O'Malley Collection on Display at These Museums
George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Dallas TX
( “Baseball, America’s Presidents, America’s Pastime” special exhibit, March 21-October 4, 2015)
*Original hand-written note (two-sided) from U.S. President George H.W. Bush to Los Angeles Dodger President Peter O’Malley, June 15, 1991; color photo of President Bush’s Dodger Stadium arrival on June 14, 1991; autographed Dodger ticket by President Bush; original press notes from June 14, 1991 distributed to the media. President Bush is the only sitting U.S. President to have visited Dodger Stadium.
*Autographed, framed photo of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, October 3, 1956. Walter O’Malley welcomes President Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ebbets Field, Brooklyn for Game 1 of the 1956 World Series on October 3. The Dodgers beat the New York Yankees, 6-3, before a crowd of 34,479. It was the first World Series game attended by a U.S. President since Franklin Delano Roosevelt on October 2, 1936 in New York. In appreciation for the visit, President Eisenhower signed a photo from that day to O’Malley. Besides O’Malley and President Eisenhower, also visible facing front (L-R) are Eisenhower’s son, Maj. John S. Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. In front of the President are Treasury Secretary George M. Humphrey and, to his left, Labor Secretary James P. Mitchell.
*Framed photo of Richard Nixon, 1952. U.S. Senator Richard Nixon from California, who was the Republican Vice-Presidential candidate, is seen in center standing. Dodger Hall of Fame centerfielder Duke Snider heads toward the visitors' dugout after hitting a home run in Game 5 of the 1952 World Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on October 5. The Dodgers won 6-5 in 11 innings. Jackie Robinson and his famous uniform No. 42 (permanently retired by all of Major League Baseball in 1997) are visible in the foreground. Mr. Nixon became the 36th Vice President of the United States in 1953 and the 37th President of the United States in 1969.
*Signed original letter from Richard Nixon to Dodger President Walter O’Malley, October 11, 1966. Following the Baltimore Orioles’ four-game sweep of the National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1966 World Series, Mr. Nixon writes to O’Malley about the disappointment of losing and has enclosed a separate letter to Dodger centerfielder Willie Davis, who struggled defensively, for O’Malley to forward. In January, 1969, Mr. Nixon is inaugurated as the 37th President of the United States.
*Signed original letter from U.S. President Jimmy Carter to Dodger President Peter O’Malley, October 25, 1977. President Carter sends his appreciation to O’Malley and the Dodgers for inviting his mother, Lillian, to throw the ceremonial first pitch for Game 4 of the 1977 World Series on October 15 before 55,995 fans at Dodger Stadium.
*Signed original, hand-written letter from Mrs. Lillian Carter to Dodger President Peter O’Malley, January 17, 1978, two sheets. Mrs. Carter expressing gratitude to O’Malley for a gift of a 1977 World Series bat and for the invitation to throw the ceremonial first pitch before Game 4 of the 1977 World Series on October 15 at Dodger Stadium, describing it as “the highlight of my life.”
*Hall of Fame Dodger pitcher Sandy Koufax, considered the greatest left-hander of all-time, presented autographed baseballs from each of his four no-hitters in appreciation to Dodger President Walter O’Malley. On June 30, 1962, Koufax beat the New York Mets, 5-0; on May 11, 1963, he defeated the San Francisco Giants, 8-0; on June 4, 1964, he blanked the Phillies in Philadelphia, 3-0; and on September 9, 1965, he pitched a perfect game against the Chicago Cubs, 1-0. In 1972, Koufax was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
*Chan Ho Park and Hideo Nomo autographed photo, 1996, photo by Jon SooHoo. Park and Nomo signed inscriptions to then Dodger President Peter O’Malley, who made the historic international signings of the pioneer pitchers in 1994 and 1995, respectively. Park was the first player from South Korea to sign and play in Major League Baseball, while in 1995, Nomo became the first Japanese player from Japan's Pacific or Central Leagues to play in MLB since Masanori Murakami in 1965. The All-Star pitchers both opened the doors for dozens of players from their respective countries to participate in MLB. Park won 124 games in MLB, the most by any pitcher from Asia. Nomo was inducted to the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.
*1907 Brooklyn Dodgers stock certificate issued to Charles H. Ebbets, signed by Ebbets. Charles H. Ebbets started his career in baseball as a bookkeeper with the Dodgers in 1883, but worked his way up the organization, eventually purchasing shares of stock to become a Dodger owner and team president in 1898. This is one of his original stock certificates from 1907, which he issued and signed. He was best known for assembling and purchasing land in Brooklyn to build Ebbets Field from steel and concrete, which opened in April, 1913. Ebbets passed away in 1925.
*Original hand-written, signed letter from Ty Cobb to Los Angeles Dodger President Walter O’Malley, May 8, 1959. Hall of Fame outfielder Ty Cobb, known as “The Georgia Peach,” writes to Dodger President Walter O’Malley with his signature green ink pen. Cobb remarks that he appreciates the Dodgers holding a Roy Campanella exhibition game the night before on May 7, 1959, in tribute to the Dodger catcher who was paralyzed in an automobile accident in 1958. The game drew a then-record attendance for baseball of 93,103 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, who paid tribute to Campy, though he had never played in L.A. Cobb also assures O’Malley that those few who have thrown obstacles in his way during the Dodgers’ short time in L.A. are in the minority. This is the first time the letter has been displayed in an exhibit.
*Original signed letter from U.S. President Ronald Reagan to Los Angeles Dodger President Peter O’Malley, October 29, 1981. Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States, writes a letter to Dodger President Peter O’Malley expressing his congratulations on the Dodgers’ recent 1981 World Series Championship against the New York Yankees. The Dodgers came from behind in three postseason series to win the World Championship – as they defeated the Houston Astros, Montreal Expos and Yankees. It was the first of two Dodger World Championships in the 1980s. Mr. Reagan visited Dodger Stadium on numerous occasions, but not as a sitting U.S. President.
*1955 Brooklyn Dodgers autographed team baseball. The 1955 Dodgers captured the World Championship, marking the first and only time in Brooklyn. The Dodgers started the season with 10 straight victories and a 22-2 record en route to a 98-win season. Future Hall of Fame Dodger players from that team include Roy Campanella, Sandy Koufax, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider and Manager Walter Alston. But, there were many more talented players on the team, including Joe Black, Carl Erskine, Carl Furillo, Gil Hodges, Clem Labine, Don Newcombe and Johnny Podres. The Dodgers beat their old nemesis, the New York Yankees, to win the World Series in seven games to complete a memorable and satisfying season. Twenty-one players and Manager Alston signed this ball early in the 1955 season. This is the first time the ball has been displayed in a museum.