In the wake of the passing of long-time ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez, a number of people have stepped forward to share how Gomez positively affected their lives.
A majority of the tributes received were from students and aspiring journalists Gomez helped mentor.
So, to honor his life and memory, those close to Gomez started the Pedro Gomez Foundation to support scholarships for students at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, according to Katherine Fitzgerald at the Arizona Republic.
In Fitzgerald’s piece, she reports that family friend Nikki Balich, who is also the Executive Director of the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission, made the connection between the Gomez family and the Cronkite School. It was at that moment that she and Gomez’s wife Sandi knew right away that helping the next generation of sports journalists must be part of Pedro’s legacy.
The report also notes that Gomez, who was a former columnist at The Arizona Republic, would speak to classes and students across the country but particularly at ASU. Fitzgerald describes a time when Gomez graciously sacrificed his time to speak to an Intro to Sports Reporting class she was teaching at ASU.
Fitzgerald writes:
“Pedro agreed immediately, needing just two follow-up questions: When and where? I would tell him the room number and then pass along the unfortunate information: the class was an 8 a.m. That felt like too big an ask. “Maybe 8:30?” I said.
“I’m good with whatever helps you,” he would say. “If you want 8, I can do that.”
The foundation website not only accepts donations but also allows people to send a message to the Gomez family.
