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U.S. Army veteran and retired William Paterson University coach and professor emeritus Gabe Vitalone, 97, has dreamed of singing the national anthem at a New York Yankees baseball game to honor fallen veterans, especially his best friend – fellow Yankees fan and U.S. Marines Cpl. Joe Romano, who died on Saipan in 1944.
On April 19, Vitalone’s longtime dream will be realized. He will sing the national anthem on the field at Yankee Stadium leading into the team’s 1:05 p.m. game against the Cincinnati Reds.
“Absolutely amazing,” Vitalone responds without hesitation, when asked how he feels about his upcoming performance. “My singing is not for me,” he continues. “It’s going to be in memory of Joe and all of the servicemen who lost their lives. It’s always been tied into my adult life – the national anthem. Whenever I heard it, I would always think of my friend and any of the guys who didn’t make it.”
Vitalone and Romano – childhood friends from Yonkers who met in the Boy Scouts, served side-by-side as altar boys, and loved playing baseball and watching the Yankees – went to six World Series games together. Vitalone actually purchased the first ticket to Game 1 of the 1943 World Series at Yankee Stadium, for $1.10. He has the ticket stub still. Romano, who was deployed overseas at the time, had to miss that game. Unfortunately, he never made it to another Series contest. He died eight months later, on June 15, 1944.
In mid-February, after Vitalone’s son posted a video to the Internet about his dad’s Star-Spangled dream, which garnered public and media attention, the Yankees invited Vitalone for a VIP tour of the stadium with his son and wife.
“… And then we walked out into the field. There was this vast beautiful, empty stadium, and the scoreboard said, ‘The Yankees Welcome Gabe Vitalone.’ You talk about my boyhood, when we held Major League ball players in awe, and then to see your name up on the scoreboard,” Vitalone trails off.
What happened next, however, was the biggest surprise. Someone handed Vitalone a microphone and asked him to sing the national anthem.
All of his practice singing in the shower paid off. Following his performance at home plate, Yankees team representatives told Vitalone his longtime dream would become a reality.
“It’s kind of exciting, and slightly intimidating. In my own mind, I can see that stadium and it’s no longer empty but filled with thousands of people and who knows how many more watching on TV. It is a little frightening,” says the World War II veteran, who served as a lieutenant in Patton’s Third Army. “But I’ve always been able to respond to the occasion and I’m hoping I will be true to form. I must admit, I was never this nervous giving my lectures, even when I was being evaluated,” he adds, laughing.
Vitalone spent 34 years teaching and coaching at William Paterson, starting in 1957 as a professor of health and physical education, and coach for the baseball, basketball, and, later on, cross country teams. In 1962, after completing his doctorate, he went on to teach developmental psychology on campus.
During his time at William Paterson, Vitalone developed an innovative program for tutoring inner-city children and taught it for 22 years in the Paterson schools. He is a member of the William Paterson University Athletic Hall of Fame, and in 2005, he was recipient of the University’s Faculty Service Award.
“So many people played a part in this. I’ve gotten so many calls from all over the country from people saying that they were supporting me and that they were going to call the Yankees,” Vitalone says. “So I want everybody to share in this – my luck or success or whatever it is. I guess miracles do happen.”
Join Gabe at Yankee Stadium on 4/19!
Discounted tickets for the 1:05 p.m. game are available to WP students, alumni, and staff. Purchase game tickets here.
A bus will be available for all attendees, leaving from Lot 5 on campus at 9:30 a.m. Reserve your seat on the bus here.
