O'Malley Collection on Display at These Museums
Japan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Tokyo, Japan
("Baseball in Japan and the O'Malley Family: A Lasting Friendship" special exhibit, June 29-July 15, 2013)
*During the Dodgers' 1956 Goodwill Tour to Japan, the traveling party visited the Noritake factory. Members of the team and traveling party autographed the plate and 58 years later, the clarity of the signatures is remarkable. This one-of-a-kind porcelain plate, hand-painted with Mt. Fuji in the background, was presented to Dodger owner Walter O'Malley. National Baseball Hall of Famers Walter Alston, Billy Herman, Duke Snider, Don Drysdale, Pee Wee Reese, Walter O'Malley, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Vin Scully, Jocko Conlan and Japan Hall of Famer Sotaro Suzuki were among those that signed the plate, which has 40 total signatures.
*July 8, 1947 framed "Thank you" letter from New York Yankee Hall of Famer Babe Ruth to Walter O'Malley, then part-owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
*Placard, a replica of the bronze plaque that the Dodgers presented at the entrance of Hiroshima Stadium, on November 1, 1956. Accompanying the replica plaque are original autographs of the Dodgers and members of the traveling party in attendance at the presentation.
*Plaque presented to Walter O'Malley from Baseball Commissioner William D. Eckert, featuring a September 15, 1966 letter from U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson to Eckert about continuing the friendship between the U.S. and Japan through baseball. The Dodgers were about to make their second Goodwill Tour to Japan in October - November, 1966.
*Walter O'Malley's framed Third Order of the Sacred Treasure Gold Rays With Neck Ribbon, the high honor for a non-Japanese. O'Malley received the award on November 15, 1966 at the Prime Minister's Office as he was decorated by Kiyosi Mori, director general for Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, in recognition of fostering United States-Japan friendship through professional baseball.
*Two photos of Walter O'Malley meeting Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako at Tokyo's Korakuen Stadium for the November 6, 1966 exhibition game.
*Framed collection of 1984 Olympic Baseball exhibition tournament autographed baseballs by members of the eight competing countries, presented to Dodger owner Peter O'Malley from the Dodger organization. Japan won the tournament at Dodger Stadium.
*Color photograph of Peter O'Malley, MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn and Shigeo Nagashima, Manager of the Yomiuri Giants on June 29, 1994 at Tokyo Dome, Japan.
*Akihiro "Ike" Ikuhara and Peter O'Malley Memorial Sports Management Class lecture flyer featuring Sadaharu Oh at Waseda University on January 21, 2009.
*St. Patrick's Day greeting card signed by the Yomiuri Giants at Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida in 1967. The card was presented to Peter O'Malley and signed by all members of the 1967 Giants.
*1995 framed color photograph of Chan Ho Park and Hideo Nomo autographed to Dodger President Peter O'Malley. Park was the first player from South Korea to sign and play Major League Baseball and Nomo was the first Japanese player from Japan's Pacific or Central Leagues since Masanori Murakami in 1965 to play in MLB. Both were pioneers and opened the door for many more players to follow in their footsteps from South Korea and Japan.
*Three Happi coats presented to members of the Dodgers' traveling party during the team's 1966 Goodwill Tour to Japan. The front of one coat reads "Welcome, World Peace and Dodgers", while another says "Los Angeles Dodgers" and the third commemorates the Union 76 sponsorship of the Dodgers and their relationship with Maruzen Oil Company. With that coat, a headband shows the Dodger and Yomiuri Giants names.