HR 223 — A Resolution recognizing November 19, 2025, as "Roy Campanella Day" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.    1576

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 223
                                              Session of
                                                2025

     INTRODUCED BY BRENNAN, GREEN, KHAN, PARKER, FLICK, GREINER,
        GUENST, GIRAL, VITALI, HOHENSTEIN, PIELLI, PASHINSKI, HILL-
        EVANS, RABB, VENKAT, SANCHEZ, MADDEN, NEILSON, FREEMAN,
        GALLAGHER, MALAGARI AND SCHLOSSBERG, MAY 2, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TOURISM, RECREATION AND ECONOMIC
        DEVELOPMENT, MAY 2, 2025


                               A RESOLUTION
 1   Recognizing November 19, 2025, as "Roy Campanella Day" in
 2      Pennsylvania.
 3      WHEREAS, The product of an interracial marriage, Roy
 4   Campanella was born November 19, 1921, in Philadelphia to a
 5   Black mother and a father of Sicilian descent; and
 6      WHEREAS, Mr. Campanella's family lived in the Germantown
 7   section of Philadelphia at the time of his birth but moved to
 8   the Nicetown neighborhood in Philadelphia when he was seven
 9   years of age; and
10      WHEREAS, Mr. Campanella attended Gillespie Junior High and
11   Simon Gratz High School and was denied opportunities to work in
12   Major League Baseball because he was Black; and
13      WHEREAS, Mr. Campanella started playing professional baseball
14   full time at the age of 16 with the Baltimore Elite Giants of
15   the Negro National League; and
16      WHEREAS, Just two years later, Mr. Campanella led the
 1   Baltimore Elite Giants to their first Negro National League
 2   title win and held a season batting average of .353; and
 3         WHEREAS, During the 1942 season, Mr. Campanella played for
 4   the Monterrey Sultans of the Mexican League, and he continued in
 5   the Mexican League for the 1943 season before returning to the
 6   Negro National League for the 1944 and 1945 seasons; and
 7         WHEREAS, In 1946, Mr. Campanella and Don Newcombe played
 8   together in the Class B New England League for the Nashua
 9   Dodgers, a Minor League affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers,
10   making this team the first integrated affiliated baseball team
11   in the United States; and
12         WHEREAS, Mr. Campanella was signed by Branch Rickey of the
13   Brooklyn Dodgers, joining Jackie Robinson and others to become
14   one of the first Black players to break baseball's color barrier
15   when he made his debut 77 years ago; and
16         WHEREAS, Mr. Campanella dealt with racism throughout his
17   career, including being denied accommodations in his hometown of
18   Philadelphia during his rookie season with other Black teammates
19   at the Bellevue Stratford, causing him to stay at his parents'
20   home at 1528 Kerbaugh Street in Nicetown with Jackie Robinson;
21   and
22         WHEREAS, Sportswriters often referred to Mr. Campanella as
23   "The Cat" because of his feline-like quickness, blocking stray
24   pitches or pouncing on bunts in front of the home plate; and
25         WHEREAS, Mr. Campanella was named the National League's Most
26   Valuable Player three times, was selected for the All-Star Game
27   in eight straight seasons, was recognized as the best fielding
28   catcher in the league in the 1950s and played in five World
29   Series, including the Dodgers win in 1955; and
30         WHEREAS, Mr. Campanella was considered one of the greatest

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 1   catchers in the history of professional baseball, was elected to
 2   the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 and had his number 39 jersey
 3   retired by the Dodgers following a career that included 260 home
 4   runs, 1,019 runs batted in, a batting average of .283 and a more
 5   than 57% career caught-stealing rate, the highest for any
 6   catcher in the history of Major League Baseball; and
 7      WHEREAS, Mr. Campanella broke his neck and was paralyzed from
 8   the chest down after a traffic accident in 1958, which ended his
 9   professional baseball playing career; and
10      WHEREAS, After his baseball career, Mr. Campanella found his
11   "second life" as a coach and disability advocate, serving as an
12   inspiration to many across the world, including those with
13   disabilities; and
14      WHEREAS, With the same perseverance, tenacity and character
15   that made him an exceptional baseball player, Mr. Campanella's
16   drive in his physical rehabilitation and his tenacity to inspire
17   and improve the lives of others, including to several future
18   Hall of Fame players, made him a symbol of dignity, hope and
19   perseverance for all; and
20      WHEREAS, After his accident, Mr. Campanella remained a part
21   of the Dodgers family, working in public relations, helping with
22   scouting and serving as a special instructor and advisor at the
23   Dodger's Vero Beach Spring Training facility; and
24      WHEREAS, Mr. Campanella was always a person who challenged
25   what was possible and viewed physical therapy as a lifeline; and
26      WHEREAS, Mr. Campanella and his physical therapists made a
27   deal: he would work and they would help him live his life to the
28   fullest; and
29      WHEREAS, Despite the odds, Mr. Campanella regained use of his
30   arms through his dedication to treatment and the work of his

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 1   skilled physical therapists; and
 2      WHEREAS, In 1991, to give back and to honor the skilled
 3   therapists that helped enrich his life, Mr. Campanella and his
 4   wife, Roxie, founded The Roy and Roxie Campanella Physical
 5   Therapy Scholarship Foundation, which provides support for those
 6   living with paraplegia and funds scholarships for students who
 7   pursue degrees in physical therapy; and
 8      WHEREAS, On June 26, 1993, Mr. Campanella died of a heart
 9   attack at 71 years of age; and
10      WHEREAS, Despite his career as an excellent baseball player,
11   a pioneer for civil rights and a champion for all people,
12   particularly those living with disabilities, Roy Campanella does
13   not yet have any baseball fields, playgrounds, schools or
14   streets named after him in his hometown of Philadelphia;
15   therefore be it
16      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the life
17   and legacy of Roy Campanella by recognizing November 19, 2025,
18   as "Roy Campanella Day" in Pennsylvania and commemorate the 77th
19   anniversary of the start of his Major League Baseball playing
20   career and the day that would have been his 104th birthday.




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