch right here, but if we could move to the MVP award, that would be worth talking about.
It's valued at between 40- and $50, 000. Must be hard to part with things like this, isn't it, Roxy?
CAMPANELLA: Very hard. I really didn't want to get rid of them, but my husband was a diehard man in helping young people to become qualified, to help people who were in the same predicament that he was in. And he wanted to help them to finish the schooling or get a good education so they could go out and help people and give them their life.
Roy had a good life after he was hurt. He enjoyed himself. He came out here. He helped all the catchers. Mike Sosher (ph), he helped him. We saw what he did this year. And he helped Piazza, Yager. He just went on. And the more he saw what he could do as a person in a chair, it gave him a new life.
ROAN: And also, you know, it was a very difficult decision for my mother to make, parting with the items, but Pop was always -- and felt very close to his fans and to the public. And we also felt that this was a way of being able to give back to them and give them and give an opportunity for his fans to also -- to continue to appreciate the kinds of things that he did in his accomplishments.
PHILLIPS: Well, Joni, we're looking at the list here, another item, an extremely scarce Roy Campanella Brooklyn Dodgers warmup jacket from the 1950s. Estimated value, 15 to $20, 000. I tell you what, that will probably be a hot item considering how sports gear is so popular.
Tell us about -- I don't know if you remember the jacket. Roxy, do you remember this jacket?
CAMPANELLA: Yes, I remember the jacket.
RONA: She remembers it.
PHILLIPS: Did he look pretty studly in that jacket?
CAMPANELLA: But he felt -- the kids felt -- he gave it to one of my sons, and they felt that this is what you need, mom, to help Roy program. You can have it. And this is what he gave me to let people have.
O'BRIEN: What has the reaction been as you've told people about what you're doing and this auction? There must be tremendous interest in a lot of these items because of the history that they represent.
CAMPANELLA: It is. Roy enjoyed all of his trophies. He used to have kids come in and sit, and he could -- I had them all on the wall for him. And he would sit there and point them all out to the young people and let them know what they could do with their life. And that encouraged so many young kids that were going to school with an interest in baseball. And he just had a good time doing that.
PHILLIPS: Well, Roxy, this is a man that set quite an example. And we are actually going to go from you, your husband, one famous man to another, the president of the United States.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 22, 2003 - 15:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's a home run for collectors who can now own a piece of Campy. Baseball Hall of Famer Roy Campanella's trophy collection is going on the auction block.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Its sale the three MVP awards he won between '51 and '55 while playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers and the now bronzed cleats he wore in his last game in 1957.
His widow, Roxy. joins us now to talk about this amazing auction. How are you today?
PHILLIPS: Also the daughter.
ROXY CAMPANELLA, ROY CAMPANELLA'S WIDOW: Fine.
PHILLIPS: And we -- Roxy, we understand Joni Roan, your daughter, has joined us also. Thank you both.
O'BRIEN: Good to see you both.
CAMPANELLA: You're welcome.
JONI ROAN, ROY CAMPANELLA'S DAUGHTER: We're glad to be here.
O'BRIEN: So what brings you to this auction? Is this something that is about money or what?
CAMPANELLA: This is about my physical therapy foundation. I organized -- Roy organized it just before he passed. He wanted to give children that were going to school taking physical therapy some assistance in their education. And this is the only way I can do it this year.
I've been giving golf tournaments to raise money for his foundation. This year I'm not going to have a golf tournament, but I am trying to sell some of his auction items -- the items to auction off to put the money towards the scholarship foundation.
PHILLIPS: And Joni, let's talk about your dad. We remember when he got hurt, actually paralyzed in that car accident and he didn't have a physical therapist. And so the reason why you started this foundation, of course, was to raise money for kids, in particular, in order to get therapy.
Let's just talk about your father's career and what an impact he made in baseball. ROAN: Pop was a courageous and he was an inspiration to everybody. And in terms of his baseball career, I can pick up more from when my mom and dad got married in '64. So I became acquainted with a man that was admired by all, had this wonderful career that he had had previously, and then he continued giving and being courageous when he was not on the field.
And I just remember being awed at the -- the many fans and the way that he could come into a room, and people just remembered him and were absolutely, you know, almost in tears just to be around him.
So in terms -- and with the physical therapy, I always remember him just saying that really the physical therapist was really kind of the first person, when he did come in contact with one, to help give him the courage to even -- you know, to live and to continue. And there were not enough physical therapists around in those times. And Pop was -- felt very strongly about the need of having qualified and good physical therapists out to help everybody.
O'BRIEN: Let's -- let's talk about a few of the things that will be up for auction. A couple of things that strike me here -- and maybe we can move down on our list a little bit here -- is the most valuable player award that your father and husband received in 1955. We're looking at a sketch right here, but if we could move to the MVP award, that would be worth talking about.
It's valued at between 40- and $50, 000. Must be hard to part with things like this, isn't it, Roxy?
CAMPANELLA: Very hard. I really didn't want to get rid of them, but my husband was a diehard man in helping young people to become qualified, to help people who were in the same predicament that he was in. And he wanted to help them to finish the schooling or get a good education so they could go out and help people and give them their life.
Roy had a good life after he was hurt. He enjoyed himself. He came out here. He helped all the catchers. Mike Sosher (ph), he helped him. We saw what he did this year. And he helped Piazza, Yager. He just went on. And the more he saw what he could do as a person in a chair, it gave him a new life.
ROAN: And also, you know, it was a very difficult decision for my mother to make, parting with the items, but Pop was always -- and felt very close to his fans and to the public. And we also felt that this was a way of being able to give back to them and give them and give an opportunity for his fans to also -- to continue to appreciate the kinds of things that he did in his accomplishments.
PHILLIPS: Well, Joni, we're looking at the list here, another item, an extremely scarce Roy Campanella Brooklyn Dodgers warmup jacket from the 1950s. Estimated value, 15 to $20, 000. I tell you what, that will probably be a hot item considering how sports gear is so popular.
Tell us about -- I don't know if you remember the jacket. Roxy, do you remember this jacket?
CAMPANELLA: Yes, I remember the jacket.
RONA: She remembers it.
PHILLIPS: Did he look pretty studly in that jacket?
CAMPANELLA: But he felt -- the kids felt -- he gave it to one of my sons, and they felt that this is what you need, mom, to help Roy program. You can have it. And this is what he gave me to let people have.
O'BRIEN: What has the reaction been as you've told people about what you're doing and this auction? There must be tremendous interest in a lot of these items because of the history that they represent.
CAMPANELLA: It is. Roy enjoyed all of his trophies. He used to have kids come in and sit, and he could -- I had them all on the wall for him. And he would sit there and point them all out to the young people and let them know what they could do with their life. And that encouraged so many young kids that were going to school with an interest in baseball. And he just had a good time doing that.
PHILLIPS: Well, Roxy, this is a man that set quite an example. And we are actually going to go from you, your husband, one famous man to another, the president of the United States.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
