Cleveland: Trailblazers Frank Robinson, Janet Marie Smith began as collaborators, became friends
From Rick Cleveland at Mississippi Today on February 13, 2019, with mention of SABR member Janet Marie Smith:
Baseball lost one of its greatest heroes last week when Hall of Famer Frank Robinson died Feb. 7 at the age of 83. In Robinson, Jackson native Janet Marie Smith, the nationally renowned ballpark architect and director of design of Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards, lost a dear friend and collaborator.
“Everyone knows Frank for his baseball accomplishments, but he was also an amazing man, so passionate about whatever he was involved in,” Smith said by telephone from her Baltimore home. “He accomplished so much in life that his important contribution to the design of Camden Yards ranks so far down the list it rarely gets mentioned.
“I can tell you, Frank was very much a part of it. He had very definite ideas about the design on the playing field and the clubhouse and his input was invaluable. When things mattered to Frank, they really mattered and, thankfully, Camden Yards really mattered to him.”
Read the full article here: https://mississippitoday.org/2019/02/13/they-began-as-collaborators-became-friends-trailblazers-frank-robinson-and-jacksons-janet-marie-smith/
- Related link: In Memoriam: Frank Robinson
Originally published: February 13, 2019. Last Updated: February 13, 2019.