James
Buster "Buzz" Clarkson, Negro Leagues Star
The
following proclamation pays homage to Negro Leagues
Baseball player and star
James Buster Clarkson, of Pittsburgh Crawfords
fame. It was originally
published in Windows to Westmoreland, a
county newsletter.
Rededication Of The Buster
Clarkson Ball Field –
Jeannette
Whereas, James Buster Clarkson
was born on March 13, 1918, in Hopkins, South
Carolina, who at the age of six moved to Jeannette,
Pennsylvania; and
Whereas, Buster Clarkson became a Negro League
player in 1937 as a right-
handed power hitter who played all infield positions
for the Pittsburgh Crawfords, was a two-time
All-Star (1940 and 1949) and served his country in
the Army during World War II from 1943-1945, before
finally making it to the Major Leagues in 1952 with
the Boston Braves; and
Whereas, Buster Clarkson ended his 14-year career in
1952 with a .359 lifetime batting average and was
inducted into the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame on May
19, 1974. James spent his remaining time living and
working in Jeannette at the American Saint-Gobain
Glass Factory, until his death on January 18, 1989;
and
Whereas, Buster Clarkson is an important historical
figure in the community of Jeannette, and in 1990 a
baseball field in West Jeannette was named in his
honor; and
Whereas, the Greensburg/Jeannette Branch of the
NAACP will be holding a "Blast From the Past" Arts
and Heritage Festival on Saturday, July 26, 2003,
from 11:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., that will feature
the rededication of the Buster Clarkson Ball
Field.
Therefore, we, the Commissioners of the County of
Westmoreland, Tom Balya, Tom Ceraso, and P. Scott
Conner, do hereby recognize the Greensburg/Jeannette
Branch of the NAACP in honoring this celebrated
Westmoreland County resident for his achievements in
baseball and the community.
In Witness Thereof, we have
hereunto set our hands and caused the Seal of the
County
to be affixed this 24th
day of July 2003.
Source: Proclamation approved at the July
24, 2003 Commissioners’ Public Meeting.
Window to Westmoreland, August 1, 2003, Vol.
2, issue 16. Published at the Westmoreland
County Courthouse, Greensburg, PA 15601)
James
Buster "Buzz" Clarkson is buried in the Brush Creek
Cemetery, Irwin,
Westmoreland County, PA.
|
sources
Windows
to Westmoreland: August 1, 2003, Greensburg,
PA.
more
info
Historic
Baseball, Clarkson
Baseball-Reference,
Clarkson
|
