John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil was born in Carrabelle, FL on November 13, 1911. He became a famous first baseman and manager for the Kansas City Monarchs, a Negro Leagues team. In 1956 he joined the Chicago Cubs as one of the first African-American scouts in Major League Baseball. Then the first African-American coach in the Major Leagues in 1962. Buck also founded the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006.
Wes Singletary is the author of three books: The Right Time: John Henry "Pop" Lloyd and Black Baseball; Al Lopez: The Life of Baseball's El Senor; and Florida's First Big League Baseball Players: A Narrative History - featuring Apalachicola native Jimmy Bloodworth - as well as numerous articles and journal entries. He is also a contributing author on The Pride of Smoketown: The 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords. A USAF veteran, Wes earned a Ph.D. in history from Florida State University, and is currently AP United States History Professor at Lawton Chiles High School. He has taught as an adjunct history professor at Tallahassee Community College for 27 years. Wes and his family live in Tallahassee, Florida.
Joshua Weaver's passion is baseball. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in History. Joshua’s profession is social work, but has aspirations of becoming a baseball historian. He has authored the children's book, A Visit to Oriole Park at Camden Yards with the Orioles Mascot. Joshua has traveled to all 30 active Major League Ballparks. He has visited several baseball museums around the county including National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame, and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The museums all feature exhibits on Buck O'Neil which lead Joshua to the Carrabelle History Museum. He is currently assisting in the expansion of the museum's permanent exhibit on Buck O'Neil, which is definitely worth a visit. Joshua lives in Crystal River, Florida.
17 окт 2024
