Halsey Hall Chapter - SABR
About the Chapter | Officers and History | By-Laws | Who Was Halsey Hall?
Chapter Events | Membership | Publications | Quicksteps BBC
Research Projects | Regional Links | Home

Home > Chapter Publications > Holy Cow! Newsletter > October 1999 issue

 

Fall Chapter Meeting October 23

The Fall Chapter Meeting will be Saturday, October 23 at United Methodist Church at 950 Gould Avenue in Columbia Heights. (Gould Avenue is between 39th and 40th streets; the church is just to the east of Central Avenue.) Events Chair Joe O'Connell is trying to line up one of the Twins as a featured guest. The program will also include research presentations, a baseball lore quiz, and the semi-annual chapter business meeting. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. and will run until late afternoon. The evening event is Game 1 of the World Series at the Himrich/Thornley home. If you are interested in making a research presentation, contact Joe at 651-776-8093.

SABR Members at Milton Gem

Mark Johnson was stationed as an usher in Section 223; your scribe was ensconced in the press box, eating free food; Barry Bengtsson and Connie Hill were seated above the first-base dugout and David Trombley above the Twins dugout; and Seth C. "Dr. Fan" Hawkins was in his usual spot behind home plate. All these SABR members had a great view of Eric Milton's no-hitter on September 11.

David Trombley had last seen a no-hitter in 1964 when Jim Palmer of the Aberdeen Pheasants held the Duluth Dukes hitless. For Dr. Fan- who has seen 15 3,000th hits, one 4,000th hit, two 500th home runs, one 300th win, Mark McGwire's 62nd home run, and many other historic events-it was his first no-hitter.

Calendar

October 16—On Deck Circle taping, 10 a.m. Theme: A Minnesota Baseball Millenium October 23—Fall Chapter Meeting, United Methodist Church, Columbia Heights November 20—On Deck Circle taping, 10 a.m. Theme: The 1990s

Cow Chips

Jerry Janzen went to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond and also to a Richmond Braves-Charlotte Knights game. . . . Fred Buckland went to a Cardinals-Brewers series in Milwaukee but saw no home runs from Mark McGwire. . . . S. Thornley attended a Mets-Rockies series at Coors Field. He also saw a mugging infront of the Greyhound depot out the window of his11th-floor room of the Embassy Suites.

Newsletter Changes

This issue marks a change in editorship and format for The Holy Cow!

The Holy Cow! will still come out monthly although its focus will be confined to news and information related to the chapter and its members. It will be written and edited by Stew Thornley.

Starting this winter, The Holy Cow! Extra will debut, edited by Bob Tholkes. The Extra will appear quarterly and contain longer feature pieces and contributions from members. Send submissions to The Holy Cow! Extra to Bob at 3966 Reservoir Boulevard, Columbia Heights, Minnesota 55421.

Some administrative changes related to the newsletter may also be made; these would be in the form of an amendment to the by-laws and could deal with how the editors are appointed and the length of the term for the editors. The board may make a recommendation on this topic and present it to the full chapter at the Spring Chapter Meeting.

A monthly newsletter has been a key part of the Halsey Hall Chapter since the formation of the chapter in 1985. Gary Clendennen put out the first issue of The Holy Cow! in September of 1985 and served as the editor for two years. Gary got others involved in the role of guest editors and also put out special editions of the newsletter on a variety of topics, such as the trip several chapter members made to visit Burleigh Grimes only six months before he died. After Gary resigned as editor, Alden Mead picked up the cudgel and edited the newsletter starting in November of 1987, providing the chapter with insightful and provocative writing over the next few years. George R. Rekela then brought the newsletter into the era of desktop publishing, starting in September of 1990. George edited the newsletter for nine years, putting out more than 100 issues of The Holy Cow! without missing a month. The chapter is greatly indebted to these three editors. Their work and dedication has greatly benefitted the chapter.

October Birthdays

18—Richard Cohen (also Martina Navratilova)
19—Fred Buckland
23—Rich Arpi (also Jim Bunning, Vern Stephens, and Johnny Carson)
27—Chuck Blomquist (also Buck Ewing, Ralph Kiner, and Teddy Roosevelt)

Chapter Profile: Ray Luurs

New chapter member Ray Luurs was born and raised in South Dakota and has been involved in sports since early in his life. "Being from a rural area," Ray says, "baseball dominated a Sunday summer day, and, like most, I played in competition and sandlot every waning minute of the day." Ray played a variety of sports in high school but gave up aspirations of a professional career because of "a severe case of lack of talent." However, he stayed involved in sports. In addition to obtaining his degree in education at the University of South Dakota-Springfield, Ray took up sportscasting and became the voice of the Springfield Pointers. Ray taught and coached sports for six years in various towns in Montana and the Dakota before moving to Minneapolis and enrolling at Brown Institute, where he got his degree in broadcasting. By this time Ray was married with a family on the way, so Ray stayed put and got a job as a courier.

Ray’s family consists of his wife, Kris, and their children, Courtney, 16; Jamie (deceased but who would be 15); and Geoff, 11 as well as a five-month-old granddaughter, Kaeleigh, and two cats.

In addition to his work as a courier, Ray bowls in three leagues, serves as a trivia host for America On-Line, and coaches his children in various sports. Since Jamie’s death, Ray says he’s found time to take a more active role in his other children’s projects and “not rely on the adage that we can do it later when we have time.”

Ray shares his May 2 birthday with Eddie Collins and Clay Carroll but finds more significance in the historic events that have taken place on the date, such as Ross Barnes hitting the first National League home run (1876), the double no-hitter of Fred Toney and Hippo Vaughn (1917), and Lou Gehrig missing a game after having played in 2,130 straight (1939).

Quicksteps Wrap Up Season

The chapter’s vintage baseball team, the Quicksteps, finished the season September 26 with a loss to their rivals, the River Rats of Stillwater, in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Bob Tholkes noted that the game was the first 1860-style game to be played in Wisconsin since 1860.

Bob also announced he is taking a hiatus as the team’s manager/organizer. A search is on for a new manager or management committee to handle scheduling, equipment, and scorekeeping and communication.

Halsey Hall Chapter Board of Directors 1999-2000

President—Jim Wyman
Vice President—Cary Smith
Secretary-Treasurer—Kevin Hennessy
Mark Johnson
Joe O’Connell
Brent Peterson
Bob Tholkes
The Holy Cow! Editor—Stew Thornley

Last Chance for Subscription Renewal Halsey Hall Chapter—SABR The Holy Cow! Stew Thornley, Editor Roseville, Minnesota 55113-4419 The answer to last month’s “Who Am I?” was Johnnie August “Who Am I?” Answer

Please direct news about chapter events, aboutyourself or about other chapter members toS. Thornley, 1082 Lovell Avenue, Roseville,Minnesota 55113-4419 or via e-mail atthorn017@tc.umn.edu.

HOME
About the Chapter | Officers and History | By-Laws | Who Was Halsey Hall?
Chapter Events | Membership | Publications | Quicksteps BBC
Research Projects | Regional Links


copyright 1999-2004, Halsey Hall Chapter - SABR