WESTON – A new black granite monument in Weston tells all who gaze upon it that Bob Cerv was more than a Major League ball player.

He was a man, Curtis Havelka said, who embodied the American spirit.

“Never quit, never give up. If you want it, earn it,” Havelka said was the lessons for life that the Weston native was always willing to share with those he met.

Havelka and others spoke Saturday afternoon at the ballfield in Weston, where the new Bob Cerv Sr. monument was unveiled to a large crowd of family and friends.

Cerv, who died in April at the age of 91, was born in Weston and always claimed it as his hometown. His travels with his World War II service in the U.S. Navy and his career in baseball took him to many places, but he always stayed connected to Weston and Nebraska, returning back to the state after retiring from his baseball career.

But it is not just baseball that carries Cerv history.

University of Nebraska- Lincoln Associate Athletic Director John Jentz told the crowd Saturday that Cerv was the first UN-L athlete to earn letters all four years of his college career in both baseball and basketball.

There have been 6,000 letter winners in UN-L’s history. Cerv is still the only one to hold that distinction.

Jentz said Cerv was also the first UN-L athlete to win a World Series ring when he played in the Major League. Now, there are eight.

Jentz never had the opportunity to meet Cerv, but he said what he has heard about him has left an impression. He called Cerv’s “persistent toughness” an example to live by.

Jentz also seemed impressed by the large crowd that turned out Saturday for the celebration of the monument.

The associate athletic director said being in Memorial Stadium on a football Saturday is an awesome spectacle in this state. After learning about Cerv and talking to people before the ceremony, he said he has a better sense of who are the people in Memorial Stadium.

“I think today I get a better appreciation,” he said. “It takes a community like this and people like Bob Cerv to make up Memorial Stadium.”

Jentz wasn’t the only one praising Cerv and the Weston community.

Congressman Jeff Fortenberry said Cerv lived with determination and grit.

The way Cerv lived his life exemplifies, Fortenberry said, “the values that our state stands for.”

The congressman shared stories about Cerv’s time serving with the Navy in the Philippines. During his service, Cerv survived a kamikaze attack on his ship and met President Harry Truman for the first time.

Other speakers on Saturday shared stories from Cerv’s years on the ball diamond, including the time he played 28 games for the Kansas City Athletics with a broken jaw.

Cerv also coached baseball.

Don Clark, who played for Cerv when he coached at John F. Kennedy College in Wahoo, said he thought his coach would be pleased with the activities on Saturday.

Clark remained friends with Cerv after college and called him a humble man.

He was also a family man. Cerv and his wife, Phyllis, had 10 children. Many of the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were in attendance Saturday.

Following the monument dedication ceremony, Joe Cerv said his dad would have been pleased to see so many of his family in attendance Saturday.

“For him, it was family first,” he said.

Joe Cerv, who helped to take the cloth off the monument with his brothers Bob Jr. and John, said it means a lot to the family that a monument now stands in Weston in honor of his father.

His dad, he said, was proud of his hometown.

Not only was Bob Cerv born in Weston, he was baptized in Weston, received first communion in Weston, got married in Weston and is buried in Weston. Joe Cerv said he always came home to his native Nebraska, and especially to his home town.

“Not many people have that kind of circle in their life,” he added.

A committee of area residents have been working on the monument project since last year. Havelka said many people had a hand in getting the monument done as well as making the activities on Saturday happen. He said he was appreciative of everyone’s efforts.

Saturday’s activities also included a memorabilia display, a ballgame after the dedication ceremony and hot dogs at the ballpark.

Havelka said education was also important to Cerv. Students from St. John Nepomucene School in Weston sang the National Anthem and provided other music for the ceremony.

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