CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Youngstown Foundation is awarding a $50,000 grant for a statue to mark an historic handshake in baseball history.

The statue, which will be positioned near the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre, will commemorate the 1946 handshake between George Shuba and Jackie Robinson in a minor-league baseball game in Jersey City, New Jersey.

They played for the Montreal Royals. Shuba, a Youngstown native, reached out to congratulate his teammate after Robinson hit his first home run. It is believed to be the first handshake between black and white players on a modern professional baseball diamond, and it was captured in a photograph owned by George Shuba's son, Mike.

Shuba, who died in 2014, and Robinson would go on to play seven seasons together with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

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The Economic Action Group, a Youngstown development-advocacy group, and the Robinson-Shuba Commemorative Statue Committee hope to raise $400,000. The statue's dedication is scheduled for April 18, 2021, the 75th anniversary of the photograph.

"This statue recognizes the role ‘one of our own’ played in an important historic moment that helped advance racial equality in American sports and culture," Jan Strasfeld, the foundation's executive director, said in a release. "There is no city more appropriate than Youngstown, a true community of excellence, for a larger-than-life statue that honors Jackie Robinson's achievements and George Shuba's respect for them."

The Economic Action Group will be the fiscal agent. Connecticut sculptor Marc Mellon is creating the 7-foot-tall statue.

The 101-year-old Youngstown Foundation has donated more than $100 million. It is one of Northeast Ohio's largest grant makers.

The committee has its fundraising work cut out. A gofundme page shows $50,395 had been donated as of Wednesday morning, but that figure includes the foundation's grant. Gulas, though, remains "very optimistic."

There are, he said, "a lot of irons in the fire. They (other large donors) have not committed yet, but that page just went up last week. … It takes a while to cultivate those relationships. Some other groups have committed (charitable donations) for this year, so we have to wait till next year."

Shuba, who would have turned 95 on Friday, Dec. 13, was a great man, Gulas said.

"A more humble Major Leaguer you'll never find," he said. "Always there for you if you need him."

More information

Go online for details about the statue. Social media: Follow on Twitter and Facebook. Contributions can be made via GoFundMe page.

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