I remember Roy Campanella because he was one of my father's favorites. I think my father identified with him because he was biracial. I remember seeing him at a game�if I'm not mistaken, it was at Old Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. He was this big, tall, attractive, fair-skinned man in his catcher's uniform, and people were yelling, "Hey Campy! Come on, Campy!" And cheering for him.

Roy Campanella was a teammate with Jackie Robinson, and they had their differences about prejudice. Jackie Robinson would get impatient with Campanella, saying that he wanted him to speak up more, and Campanella would get impatient with Robinson because he thought he spoke too much. Campanella was more philosophical. He fought his battles differently than Jackie Robinson.

After the car accident, it was just so sad. Not to say my father was a crybaby, but he had heroes, and if he admired somebody he showed it emotionally. When he heard about the car accident, I can remember seeing him sitting up with a cup of coffee in the kitchen, and he was saying "I hate that so bad." It hurt him personally, and he'd tear up, and I can remember my mother putting her hand on his shoulder.

But Roy Campanella survived the accident, he went on to do other things. He had a real positive outlook on life. His son said he had a zen for life. Even in a wheelchair, he continued to motivate people.