William J. Early, former Flint schools superintendent
and World War II veteran, dies at 89

FROM:  The Flint Journal ~
By Khalil AlHajal

http://snipurl.com/1dqfeg

FLINT, Michigan

A former Flint School District superintendent,
professional baseball player and World War II
veteran died on Wednesday.

Dr. William J. Early, who led Flint schools in the
late 1960s and early 1970s, was 89.

Richard Ruhala, who served on the Flint school
board at the time, said Early led the district when
it had nearly 50,000 students and was a model
of community education programs.

"We had people from all over the world coming
to see our district," said Ruhala, 74. "We were
building at least one or more schools every year."

He said Early was known for his ability to maintain
stability even in turbulent times.

"He had a steady hand," said Ruhala. "I think
we had two or three major teacher strikes. The
concept of working with teacher union groups
was a new idea and he had to deal with it."

He said Early's dealings with the new unions set
the tone for education labor negotiations across
the state.

"We were sort of viewed by the various labor
organizations as being pace setters for the rest
of the state," he said. "It was a focal point for
setting wages for a number of years."

Ruhala said Early was also at the helm during the
beginning of federally mandated desegregation
efforts in the district.

"We had to go into busing and it began to conflict
with the concept of community schools, but we
had to try to integrate the schools and we had to
be concerned with hiring more minority teachers,"
he said.

Long before becoming an education leader,
Early showed a different kind of talent on
a national stage. He was a third baseman for the
New York Giants.

"One of his dreams when he was younger was
to be a baseball star," said Ruhala. "I think he
was injured in the service so he wasn't able to
continue and he went into education."

Early was awarded two Purple Hearts and
a Silver Star for his service as a Marine in
Okinawa.

Another school board member during the 1960s,
Leo Seide, said Early's military background fueled
his strength as a leader.

"Bill was a take-charge superintendent and
that's the kind of guy that the community
needed," said Seide, 85. "He was a very important
guy in the community and he lead the schools
really well. He wrote our first labor contracts.
We were proud of him."

A funeral will be held at noon Sunday at
St. Ann Catholic Church in Frankfort, Mich.,
where he lived with his wife Clara.  Graveside
services will be held in Crystal Lake Township
North Cemetery, where military honors will be
performed.

MiLB Stats:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=early-001wil

Happy Halloween, everyone!

What an appropriate day to announce that over 440 photos of deceased major
league baseball player gravesites have been edited and placed on
http://www.thebbnlive.com/. These photos were gathered on our recent trip from
Texas to Indiana and back, during which time we visited 179 cemeteries. Isn't
that a novel and exciting thing to do on a working vacation? Enjoy.

Bill Lee, The Baseball Undertaker

Arthur Lee Wilson, a Negro Leagues star who played 19 games for the New York
Giants in 1951 and is a member of the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame, died
Oct. 31, 2010, in Portland, Ore., at age 90. His obituary is not yet in The
Oregonian, but here is the news story:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/10/negro_leagues_star_and_form\
er.html

J.G. Preston
Sacramento, CA

Vernon V. Thoele, who played nine seasons in the minor leagues, died on October
30, 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/2b5y32d

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=thoele001ver

Jack Morris
East Coventry, PA

Gene Arlan Fodge, who played 16 games for the 1958 Chicago Cubs, died on October
27, 2010, in Mishawaka, IN.

http://tinyurl.com/2fqbpe8

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=fodge-001eug

Jack Morris
East Coventry, PA

Although I remember him pitching for the Cubs, I do not remember the
one-hitter he pitched.

Steve Boren

On Mon, November 1, 2010 8:05 am, jack wrote:
> Gene Arlan Fodge, who played 16 games for the 1958 Chicago Cubs, died on
October 27, 2010, in Mishawaka, IN.
> http://tinyurl.com/2fqbpe8
> http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=fodge-001eug Jack
Morris
> East Coventry, PA

Steve wrote:

>Although I remember him pitching for the Cubs, I do not remember the
one-hitter he pitched.

According to

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.cgi?id=fodgege01&t=p&year=

it was actually a ten-hitter: presumably a zero disappeared along the
way, as they do.  Still impressive though.

Pete Ridges

Pete:

Thank you.  I must admit, he had more major league experience than I have!
(my freshman year in high school, I was one of 3 students cut on the very
first cut by the Freshman Team coach.  My sophomore year, I was cut by the
Sophomore Team coach after he watched me bat: it was a special assessment
and I was the only one cut).   And winning a major league game against any
team is impressive.

I have a data base of one-hitters and I did not recall his performance,
although a number of undistinguished pitchers did threw 1-hitters.

Steve

On Mon, November 1, 2010 11:54 am, Peter Ridges wrote:
> Steve wrote:
>
>>Although I remember him pitching for the Cubs, I do not remember the
> one-hitter he pitched.
>
> According to
>
> http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.cgi?id=fodgege01&t=p&year=
>
> it was actually a ten-hitter: presumably a zero disappeared along the
> way, as they do.  Still impressive though.
>
> Pete Ridges
>

On 24 Apr 1958, in Fodge's second major league appearance and his first major
league start, he scattered 10 hits, beating the Dodgers and Don Drysdale at the
L A Memorial Coliseum, 7 to 6, to gain his only major league win and his only
major league complete game.  He went on to start three more games that year, but
finished the year playing for the Fort Worth Cats in the Texas League.  If he
ever had a one hitter it may have been in the minors where he had a not too bad
record, winning 68 games against 51 losses, including a 19-7 year for the Los
Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League in 1956.

By the way, he was a distant cousin of my Goshen, Indiana, wife, whose maiden
name was also Fodge.

Bill Lee, The Baseball Undertaker
http://www.thebbnlive.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "bleeo1937" <blee@...>
To: <BaseballNecrology@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2010 4:29 PM
Subject: [BaseballNecrology] Gene Fodge's only major league win.


>On 24 Apr 1958, in Fodge's second major
> league appearance and his first major league
> start, he scattered 10 hits, beating the Dodgers
> and Don Drysdale at the L A Memorial Coliseum,
> 7 to 6, to gain his only major league win and his
> only major league complete game.

Bill, the final score was 15-2.  Lee Walls hit three home runs in that game
and drove in eight runs.  Bobby Thomson also hit a home run for the Cubs
that day.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN195804240.shtml

Guillermo "Borrego" Grajeda, who played in the Cleveland Indians organization,
died on October 27, 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/39xc6g7

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=grajed001gui

Jack Morris
East Coventry, PA

John Bemben, who played in the St. Louis Cardinals organization before World War
II, died on October 27, 2010 in Hampden, MA.

http://tinyurl.com/32hbxtn

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=bemben001joh

Jack Morris
East Coventry, PA

Clyde King, whose baseball career as a player, coach, manager and front-office
man spanned six decades, has died in North Carolina.

http://tinyurl.com/37vqmza

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kingcl01.shtml

Jack Morris
East Coventry, PA

In hospice care due to complications from dementia:

http://www.freep.com/article/20101103/SPORTS02/101103019/1398/Sparky-Anderson-in\
-hospice-care#ixzz14E2vvdJf

Gary Benton Hicks, who played one season in the 1949 Central Association, died
on November 1, 2010 in Onawa, IA.

In researching Hicks, I found the following blurb in the May 23, 1949 Cedar
Rapids Gazette in a story about new additions to the Cedar Rapid Rockets:

"Gary Hicks, a 17-year-old whose father, Ben, is the groundskeeper at Adam
Pratt's ball park in Sioux City. Hicks is from Sloan, Ia., and played first base
a part of the first game Sunday night."

Sioux City, in 1949, was in the Class A Western League.

http://tinyurl.com/3yepqgx

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hicks-002gar

Jack Morris
East Coventry, PA

William F. Jones, who played in the New York Giants organization, died on
November 1, 2010 in Sodus, NY.

http://tinyurl.com/29x4sdt

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=jones-009wil

Jack Morris
East Coventry, PA

Sparky Anderson died today, November 4, 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/26b3xs3

http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/andersp01.shtml

Jack Morris
East Coventry, PA

Raimondi's death at 97 has already been reported to the group, but this Oakland
Tribune obituary is now online, with photos:

http://www.insidebayarea.com/timesstar/localnews/ci_16523659

J.G. Preston
Sacramento, CA

William Robert "Bill" Morris, who played in the New York Yankees organization,
died on November 3, 2010 in Sedgwick, KS.

http://tinyurl.com/2dmmad3

http://www.wichitahof.com/Baseball_Inductees_Bios.htm

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=morris004wil

Jack Morris
East Coventry, PA

Donald "Dutch" Wisseman, who played in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, died
on November 1, 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/2atzt5o

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=wissem001don

Jack Morris
East Coventry, PA

William Harmon Young, who played six seasons in the minors after service in
World War II, died on October 30, 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/2ar2br6

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=young-004wil

Jack Morris
East Coventry, PA

Richard L. "Dick" Bonne, who played in the Chicago White Sox organization, died
on November 4, 2010, in Rockford, IL.

http://tinyurl.com/25eqw6x

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=bonne-001ric

Jack Morris
East Coventry, PA

Former major leaguer Van Noy dies in Logan

FROM:  The Salt Lake Tribune ~
Staff Reports

http://snipurl.com/1fcla5

Jay Van Noy, a Utah native who played briefly
in the major leagues, died Saturday in Logan
after an extended illness. He was 82.

An all-conference football player who led the
nation in interceptions for Utah State in the late
1940s, while also playing baseball and basketball
for the Aggies, Van Noy was drafted by the
NFL's Los Angeles Rams. He chose to pursue
a baseball career and reached the major leagues
with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1951, appearing
in six games.

He later became BYU's baseball coach and
assisted with the football and basketball programs.
A graduate of North Cache High School,
Van Noy was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall
of Fame Foundation in 1979 for his all-around
achievements.

In 1999, Sports Illustrated named him one of
Utah's top 50 sports figures of the 20th century.

A funeral service will be held Thursday in Logan.
---
MLB Stats:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/vannoja01.shtml