The Negro League Baseball stamps, issued in July 2010, pay tribute to the all-black professional baseball leagues that operated from 1920 to about 1960.  The two 44-cent stamps comprise one scene painted by Kadir Nelson.  Andrew "Rube" Foster is considered the father of Negro leagues baseball and is featured on one of the stamps.  A representative from the Post Office will be here to talk about the background of these stamps. 

At 7:00, Kerrie Ferrell will discuss her book, Rick Ferrell, Knuckleball Catcher: A Hall of Famer's Life Behind the Plate and in the Front Office.  This book details the long Detroit Tigers career of the author’s father.

Grand Opening with keynote speaker Dr. Geri Strecker
Friday, October 15, 2010
6:00 p.m. Invited Reception
7:00 p.m. Open to the Public

Please join us as we introduce this wonderful exhibit to the community.  The public is invited at 7:00 p.m.  We will enjoy light refreshments followed by remarks by Dr. Geri Strecker.

Dr. Strecker is an assistant professor of English at Ball State University with an interest in African-American literature and a broad knowledge of the Negro Leagues.  She is copy editor for the academic journal Black Ball and author of a biography of Oscar Charleston, who is featured in the Pride & Passion exhibit.

This program is funded in part by Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Mr. Stanton has written several books, and his guest columns have appeared in many daily newspapers, including The New York Times.  His book, Hank Aaron and the Home Run That Changed America, was a Reader's Digest selection of the month.  Mr. Stanton has won state and national press awards, including a Knight-Wallace Fellowship at the University of Michigan.  He also teaches journalism at the University of Detroit Mercy.  Books will be available for purchase and signing.

This program is funded in part by Michigan Center for the Book.

"Willie the Wonderful" is a hometown hero, and a major league baseball legend and ambassador.  He was part of the '68 Tigers World Series Champion team and hit .304 during the series.  Willie was fourth on the Tigers' all-time homerun list in 1977 and is tenth on the Tigers' all-time RBI list.  His #23 has been retired and you can view his statue in Comerica Park.  Mr. Horton has been active in the local community from the very beginning of his career, acting a as role model during tumultuous times in Detroit.  He has received multiple awards for community involvement, work with youth, and support of the military.  Mr. Horton currently works for Tigers administration.

Join Jackie as he takes us from his humble beginnings in Pasadena, California, to being the first to open doors for African Americans in major league baseball.  All ages will enjoy this program.

Jackie Robinson will be portrayed by Greg Kenney, of Educate Us Productions.  Mr. Kenney is a professionally trained actor, who has performed in feature films, commercials, print ads and numerous theatrical productions.  He is the winner of the 1998 YWCA Racial Justice Award and a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Education Advisory Board.

This program is funded in part by Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Mr. Larry Lester is the CEO of NoirTech Research, researching sports history with emphasis on the African-American athlete.  Mr. Lester will give us an overview of Negro league history and facilitate a question and answer panel with former Negro league players Gene Johnson and Cecil Kaiser.  This is an exciting opportunity to hear some great stories!

Mr. Lester served as a text editor and fact checker for the Pride & Passion exhibit, has been a researcher for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and served on its Special Negro Leagues Committee.  Mr. Lester is one of the founders of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, and served as its Research Director for five  years.  He is co-chairman of the Negro Leagues Committee for the prestigious Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), and chairman of the annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference.  Mr. Lester has authored several books, including Black Baseball in Detroit.

This program is funded in part by Michigan Center for the Book, and made possible by the Michigan Chapter of Negro League Baseball.  For information or player appearances, contact Lucky Smith (248.377.2505) or Louis Manley (313.282.8527).

Phil S. Dixon is widely regarded as one of America’s foremost experts on baseball history.  Widely regarded for his expertise on baseball, Dixon has authored nine books and has won the prestigious Casey Award for the Best Baseball Book of 1992, and a SABR MacMillan Award for his excellence in baseball research.  A knowledgeable and entertaining speaker, Dixon will be talking about his books Wilber "Bullet" Rogan and the Kansas City Monarchs and Andrew "Rube" Foster, A Harvest on Freedom's Fields.  He has interviewed hundreds of athletes and researched baseball topics for more than thirty years.  Dixon formerly worked in the Public Relations Department of the Kansas City Royals major league baseball team, and currently serves on the Board of Governors for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, an organization which he co-founded in 1990.  Phil S. Dixon resides in Belton, Missouri, with his wife Kerry and children.  His books will be available for purchase and signing.

The late actor Paul Winfield narrates this seminal documentary on the Negro Baseball Leagues. Originally broadcast on PBS, it still holds up more than 25 years later, as it spotlights a time when many superb athletes were virtually ignored because of their race. Celebrated players such as Roy Campanella, Buck Leonard, and Jimmy Crutchfield discuss careers that spanned decades and saw them crisscrossing the country to play the game they loved. The film makes a strong case for the importance of slugger Josh Gibson, who, though excluded from the major leagues, is praised by those interviewed here as the greatest ballplayer they had ever seen. Of particular interest is the interview with Satchel Paige, who pitched over 100 no-hitters in his long career.  (Library Journal)

Former Detroit Tiger Ike Blessitt, and Gary Gillette
Saturday, November 20
2:00 p.m.

Detroiter Ike Blessitt was drafted by the Tigers in 1967, played in the minors, and appeared in four major league games.  From there, he played professionally in Mexico for 20 years.  Mr. Blessitt will share his experiences as a black player during his career.  He will also talk about his dream of building baseball facilities in the city, specifically in Hamtramck.  He wants to give African-American children of Detroit more opportunities to learn and excel at the game he loves.

Gary Gillette is the chair of the Detroit chapter of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research).  He will talk about the efforts to save Hamtramck Stadium, home to the Detroit Stars.  This stadium is one of only five Negro League ballparks still standing today.  Mr. Gillette is currently preparing a history of the park in order to apply for state historic designation, and serves on the committee working to save and restore the grandstand.