Hall, who was a batboy for the Carthage Cubs during the heyday of the KOM (Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri) League, has written numerous books on the KOM, on minor league baseball in general, and a well-received biography of the younger days of Mickey Mantle, Mickey Mantle: Before the Glory.)
Hall sends a weekly newsletter to those who were involved in baseball during those days and for those of us who love the game. These memories of the driving force of the KOM League, former Carthage Press Publisher E. L. Dale were included in his most recent newsletter and are reprinted with his permission.
A couple of decades ago a visit was paid to Colonel Robert Dale (Led the Missouri National Guard during the 1968 riots in Kansas City) was the son of the late E. L. Dale, who first brought baseball to Carthage, Missouri, in 1938, and then spearheaded the founding of the KOM some seven years later and it began operation a year after that, in 1946.
Kansas City race riots: www.google.com/search?q=Kansas+City+race+riots+1968&o...
Col. Dale had asked me to meet him at his home and after our conversation concluded he gave me many priceless items including, but not limited to, a baseball glove Gabby Street presented him following the 1930 World Series that the St. Louis Cardinals won over Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics. Over the years I have shared some of that memorabilia at KOM league events and written about it in numerous missives.
However, one thing that I don’t ever recall mentioning was a drawing done in the early spring of 1938 when Carthage was preparing to join the Arkansas/Missouri league. The reader can look at the image and see that the cartoonist didn’t know how to spell Pittsburgh, Penn. but rather had the spelling of the town in nearby Kansas that left off the “H.” The drawing was depicting the young “Hopefuls” who were preparing to make their entry into organized baseball.
That drawing was recently pulled out of the frame and examined. It was found that Jack E. Murray did the artwork on that item. It was finally given by the Rotary Club to the Dale family as the “Award of the Month” for 1964-65 by the president of that service organization, Ted Evans. Yours truly knew Ted Evans but wasn’t familiar with the artist, Jack E. Murray, or so I thought.
Guess what? I now know about Mr. Murray and realize I was aware of him for most of my young life. He was born John Edward Murray on May 13, 1919 in Willard, Missouri. The young cartoonist was obviously a baseball fan and celebrated the entry of baseball into Carthage with his artistic ability. His depiction of E. L. Dale was a dead ringer for the Carthage Press editor. When he drew that image he was nearly 19 years of age. He attended the University of Missouri in 1940. Jack was busy drawing things, for fun and making a living as the owner of the John E. Murray-- Earth Mover Company located at 1102 South River Street.
Those “Hopefuls” who tried out for the Carthage club, in 1938, did well. They finished two games out of first place in the pennant race and then won the playoffs, four games to one over Neosho. Neosho was a rival in baseball during the Arkansas/Missouri league history that lasted 2.5 years. Over my time of being aware of the world, Neosho and Carthage were rivals in high school athletics. Then, in a twist of fate the Neosho Daily News began printing the Carthage Press in recent years and then shipped the 20 miles, or so north, for distribution. If anyone paid attention to a recent report, the Carthage Press that E. L. Dale and his son Robert worked so hard to keep Carthaginians informed, bit the dust, just like the Arkansas/Missouri league did in 1940 and the KOM league did after the 1952 season.
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