Roy Campanella, the Hall of Fame catcher who grew up in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia, was born more than 100 years ago, yet there are no baseball fields, playgrounds, schools, or streets in the city named after him.
Besides earning the National League Most Valuable Player award — three times — “Campy” was such a pioneer for civil rights, and, later in life, for those with disabilities, that it is unfathomable that he merits merely a modest Pennsylvania historical marker outside Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter and a painting on the suite level at Citizens Bank Park.
