Recalling 1959: White Sox Fans Remember

This article appears in SABR’s “Go-Go to Glory: The 1959 Chicago White Sox” (2019), edited by Don Zminda.

In 1959, I was 27 years old, working for Zimmer, Bergman & Freeman, CPA’s as an accountant. I just passed the CPA exam in May, 1959 and I was going to Northwestern University in Chicago at night. My wife was pregnant with our first child, and we were living in Chicago. In that year it wasn’t obvious that the Sox were even going to win. I remember when Bill Veeck bought the team, he promised to bring a championship to Chicago the following year. That wasn’t good enough for me. I wanted a championship this year, not next year. It looks like I prevailed!

We used to sit in the grandstands, generally in section 20 near the first base dugout. From this angle we got a better view of the Sox dugout. The night they clinched the pennant I was at school. I would run down to the parking lot between classes and turn on the radio for the score. I finished class that night before the game ended. I remember driving home on Lake Shore Dr. when Bob Elson reported “a ground ball to [Luis] Aparicio, he steps on second for one out, and throws to [Ted] Kluszewski at first for the game-ending double play.” He screamed, and I screamed and I almost went off the road. I didn’t need a car to drive the rest of the way – I was flying. Mayor [Richard J.] Daley joined in and turned on the air raid sirens. The city almost panicked. That was the first time Bob Elson ever showed any emotion. The Sox won that game 4 to 2, and ironically it was a ball hit over Minnie Minoso‘s head for a home run that won it. Minnie was traded to Cleveland from the Sox earlier in the year. My favorite player was Nellie Fox. Nellie was definitely a self-taught ballplayer. Jungle Jim Rivera was also among my favorites. He probably added more color than quality, but he was ours.

The World Series was a different story. I was truly elated over winning the American League pennant. To me that was the prize. The World Series was just the frosting – and not really the cake. Although after the first game I might have thought different. We scored 11 runs and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers I think 11-0. They wore their old style uniforms with their pure-white sox. Kluszewski drove in five runs in that game. The Sox ended up losing the series four games to two. My brother-in-law promised to get us tickets but he never delivered so we saw the series on TV or listened to it on the radio. It didn’t matter. We won the pennant that year. It was an amazing year – 1959. Our first child was born – I passed the CPA exam – THE WHITE SOX WON THE PENNANT. That season: delightful.

— Manny Lubelfeld
Buffalo Grove, IL

I was 23 years old when the White Sox won the 1959 pennant. My wife, Marilyn, and I were living in an apartment building in Rogers Park. I was working for our family business as a salesman in 1959. I really don’t remember how or why I became a Sox fan, I think it may have been something I read in the paper when I was six or seven years old. My father had no interest in baseball and I do not think any of my family had strong feelings. I think I attended only one game that season and I drove to the game. We missed a triple play because we were late. On the night the Sox won the pennant, I was home watching the game. Shortly after Early Wynn won the game, the air raid sirens went off; I was very excited. After the big win in the first game of the Series I thought the Sox would take it all. The result: a disappointment.

— Burt Leader
Chicago

I lived in South Shore with my family in 1959. I was 13 years old and was attending St. Philip Neri grammar school at the time. The school was on the South Side, and also located in South Shore (about 7200 south). We lived in the heart of White Sox country. Everyone was a Sox fan. I did not know one single Cub fan! Unfortunately, I never was able to go to any games that year. The night the Sox won the pennant, I was at home and my dad heard it on the radio. I don’t know if the game was televised, but I know the Sox beat Cleveland to clinch. The game I remember most was the first game of the World Series; the Sox won 11-0. My favorite White Sox players were Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, [Jim] Landis, “Big Klu” (Kluszewki), and Billy Pierce. I remember the Sox usually didn’t score many runs (they were known as “hitless wonders”) but they had a great defense and good pitching. We were excited that the nuns let us watch the World Series on TV in school; that was unheard of before. It was a big disappointment when LA won the Series in six games. The season: historic!

— Bill Burke
Chicago

Growing up, I was raised as a Cubs fan. But when I met my husband, I had to convert. I was 19 years old and have been a White Sox fan ever since. We used to go to most night games and a few weekend afternoon games. We sat in the lower grandstands along the first base side. I’ve always loved the friendliness and enthusiasm of the fans. I was home waiting for my husband to come home from school when the Sox clinched. My best friend, Sema, was at our house and we were watching the Sox play Cleveland; Luis Aparicio stepped on second base, threw to first and the double play ended the game. I was pregnant with my oldest child, and started screaming and jumping up and down. My girlfriend told me to stop – she didn’t understand how exciting that was! Mayor Daley had sirens going on in the city and it was just great. My favorite players were Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Billy Pierce, Ted Kluszewski, and Sherman Lollar. I loved watching all the games on TV, but really liked Bob Elson the best as the radio announcer; he was the voice of the Sox. The season: fantastic and exciting!

— Reva Lubelfeld
Buffalo Grove, IL

In 1959, I was 29 years old, living in Skokie, and an accountant (CPA) working for Alexander Grant & Co. (now known as Grant Thornton). I was born and raised on the North Side of Chicago and went to LeMoyne school which was two blocks from Wrigley Field. I went to many Cub games with my dad as a child, with friends or on Sunday school outings. But after the 1945 World Series, the Cubs were habitual losers, having some of the worst players imaginable – Roy Smalley, Lenny Merullo, etc. And when they traded Lou Brock to the Cardinals, who was one of the best Cubs of all time, I gave up on them. At about the same time I had an Army buddy who was a South Sider and Sox fan, and he and I went to then Comiskey Park for some games. I fell for them and the rest is history. I’ve been a Sox fan ever since. My family is really a house divided. My wife is an ardent Cubs fan and so are my daughter and oldest grandson. I was able to get through to my son to become a Sox fan and his wife and kids are also fans.

In fact, at one of my grandson’s Bar Mitzvahs, he thanked me for making him a Sox fan! A summer highlight of the Price family is for me to accompany my son, Neal, and his two sons – AJ and Jake – to a Sox game where we usually have awesome seats. I don’t remember how many games I attended during the ’59 season. I do know it wasn’t many. A most memorable game, just before the Sox clinched the pennant, was watching Early Wynn pitch a 10-inning game in which the Sox won, 1-0. In those days it was not unusual for a pitcher to go the whole game. I heard they clinched on the radio. It was so exciting!

My favorite players included Jim Rivera, Minnie Minoso, Nellie Fox, Chico Carrasquel, Early Wynn, and the great pitcher Billy Pierce. I loved listening to the games on the radio; on the days after they lost, I would not read the Sports section of the newspaper. I remember I was fortunate to see the game where the Sox blew out the Dodgers, 11-0. Ted Kluszewski, a late trade from Cincinnati, hit two home runs that day. I got the tickets in an interesting manner: a woman with whom I worked at AG had a husband who was a high official with the City and he knew I loved the Sox. She asked if I wanted to go to a game and that we would go to Comiskey Park to get the tickets. He found a scalper on the street (which was illegal) and took the tickets from him (we did pay him the face value of the tickets). Unfortunately I was unable to see the 2005 World Series. The season: A great ride.

— Selwin Price
Chicago

In 1959, I was 34 years old, living in Skokie, and was practicing dentistry. I went to the game with one of my sons who was seven years old. I was never really a Sox fan. When I was young, my foreign-born mother used to take me to see the Cubs on Ladies Day, we both became Cubs fans that way. I did eventually become a Sox fan and my favorite players were Nellie Fox, Sherm Lollar, and Ted Kluszewki. I don’t remember where I was when the Sox clinched the pennant but I was at the game when a fan accidentally spilled his beer on Al Smith’s head in front of the bleachers! The season: exiting and amazing.

— Earl Kuznetsky
Chicago

In 1959, my wife and I lived at 2145 E. 97th in Chicago. My father owned a furniture store in those days and I worked for him. Living on the South Side of Chicago, I automatically became a Sox fan. My family wasn’t interested but I listened to the games on the radio. I personally do not remember if I went to the ball park. A friend of mine remembers listening to the game between the Sox and Cleveland when the Sox beat the Indians to clinch the American League title. My favorite players at the time were Nellie Fox, Luis Aparacio, Ted Kluszewski, and Early Wynn with Al Lopez as manager. The Sox lost the Series 4-2 but Big Klu hit two homers in Game One and Dick Donovan pitched a 1-0 shutout in Game Five. Dodger reliever Larry Sherry appeared in almost every game and shut down the White Sox. If not for his performance, the Sox could have won. The announcers were excellent.

— Les Klein
Chicago

In 1959, I was eight years old, lived in South Shore on the South Side of Chicago and went to Horace Mann Elementary School. Being South Siders, there were a lot of Sox fans. My dad knew the White Sox equipment manager so we used to get good tickets and go to games often. I also went a couple of times every summer with my day camp. During the summer of ’59, I don’t remember how many times I went to games that summer but my guess is 8-10 games and we mostly sat in the grandstands. My whole family went to night games. I don’t remember my mother or sister being big baseball fans. But my dad and I used to go to day games together. That’s why it was so upsetting when he didn’t take me to the World Series game. Instead, my father took the son of a friend of his. Needless to say, I was very disappointed. I remember the park being a fun place to go and I can actually still remember what it felt like being there.

The night the Sox clinched the pennant, I was sitting in my living room. I know my dad was there but not sure about the rest of the family. The game was probably on the radio rather than TV but I just don’t recall. I do remember the city sirens going off. We figured out pretty quickly what it was for. My favorite players were Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox. I remember for sure that a picture of them was on Sports Illustrated and the “Go” in “Chicago” was circled on their uniforms. My dad always had the games on when we were driving and I remember boys carrying transistor radios to school when the World Series was on. As for the actual World Series games, I don’t remember anything more than the Sox losing and I didn’t get to go to a game. It was not the outcome I hoped for. The season: I can’t decide between “the best” or “life-changing.” Many seasons have gone by in my life and I’ve watched both the Cubs and Sox get close on occasion and even the Sox winning the World Series. Nothing compares to the excitement of that season and the vivid memories. Yet 1959 was the year I realized that being a girl was a distinct disadvantage and it set me on a path of advocating for women’s rights.

— Arlene Mayzel
Deerfield, IL

In 1959 when the Sox won the American League pennant, I was 37 years old and living in Chicago’s Southwest Side. I was working in the furniture business and spent more than 40 years being a manufacturing representative. I became a Sox fan when I was five or six years old. I loved the game of baseball and my next door neighbors (who had nine children) had a significant influence on me to become a loyal Sox fan. Watching the Sox play in the 1959 season was a wonderful experience. I had two season tickets behind third base. This is where the player’s wives had their seats. That season I must have seen 60 or 70 games and we always drove to the park. I loved being out in the fresh air and sunshine with the rest of the Sox fans and enjoyed watching the Sox play ball. The most enjoyable memory of that season for me was driving to Cleveland to watch the Sox clinch the pennant on Sunday. I can still see the ball that Vic Power hit into a game-ending double play: Luis Aparicio Nellie Fox to [Earl] Torgeson – that was GREAT! My favorite player was Luis Aparicio for his fielding and base stealing, and his overall baseball instincts. He was the glue that held the team together. I don’t believe I had a TV at the time so we always listened to the games on the radio with announcer Bob Elson. I was very disappointed when the Sox lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Larry Sherry was outstanding for his relief work in the series. The season: Fantastic.

— Frank T. Loftus
Palos Heights, IL

In 1959, I was 10 years old, living in West Rogers Park and attending Boone School in Chicago. Growing up my dad was both a Cubs and Sox fan; the rest of my family was indifferent. My dad and I used to go to Sox games and take the train and sit in the cheap seats. The part I liked best was being with my dad and learning the nuances of the game. The night the Sox clinched, I was at home with my parents, watching the game on our black and white TV set. I recall my mom was actually excited! I was apoplectic with joy. My favorite players were Billy Pierce and Luis Aparicio. Most of the time I would listen to the games on a transistor radio walking down the street using a single earplug mimicking my dad. I thought Bob Elson was OK but my dad loathed the TV broadcaster Jack Brickhouse, so of course I did too. When they were in the World Series, I recall a great graphic in the Chicago paper with a cartoon figure walking along a path with a bunch of markers designating years. The copy in large bold print was “Life begins at 40.” Of course the Sox had last been in the Series in 1919. I was very sad about being beaten easily in the series. But I was fascinated by Sandy Koufax. The season: Hypnotic.

— Jeff Urdangen
Evanston, IL

In 1959, I was 12 going on 13. I went to school at St. Mark’s, which was staffed by Sinsinawa Dominicans. In September I began eighth grade, which was always taught by the principal. We had a new one that year, Sr. Marie Donald (Hogan), who was Chicago South Side Irish (the significance of which I did not fully realize) and an avid Sox fan. We did not need to worry about whether we would get to watch the World Series. Sr. Marie Donald died just a few months ago, at the Sinsinawa Mound, where my wife and I saw her once or twice a year for the last ten years or so. She very much enjoyed the 2005 season. My dad was a lifelong Cubs fan and took me to some Cubs games. But I found the Cubs really boring. I had an early infatuation with the Yankees, like many boys, but came to love the White Sox, whose brand of baseball seemed far more exciting than the Cubs. We came to Chicago for one game each year and my dad, to his everlasting credit, made that a double-header with the Yankees most of the time, after my allegiance became clear. Due to my mom’s illness (cancer) which is the underlying theme of my song, “1959,” we did not do a ball game that summer. But I have a clear memory, probably from the previous year, of sitting very near Minnie Minoso, one of my favorite players, who was playing left field. It was a shame Minnie was not around in ’59 to enjoy it. Nellie Fox was my favorite but I also loved Luis Aparicio and Billy Pierce. My recollections about the World Series include Sr. Marie Donald letting us watch the games in class; Ted Kluszewski’s home run; and the fact Lopez did not pitch Pierce. The season: Lifegiving.

— Jim Croegaert
Chicago

Words & Music by Jim Croegaert

I remember sleeping on the porch
With my transistor radio
Listening to Bob Elson’s voice
Seems like a long time ago
I lay there in my sleeping bag
On that hard wooden floor
While in the background the locusts sang
Sometimes I’d fall asleep before
The game was over

In my mind’s eye I could follow
Jim Landis running down a ball
Or Luis stealing second base
I helped the umpire make the call
But something lurked outside the ballpark
Outside the screened-in porch where I lay
I couldn’t see it but I could feel it
Sometimes I thought I heard someone say
The game was over

But I found refuge on that diamond
And I hung on every score
The year the White Sox won the pennant
The year my mother lost the war

The close games they were many
One-to-nothing, two-to-one
I couldn’t count the big hits by Nellie Fox
He was my favorite one
But as the summer turned to September
And the Sox bore down for the stretch run
The murmur grew into a tremor
That shook the earth and hid the sun
The game was over

The Sox wrapped it up against Cleveland
And in Chicago the sirens rang
I went looking for something to believe in
And I never did go back again
But I’ve never seen a team quite like that one
Back in 1959
Every time they hit the field they were battlin’
And they kept on playing past the time
The game was over

But I found refuge on that diamond
And I hung on every score
The year the White Sox won the pennant
The year my mother lost the war

Copyright 1991, Rough Stones Music, 827 Monroe St., Evanston IL 60202. All rights reserved. Used by permission.