Thorn: Baseball world remembers pioneer Sol White
From SABR member John Thorn at Our Game on May 12, 2014:
On Saturday, May 10, at Frederick Douglass Memorial Park on Staten Island, Sol White’s gravesite, unmarked since his death in 1955, received a new headstone. The effort was funded by SABR’s Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project, led by Dr. Jeremy Krock since 2003, when it place a monument above the final resting place of the great Jimmie Crutchfield. To date, this noble effort has produced thirty markers, including one other member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Frank Grant. Today it can be said that no member of the Baseball Hall of Fame lies in an unmarked grave.
In a ceremony that ran for two hours or so, Sol’s place in baseball history was noted by several speakers and celebrated with song, instrumental accompaniment, and a drum corps from St. Philips Baptist Church. Patricia Willis, CEO of Friends of Frederick Douglass, presided over the ceremony; state and city government officials offered their remarks and support.
I attended on behalf of Major League Baseball and Commissioner Selig, for whom history matters. Below is my brief declamation, followed by a biography prepared by Peter Mancuso and Ralph Carhart of the Society for American Baseball Research, and recited by the latter.
Read the full report here: http://ourgame.mlblogs.com/2014/05/12/baseball-remembers-sol-white/
Related links:
- Ryan Whirty: Paying respect for black baseball legend Sol White (SILive.com)
- Learn more about the Sol White grave marker dedication ceremony on May 10, 2014
- Read the SABR biography of Sol White, written by Jay Hurd
- Click here to support the Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project with a tax-deductible donation
Originally published: May 14, 2014. Last Updated: May 14, 2014.