Community Voice Presents: Art Superman Pennington
In this Community Voice short host Katie Roche interviews Art "Superman" Pennington, a Negro League baseball star who settled in Cedar Rapids after playing baseball in the Iowa City area in the 1950's. Mr. Pennington recalls race issues and hitting a home run off of a very famous pitcher. Later in the segment Community Producer Nathan Leach explores the history of African Americans and baseball in Iowa with a visit to the African American Cultural Center and Museum of Iowa, as well as an interview of local baseball expert Tim Rask.
Flood Takes Everything From Negro League Star
PlusFlood Takes Everything From Negro League StarFlood Takes Everything From Negro League StarThe Associated PressArt Pennington, a former Negro League Baseball star lost everything, including a museum of baseball memorabilia, when floods ravaged Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (June 25)(sot)My real name is art d pennington, they call me the supermanThat's what they called me all my life, superman they knew I could play I could run like a deer and I could throw that ball out of sight..(vo)Art pennington is a ballplayer... a negro league all star he played the game for 25 years... throughout that time he put together a priceless collection of memorabilia, memorabilia he proudly displayed on the walls of his cedar rapids home..(sot)This was a museum, nothing but baseball pictures people stopped by and took pictures, yep it was a museum...(vo)Today the museum is gone, destroyed by floodwater... a few pictures lay scattered on the floor, others so damaged you can't even tell what they were still hang on the wall.. Sombrero's from his days in the Mexican league rest in the corner...(sot)I lost everything all my baseball equipment, I hate to even talk about it because I lost so much... it's just hard to talk about it it makes me feel awful bad.. (vo)Pennington still can't believe how high the water got inside his living room(sot)Right there... that's about 6 feet.. Maybe higher..(vo)He struggles now, wondering, how his 85 year old mind and body will hold up under this stress.(sot)This house had everything in it, I had five tv's, two reclining chairs, everything a rich man could have in that house and I wasn't rich...(vo)From the life of a rich man, to being homeless overnight..(sot)I know what it is now to be homeless, this has learned me what it's like to be homeless.. I didn't know it was this bad.. But it's bad...(vo)For now Pennington is staying with friends, hoping today's major leaguers hear his story, and "pitch" in, to help an old ballplayer who is struggling in the game of life..(nats)Oh boy oh boy oh boy....Rich Matthews the associated press cedar rapids Iowa.. ___ ___, The Associated Press.
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