O'Malley Collection on Display at These Museums
Nixon Presidential Library, Yorba Linda, CA
("Play Ball! Presidents and Baseball" special exhibit, April 6-October 5, 2014)
*Wristwatch, manufactured by Longines, presented to Dodger President Walter O'Malley as "Brooklyn's Catholic Man of the Year Award" by Congressman John F. Kennedy, after JFK's talk to the dinner gathering at the Cathedral Club on January 17, 1952. Also, audio interview on CD, as O'Malley reminisces to Vin Scully on Union Oil record, 1966. Back of the watch inscription: "CATHEDRAL CLUB OF BROOKLYN Presented to Walter F. O'Malley by Hon. John F. Kennedy, January 17, 1952, MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD".
*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. President Eisenhower autographed the photo to O'Malley.
*Framed photo of Richard Nixon, 1963. Former U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and Dodger President Walter O'Malley attend Game 1 of the 1963 World Series in Yankee Stadium, New York, on October 2. The Dodgers defeated the Yankees twice at Yankee Stadium and then returned to Dodger Stadium to finish a four-game sweep, the only time in their history they won a World Championship at home.
*Framed photo of Richard Nixon, 1952. U.S. Senator Richard Nixon from California is seen in center standing, as Dodger 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.
*Ten foot long, original color seating chart concept for the new Dodger Stadium, circa 1960, created by Capt. Emil Praeger for Dodger President Walter O'Malley, who collaborated on the design, with a color palette for seating levels "from the land to the sky." Praeger, senior partner of Praeger, Kavanagh and Waterbury of New York, was a Navy captain and the consulting engineer for the structural and foundation design for the 1949 White House renovation. He and O'Malley collaborated to design Holman Stadium, opened in 1953 at Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida.
*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.
*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. Carter expressing gratitude to him 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."
*Signed original, hand-written note from U.S. President George H.W. Bush to Dodger President Peter O'Malley, June 15, 1991, two-sided. Mr. Bush is the only sitting U.S. President to visit Dodger Stadium - on June 14, 1991 - though Ronald Reagan visited on several occasions, before and after his presidency. President Bush relates how much he enjoyed relaxing for the Dodgers vs. St. Louis game, won 2-1 by the Dodgers the previous night.
*Original Los Angeles Dodger ticket autographed by U.S. President George H.W. Bush. Mr. Bush autographed a full President's Box ticket for Dodger President Peter O'Malley during his visit to Dodger Stadium, June 14, 1991.
*Color photograph of Dodger President Peter O'Malley welcoming U.S. President George H.W. Bush to Dodger Stadium for a June 14, 1991 game between the Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals, won by the Dodgers 2-1.
*Original Dodger Game Press Notes, distributed daily to the media, June 14, 1991, St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers, Dodger Stadium. Note regarding the visit of U.S. President George H.W. Bush to Dodger Stadium. Mr. Bush was the only U.S. President to visit Dodger Stadium while in office.
*1959 World Championship black bat, Los Angeles Dodgers, by Hillerich and Bradsby. This special Louisville Slugger bat was produced for Dodger players and executives to commemorate the 1959 World Series championship against the Chicago White Sox. It was Major League Baseball's first World Series on the West Coast.
*1963 World Championship black bat, Los Angeles Dodgers, by Hillerich and Bradsby. Louisville Slugger bats were made for Dodger players and executives to commemorate the Dodgers' sweep in the World Series over the New York Yankees.
*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.
*Original signed letter from U.S President George W. Bush to Dodger President Peter O'Malley, March 24, 2010. President Bush thanks O'Malley after having received the "Peter J. O'Malley Distinguished Little League Ambassador Award" at the 25th Little League Baseball International Congress. Mr. Bush is the first Little League player to be elected as U.S. President. The award was first presented to O'Malley, longtime chair of the Little League Foundation, in 1992 and subsequently named for him.
*Original 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers Yearbook. Cover celebrates the Dodgers' first World Championship in Los Angeles from 1959, but also looks ahead to the construction of Dodger Stadium. At the time, the Dodgers temporarily played home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1958-1961) until Dodger President Walter O'Malley privately built Dodger Stadium, opened April 10, 1962.
*Original 1963 World Series Program. The Los Angeles Dodgers edition of the 1963 World Series program features the traditional interlocking LA cap and the New York Yankees "NY" cap on the cover. The Dodgers swept the Yankees in four games to win their second World Series in Los Angeles.
*Original 1971 Los Angeles Dodgers Yearbook. Cover celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The iconic ballpark was the first of the modern era to be built exclusively for baseball and with focus on family-friendly amenities. In their first 10 seasons at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers played in three World Series, winning two World Championships (1963 and 1965).
*Original 1974 World Series Program. Major League Baseball created the cover design for the 1974 World Series program featuring a giant baseball as a globe. The Dodgers lost to the Oakland Athletics in five games in the World Series.