Images(6)

Baseball

Object number2024.10.3

OriginChina

MediumLeather; Yarn; Thread; Rubber(?) or Cork(?); Ink

Credit LineGift of Joyce Bender

DescriptionWhite souvenir baseball with red stitching. Black printed MLB logo and place of manufacture. Covering ball are stamped signatures in black ink.DimensionsDiameter: 2.875 in. (7.3 cm)
InscriptionsCovering ball are stamped signatures in black ink including:
John Smiley, Gary Varsho;
Barry Bonds, Don Slaught, Jim Leyland, Zane Smith, Bob Kipper, Randy Tomlin;
Doug Drabek, Andy Van Slyke, Cecil Espy, Bob Patterson, Bob Walk;
Bill Landrum, Bobby Bonilla;
Roger Mason, Gary Redus, Lloyd McClendon, Curtis Wilkerson, Orlando Merced;
Jay Bell, Mike LaValliere, Stan Belinda, Jose Lind (?), Neal Heaton.

Jay Bell, Mike LaValliere
Historical NotesPittsburgh Pirates signed baseball. Donor Joyce Bender is a huge Pirates fan. New Galilee, Pennsylvania native Joyce Bender worked as an IT recruiter in Pittsburgh in the 1980s. A request to train students with disabilities in resume writing and interviewing at the Community College of Allegheny County’s Institute of Handicapped Children led to a pivot in her career. Joyce realized that people with disabilities were underemployed and not utilizing their skills and degrees. She started Bender Consulting which focused on finding competitive employment for people with disabilities in the IT sector. As an adult, Bender was diagnosed with epilepsy and lost hearing in her right ear as a result of fall related to a seizure. Through Bender’s advocacy, CCAC rebranded this program as the Institute of Advanced Technology. She became known for her saying, “People with disabilities need paychecks not pity.”

Related person Joyce Cilitti Bender

Related institution Pittsburgh Pirates (founded 1887)

Related institution Major League Baseball

Related person Barry Lamar Bonds (born 1964)

Related person James Richard Leyland (born 1944)

Related person Andrew James Van Slyke (born 1960)

Related person Roberto Martin Antonio Bonilla (born 1963)

Related person John Patrick Smiley (born 1965)

Related person Gary Andrew Varsho (born 1961)

Related person Donald Martin Slaught (born 1958)

Related person Zane William Smith (born 1960)

Related person Robert Wayne Kipper (born 1964)