Red Sox Make Lifelong Fan's Dream Come True
BOSTON (CBS) - In his long life, 87-year-old Allan Munroe has had two great loves and both names are engraved on a brick at Fenway Park. First of course, is his wife Norma. But not far behind, his kids say, are Allan's beloved Red Sox.
Allan's relationship with the team has been a long distance affair. He hasn't been to a game at Fenway since he moved to Florida 50 years ago.
That changes this weekend. As Allan toured the ballpark, he took it all in with a smile.
"I'm just trying to enjoy Fenway Park while I can still get a kick out of it and know what's going on up here," he said.
But this long awaited journey back to baseball Mecca, begins with a loss. Norma passed away last year.
That's when Allan's granddaughter Angela decided she needed to put a smile back on his face. She launched an online campaign on the website www.GoFundMe.com and Twitter to bring her grandfather to Fenway one more time.
"I knew that this has been his dream," she said.
The effort was going well. Donations came from all over, even from Yankees fans.
But then, Angela got an email that she never expected. Linda Pizzuti Henry, the wife of Red Sox owner John Henry. She invited Allan and his family to be their guests for a Red Sox vs. Yankees game.
Friday the family toured the ballpark. Saturday night, Allan will open the game, yelling, "Play Ball!" before the first pitch.
It's a weekend, his family says couldn't be more perfect.
"Next to the birth of our children and our marriages, this is probably the best thing that happened to us," said Allan's son, Dennis Munroe.
They are thankful to the Red Sox and to the donors who made a Lifelong Red Sox fan's dream come true.
