METS TO HOST COPD AWARENESS DAY IN HONOR OF BOB MANDT THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 20 AT CITI FIELD
FLUSHING, N.Y., August 16, 2011 – The New York Mets today announced they will host COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) Awareness Day to honor the memory of long-time Mets employee Bob Mandt this Saturday, August 20 at Citi Field when the Mets host the Milwaukee Brewers at 4:10 p.m.
The Mets will donate a portion of each ticket purchased online through mets.com/copd to the COPD Foundation to support research and awareness. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and the only chronic disease growing in mortality. It affects approximately 24 million Americans but only 12 million are diagnosed. Mandt passed away from COPD last October.
Mandt spent more than five decades with the organization starting as a ticket seller before the team played its first game in 1962 and rising up the ranks to become Vice President of Stadium Operations and later Vice President for Purchasing & Special Projects. He experienced the 1969 and 1986 World Championships, The Beatles and numerous other major rock concerts, New York Jets football and championship boxing and professional wrestling at Shea Stadium.
This Saturday before the game, the Mets will unveil a plaque dedicating the Bob Mandt Business Box on the Excelsior Level for the original Met whose dedication and service over five decades made an enduring impact on the organization. Mandt’s family including his wife, Norma, his two children, Larry and Carolyn, and his five grandchildren will be in attendance.
“As an original Met, Bob Mandt’s career touched the lives of thousands of fans and hundreds of employees, leaving an indelible mark on the franchise. But most importantly, he was a beloved member of the Mets family,” said Dave Howard, Executive Vice President, Business Operations, Mets. “By hosting a COPD Awareness Day, we honor Bob’s memory by educating our fans about the disease, and hopefully help to improve the quality and length of people’s lives.”
“The COPD Foundation is honored to be partnering with the Mets to honor Bob Mandt with a COPD Awareness Day,” John W. Walsh, president and cofounder of the COPD Foundation, said. “Bob, who lived with emphysema, spent over 50 years working for the Mets and was an important member of their family. We are very pleased to be able to host this event in his name while spreading awareness about this disease.”
Fans coming to Citi Field for the Mets-Brewers series this Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be able to experience the COPD Foundation’s COPD Shuttle: Journey to the Center of the Lungs, a 20-seat motion simulator ride that takes the audience on a virtual journey through the lungs to see the harmful effects of smoking. The shuttle will be on Mets Plaza in front of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.
Educational materials will be available near the shuttle, as well as the opportunity to be screened for COPD. Support of the Shuttle is provided by the DRIVE4COPD campaign, First Class Medical and Life Choice. COPD includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and adult onset (refractory) asthma. Symptoms include breathlessness, wheezing, and chronic coughing. For more information, visit http://www.copdfoundation.org or call 1-866-316-COPD (2673).
Bob Mandt was one of the funniest, smartest, warmest guys I ever had the pleasure of interviewing. He was also, at the time of his death, the single greatest living repository of Mets knowledge. I mourn his death, and I’m happy to hear they’ll be tributing him.