Harrisburg, PA 2017 - Presentations, Awards, Scholarships & Grants

Presentations:
Thursday’s meet-and-greet featured author Michael G. Long of Elizabethtown College narrated his efforts toward his new book, “Jackie Robinson: A Spiritual Biography,” about Jackie’s religious convictions and how he applied them during his career.

• Rich Puerzer’s relating of the importance and legacy of Colonel William Strothers in Harrisburg blackball;
• Jeremy Beer's revealing look at the man and off-the-field personality — the true personality, not the one glorified by writers of back then and today — of Oscar Charleston;
• Missy Booker great research on Pittsburgh Courier writer Bill Nunn
• Nine Innings to Integration: Rube Foster and the Negro National League by Jeff Williams
• An alternative history of Negro League baseball, in which presenters Ed Edmonds and Michael Cozzillio tantalizingly speculated on what would’ve happened if Major League Baseball had expanded by accepting entire Black teams;
• Gary Sarnoff’s look at the role Bill “Chick” Starr — as executive of the then-PCL members Padres — played in the integration of baseball. In 1948 Starr signed catcher John Ritchey as the first Black player in the PCL.
• John Graf's exciting presentation on "Simulating Satchel [Paige]: Baseball Historical Fiction"
• Mary E. Corey’s and Mark Harnischfeger’s fascinating presentation called, “Byways, Segues, Digressions and Detours,” which, according to their proposal, “focuses on a variety of off-the-beaten-path connections to our research into the social and economic impact of the Negro Leagues”;
• Ken Mars’ summary of his in-depth baseball archaeology of pre-1890’s Black baseball, including the city’s participation of the 1887 National Colored League. Here’s a link to some of his work;
• One of my faves from the weekend — Paul Spyhalski‘s examination of the role black baseball played in early-20th-century Iowa resort tourism and how blackball helped make the tourism industry boom in the Hawkeye State.
• Todd Peterson’s exhaustive statistical analysis of Negro Leagues’ top-level players to prove, numbers-wise — that blackball stars were indeed of Major League-level;
• Bill Johnson’s heartfelt, personal look into the life and career of the great Art Pennington;
• A similarly passionate examination of outfielder Jim Zapp by Bill Nowlin, Rick Bush, Jeniffer Zapp, and James Zapp Jr., who told the crowd how much Zapp Sr., inspired them personally;
• A discussion by Emily Rutter, who made possibly the most intellectual and philosophically challenging presentation — the emotional and historical implications and impacts of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-winning play, “Fences,” as well as the Oscar-nominated movie directed by and starring Denzel Washington (who got robbed of his second Best Actor Oscar).

Three Special Presentations:
 - A Q&A featuring Negro Leagues veterans Jim Robinson, Ken Free Sr., and Sam Allen, moderated by Carmen Finestra and also featuring historians Calobe Jackson and Andy Linker;
 - Ted Knorr hosted a discussion on the stellar short film by emerging filmmaker Scott Orris, “There Were Giants,” featuring the 1954 Harrisburg Giants
 - A PowerPoint presentation accompanied by Robert Peterson’s moving and immortal address at the very first Malloy conference. Peterson's widow Peggy.

Tweeb Webb Lifetime Achievement Award:

• Jim Overmyer, Calobe Jackson and Bryan Steverson

Robert Peterson Recognition Award:

• Duke Goldman for The Black Press & Black Baseball, 1915-1955
  
• Makayla & Jeff Klein for Daddy's Scrapbook: Henry Kimbro of the Negro Baseball Leagues, a daughter’s perspective

John Coates Next Generation Award:

• Sherman Jenkins and Courtney Michelle Smith

Trivia Contest Winner:

• Rich Puerzer - Metuchen, New Jersey

 
Fay Vincent Most Valuable Partner (MVP) Award:

• Dr. Charles Crutchfield III - Eagan, Minnesota

 
Thomas R. Garrett Memorial $1,000 Scholarship Winners:

• Isabella Baynard from Dallas, Texas
  
• Nijer Reaves from Hiawatha, Iowa
  
• Sophia Dossin from Noblesville, Indiana
  
• Jakez Smith from Wichita Falls, Texas

 
Richard C. Clark Memorial Library $500 Grant Winner:
Geneseo Public Library, Geneseo, Illinois

• Significa contest titlist — Rich Puerzer (his second title). Runners up were Todd Peterson and John Graf
• First registrants — Dan D’Addona, Jay Hurd and Roy Langhans
• Farthest Distance traveled — Missy Booker from Portland, Oregon