Giamatti’s Burial Attended Only by His Family and Close Friends
Bart Giamatti, baseball commissioner and president of Yale in 1978-86, was laid to rest Wednesday after a private graveside service attended by his family and close friends.
Burial was in the Grove Street Cemetery, traditional burial site for Yale presidents. Entrance to the cemetery was closely guarded during the service, and the gates were locked immediately after the mourners left.
At least 50 relatives and friends, including Yale President Benno C. Schmidt Jr. and Mayor Biagio DiLieto, attended the 25-minute service. The Rev. Harry B. Adams, Yale chaplain, officiated.
Giamatti, who was 51, died last Friday after suffering a heart attack at his summer home on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. He is survived by his wife, Toni, and three children, Marcus Bartlett, Paul Edward Valentine and Elena Walton Giamatti.
The service was kept private at the request of the family. A public memorial service is planned, but no date has been set.
Most of Giamatti’s 18 predecessors as president of Yale are buried in the cemetery, which dates from 1796, but in no single area.
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