This Day in Walter O’Malley History:
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Honored in his senior year as the “outstanding overall student” at the University of Pennsylvania, Walter O’Malley, 22, was named recipient of the prestigious “Spoon Man” award and presented with a large wooden spoon. According to a Penn press release, “The position of Spoon Man originated in the early eighteen sixties, when the lowest ranking freshman in the scholastic honor group was given a wooden spoon, appropriately engraved, as a consolation prize for being so far from the head of the class. Since that time, the position has evolved to that of the highest in the category of senior honors.” O’Malley was also President of his class; a captain in the university battalion of ROTC; chairman of the Undergraduate Council; a member of the Council on Welfare and Student Activities; and baseball representative for the Council on Athletics.
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Major league club owners met in Miami, Florida for the purpose of selection of a new Commissioner of Baseball to succeed A.B. “Happy” Chandler but no one knew how the vote would go. Dodger President Walter O’Malley was quoted as saying “I have no idea, believe me, of what may happen tomorrow, but certainly eight men (National League owners) are not coming out of our meeting with nobody saying anything.” New York Times, March 11, 1951
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Baseball Commissioner William D. Eckert, National League President Warren C. Giles and Tokyo Yomiuri Giants’ owner Toru Shoriki arrive at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida as guests of Walter O’Malley. The entire Giants team trained at Dodgertown for the second time (first in 1961).
