Inaugural Blue Diamond Gala at Dodgers Stadium Honors Rachel Robinson, Widow of Baseball Great Jackie Robinson

The Inaugural Blue Diamond Gala on the field at Dodgers stadium Thursday evening paid tribute to Rachel Robinson, widow of Pasadena’s great Jackie Robinson. In 1973, she founded the Jackie Robinson Foundation as a way to honor her husband’s memory through the advancement of higher education among undeserved populations.

Also honored were Megan Chernin and Anita Defrantz. Chernin is the founding CEO of The Los Angeles Fund for Public Education, while DeFrantz is the president and member of the Board of Directors of the LA84 Foundation, which is managing Southern California’s endowment from the 1984 Olympic Games.

The evening began in center field at 5:30 p.m. with a VIP reception emceed by “MAGIC” Johnson. Guests had the opportunity to meet Dodgers legends both past and present including Clayton Kershaw, Tommy Lasorda, Don Newcombe, Jaime Jarrin and Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully.

It was a night for reminiscing. Dodger legend Steve Garvey spoke of the 1981 championship and the ” three Steves, Yeager, Howe and myself jumping up on top of them reaching the pinnacle of our careers when we beat the Yankees for that championship.”

The festivities moved at a brisk pace and mother nature blessed the evening with perfect weather.

Hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, the official charity of the Dodgers has established three pillars to better serve the youth in Los Angeles County. The pillars are sports and recreation, education and literacy, and finally health and wellness.

At 6:30 p.m.  the dinner and awards show moved to the infield. Afterwards, the pitching mound l turned into a runway for a Ted Baker fashion show. Rather than super models, Dodger players strutted down the cat walk, sporting a signature Ted Baker Check Cotton Blazer.

Pasadena bleeds Dodger blue. The stadium is less than 12 miles away from the steps of City Hall, and the LADF is always finding innovative and bold ways to entertain, and improve the lives of Pasadena youth. For instance: prior to the release of “42”, the Bio-pic detailing Jackie Robinson’s inspiring journey to become the first African American to play in the MLB for the Brooklyn Dodgers, the students of Washington Middle School got a private screening of the film.

Then there’s the new team President, who is in fact a Pasadenan.

Despite winning the NL West title in 2014, management realized if the team were serious about bringing a World Series championship back to Los Angeles, tough decisions needed to be made. Including hiring a new Team President.

Pasadena resident Andrew Friedman was named team President for the Los Angeles Dodgers in October. The 38-year-old will earn $35 million dollars over the next five years, making him the highest paid front office executive. According to the L.A. Times, he recently purchased a home in Pasadena overlooking the Rose Bowl and Brookside golf course for $6.4 million dollars.

One of the honorees, Anita DeFrantz, has ties to Pasadena, as well.

“Our largest and continuing support goes to the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, formerly known as the Amateur Athletic foundation/Rose Bowl Aquatics Center,” she said.