SABR Negro Leagues Committee awards 2012 school library grants
SABR’s Negro Leagues Research Committee has awarded $1,000 library grants for 2012 to Windy Hill Elementary School of Jacksonville, Florida, and Buffalo United Charter School in Buffalo, New York. School libraries from across the country were invited to submit grant proposals centering on educating students about black baseball and American history.
Windy Hill Elementary School intends to use the grant to purchase new books for the library and provide students with the opportunity to learn about individual players as well as the history of Negro Leagues and character education. Some of the books include Just Like Josh Gibson, by Angela Johnson; Finding Buck McHenry, by Alfred Slote; and The Negro Leagues of Baseball. Patty McQueen is the school librarian.
Buffalo United Charter School intends to use the grant for its “Player of the Week” program for grades K-5. The program consists of each teacher teaching their students about a specific African-American baseball player, using books and videos so students can visualize what trials and successes that player faced and how important that player is to baseball history. Janice Glenn is the school librarian.
Judges for the library grant program were Dick Clark, co-chair of SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee; Tim Bottoroff, Head Librarian of the Universal Orlando Foundation Library, Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida; Ilia Kirstein, Media specialist/librarian at Edward T. Bowser Sr. Elementary School, East Orange, New Jersey; and Mark Moore, Senior Subject Librarian of the Cleveland Public Library.
Enter the 2012 Negro Leagues Art Contest
The Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference is still accepting entries for its 2012 Art Contest. Deadline to submit an entry is May 7. An application and details can be found in this downloadable PDF.
The annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference art competition awards prizes in three categories: Professional, Amateur and Youth (under 16). A $20 entry fee is good for up to three entries, including paintings, drawings, sculptural works and other traditional art mediums. Please send JPG image by e-mail to Leslie Heaphy or by mail to Leslie Heaphy, Kent State University, Stark 6000 Frank Rd, North Canton, OH 44720.
The winning contestant in each category, plus runner-up, will have his or her art displayed in a special area during the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, July 19-21 at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio. The winning entry in each category will also receive a $400 prize and a certificate from the conference. Photos of winning entries and runners up will also be included in an upcoming issue of Black Ball: A Negro Leagues Journal (published by McFarland).
Register online for Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference
Sign up now for the 2012 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, July 19-21 at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio. For information on room rates and how to register, click here:
The annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference is hosted by SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee, which encourages the study and research of African American baseball and its influence on society and sport history. The conference promotes activities to enhance scholarly, educational, and literary objectives.
For the past 14 years, the conference has been the only symposium dedicated exclusively to the examination and promotion of black baseball history. The conference is open to baseball and history fans of all ages, not just SABR members.
The theme of the 2012 conference is “Black Baseball in Ohio.”
Black baseball has a strong history in Ohio and especially the city of Cleveland. In the 19th century, one of the first African American players in the majors, Moses Fleetwood Walker, played in Toledo. The city of Cleveland had more Negro League entries (11) than any other city in the Negro Leagues from the 1920s through the 1940s. The crowning success came with the 1945 Cleveland Buckeyes winning the Negro League World Series. Their roster included such key players as Quincy Trouppe, Sam Jethroe, Eugene Bremer and Archie Ware.
In 1948, the Cleveland Indians boasted the first African American player in the American League with the signing of Larry Doby and, later, the legendary Satchel Paige. The 15th annual Malloy Conference will celebrate Ohio’s baseball history. In addition to two days of research presentations and player/author panels, attendees will also enjoy a special presentation about League Park and a game with the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins.
For more information, visit SABR.org/malloy.
Originally published: April 23, 2012. Last Updated: April 22, 2020.