Meet The Sports Writers

[Brian McKenna]

James Whitfield

Born: June 27, 1854, Stoke-on-Trent, Straffordshire, England
Died: April 7, 1902, Kansas City, MO, age 47,---d. suicide at home. Shot himself with revolver.
Buried: Elmwood Cemetery, Kansas City, MO.

Kansas City sports editor;
Pekin, IL, 14-year old, at home, (July 7, 1870 census)
Pekin, IL, 25-year old, printer, (June 5, 1880 census)
Kansas City, MO, Assistant editor, Sporting News, (June 9, 1900 census)
Arrived in Kansas City, MO, 1884
Kansas City Star, sports editor, 1884 - 1902

Father: James, born England, 1828?; Mother: born England, 1832?; Wife: Amanda M. Buchanan Whitfield, born Illinois, August, 1858, died 1938; Son: William Campbell Whitfield, born Illinois, March 1879, died 1946);

elected President of Western League in December 1901
also elected member of the minor league board of arbitration in December 1901

Sporting Life obituary, April 12, 1902, pp. 5.


He came to Pekin, Illinois at the age of 15 and worked as a printer at the local newspaper. In 1878, he married Amanda Buchanan and had a son William Campbell Buchanan in 1879. He became manager of the Peoria Reds baseball team. In 1884, they moved to Kansas City, Missouri and he worked as sporting editor at the newspaper and became involved in trying to form the Western baseball league. In December 1901, he was named president of that league, but in less than 5 months, he committed suicide due to financial difficulties. His widow took the case against the insurance company all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and in 1907 she received the $5,000 from the life insurance policy he had taken out on himself several years before killing himself.

James Whitfield
James was a man about sports in the late 1800's and early 1900's. He was once sports editor for the Kansas City Star... James attended many great sporting events around the country including championship boxing matches. He was called on to referee at different events as he was seen as an authority on sporting matters. It was said that "no other man in the West enjoyed a larger acquaintance in sporting circles than Mr. Whitfield" (KC Star Apr 7, 1902). An honorary pallbearer for James' funeral that was among the mourners at Elmwood was Kansas City's first baseball Hall of Famer, Charles A. "Kid" Nichols!

On February 9, 1886, the National League admitted the Kansas City Cowboys for a one year trial. The Cowboys failed the trial and on November 18, 1886, they were replaced by the Pittsburgh Allegheneys.

Did you know that the team itself (1886 KC Cowboys) was founded by James Whitfield of the Kansas City Times and two local beer brewers, Joseph Heim & Americus McKim? The three of them had also funded the defunct 1884 Union Association Kansas City Cowboys and were able to raise $25,000 by February 10, 1886, for this National League franchise

[Bill Burgess]

Lorenzo J. Mulford, Jr.---AKA Ren Mulford

Born: November 30, 1859, Cincinnati, OH
Died: December 30, 1932, Cincinnati, OH, age 73,--d. acute intestinal obstruction, buried Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, OH

Cincinnati sports writer / editor;
Cincinnati, OH, 2-months old, (1860 census)
Cincinnati, OH, 10-year old, (June 3, 1870 census)
Cincinnati, OH, journalist, (June 7, 1880 census)
Norwood, OH, editor,(June 23, 1900 census)
Norwood, OH, agent, advertsing, (April 28, 1910 census)
Cincinnati, OH, copy manager, advertising agency, (January 14, 1920 census)
Cincinnati, OH, Publishing, Products Co., (April 15, 1930 census)
Cincinnati sports editor, 1890-91
Ren was the sports editor of the Cincinnati Post, sports editor, ? - February 25, 1900.
Sporting Life's Cincinnati's correspondent, around 1911.

Father: Lorenzo J., Sr., born New Jersey, 1832?, died 1906; Mother: Martha S. Stratton, born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1835?; Wife: Ida Britt Wheeler, born April 19, 1864, Cincinnati, OH. They married on January 28, 1885, in Cincinnati, Ohio; Son: Ren W. Mulford, born January 3, 1887, East Norwood, OH; Son: Harrison S., born January 9, 1888, Norwood, OH; Daughter: Ariel B., born 1893?, OH.

His father was Lorenzo Mulford, who went to Cincinnati in the early 1850's. He was engaged in the dry-goods business, and a number of years was with the US Express Company.

Ren was the sports editor of the Cincinnati Post until February 25, 1900. At that time, Cincinnati Enquirer sports editor, Harry Weldon suffered a devastating stroke, which paralyzed him, and Ren replaced him as sports editor on the Cincinnati Enquirer.

After several years on the Cincinnati Enquirer, Ren quit to work for an advertising agency till his death. It was the Blaine-Thompson Company. Since 1909, he was vice president of the company.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Washington Post obituary, January 8, 1933, pp. 9.

[Bill Burgess]

Alonzo Joseph Flanner---AKA Joe Flanner

Born: April 17, 1855, New Bern, NC
Died: December 23, 1924, Cincinnati, OH, age 68,---d. heart disease after long illness.

St. Louis sports writer;
New Bern, NC, 5-year old, (November 1, 1860 census)
New Berne, NC, 15-year old, at school, (June 22, 1870 census)
Lawrence County, Dakota Territory, hotel keeper, (June 3, 1880 census)(listed Alonzo J. Flauer)
Chicago, IL, writer, newspaper, (April 15, 1910 census)
Upper Red Owl, SD, retired, clerical, (February 4, 1920 census)(listed A. J. Flanner)
South Dakota homesteader. Finished law apprenticeship, served as first state's attorney for Lawrence County. In 1892, after 16 years at the bar, left South Dakota, for St. Louis, Mo.
St. Louis Republic
St. Louis Globe-Democrat, sports editor.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, baseball editor, 1892 - 1895
Sporting News editor, 1895 - 1909
Moved Cincinnati, 1912, serving as secretary to August Herrmann, chairman of National Commission, 1906 - 1921, until Judge Ken Landis became Commissioner.
Retired on pension.
Joined Sporting news 3 years later.

Father: John D., born North Carolina, 1844?; Mother: Nannie J., born North Carolina, 1833?; Son: John W. Flanner, born South Dakota, ;

Mother: Nancy Lee;

Sporting News' death tribute, January 1, 1925, pp. 4.---------John B. Sheridan's death tribute piece, January 1, 1925, pp. 4.

[Bill Burgess]

Simon Goodfriend---AKA Si Goodfriend

Born: June 17, 1855, New York City, NY
Died: November 6, 1939, New York City, NY, age 84

New York sports writer;
New York, NY, 5-year old, (July 14, 1860 census)
New York, NY, 15-year old, (July 16, 1870 census)
Tucson, AR, 25-yer old, clerk, (June 30, 1880 census)
New York, NY, writer, newspaperman, (April 22, 1910 census)
New York, NY, ? agent, ? company, (January 4, 1920 census)
New York, NY, none, (April 24, 1930 census)
Graduated City College (NYC), 1876.
Brooklyn Citizen, 1881
San Francisco Chronicle,
Chicago Tribune, general reporting
New York Sun, 1885 - ?
Retired in 1925.

Father: Samuel, born France, 1817?; Mother: Deborah, born Baden, 1819?;


From 1889 book--------------------------------------------------------New York Times' obituary, November 8, 1939, pp. 23.

[Bill Burgess]

Otto Clement Floto

Born: January 12, 1863, Cincinnati, OH
Died: August 4, 1929, Denver, CO, age 66,---d. at a Denver hospital. Had been ill since September, 1928, when he was striken withepilepsy while on a trip to the west coast.

Denver (Colo.) sports editor;
Chicago, IL, 7-year old, attending school, (June 6, 1870 census)
Denver, CO, sporting editor, newspaper, (June 2, 1900 census)
Denver, CO, sporting editor, Daily newspaper, (April 19, 1910 census)

Chicago White Stockings GM, (1886)
Denver Post (Colo.), sports editor, 1898? - 1929 (except for 2 years at the Kansas City Post)
Kansas City Post (MO), sports editor, (2 years), January 15, 1910 -
August - September, 1920

Father: William, born Germany, 1830?; Mother: Pauline, born France (Prussia); Wife: Jennie, born Canada, June, 1869; Wife: Katherine K., born Missouri, 1882?;

Raised in Chicago, IL. Arrived Denver, CO in 1883, at age of 20 & stayed all his life. Became sports columnist for Denver Post within weeks of arriving in Denver. As boxing manager, he guided Bob Fitzsimmons and Jack Dempsey. As sports editor, he guided Gene Fowler and Damon Runyon. Was regarded as a Dean of Sports Writers. Colorful, knew famous sports figures; Ruth, McGraw. Since last September when stricken with epilepsy.

Organized the Otto Floto dog and pony show, out of which grew Sells-Floto circus. Huge fight fan, saw most heavy-weight championship fights. Schooled at Jesuit institution in Dayton, OH. Managed boxers & promoted prize fights.

It was while traveling with the circus that he met Kitty Gruger, a bareback circus rider, whom he married in 1906 in Denver, CO.

Chicago Daily Tribune, August 5, 1929, pp. 31.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Babe Ruth with sports editor, Otto Floto, May 18, 1925.

[Bill Burgess]

William M. Rankin

Born: May 23, 1849, Greencastle, PA
Died: March 29, 1913, Brooklyn, NY, age 64--d. Apoplexy, heart disease on a Flatbush Avenue street car. His home was at No. 2503 Clarendon Road, Brooklyn, at time of his death.

New York sports writer;
Black Lick, PA, 1-year old, (October 5, 1850 census)
Chambersburg, PA, 11-year old, (July 18, 1860 census)
Ramapo, NY, printer, (August 24, 1870 census)
Brooklyn, NY, Conductor E.R.R. (June 11, 1880 census)
Brooklyn, NY, reporter, (June 5, 1900 census)
Brooklyn, NY,
Started in 1870 with Rockland County Journal, Nyack, NY;
Brooklyn Eagle, reporter
New York Times,
New York Tribune,
New York World,
New York Mail,
New York Express,
official scorer for the Mutual club;
New York Clipper, 1883 - 1913; became assistant to Al Wright (1888), succeeded Wright as sporing editor (1894-1901).
When the Yankee Clipper discontinued its sports coverage in 1901, Will became its route department manager.

Brother of Andrew Brown Rankin, who went by the name June Rankin, or A. B. Rankin. When William M. Rankin, the veteran base ball writer, died recently in Brooklyn he left, one of the most complete base ball libraries in existence. It contained records of the diamond extending over a period of nearly 40 years. In all probability the National League will buy this library from Mr. Rankin's family. (Sporting Life, May 17, 1913, pp. 13.)

Father: Andrew Brown Rankin IV: Born: October 9, 1821 Greencastle, PA, d. October 3, 1890 Long Island, NY. Inventor, Editor, Lawyer; Mother: Elizabeth, born Pennsylvania, around 1830; Wife: Cornelia, born New York, around 1845; Son: Sidney I, born New York, February, 1878; Son: Harold E., born New York, October, 1880.
Younger brother Andrew B. Rankin died April 25, 1930 in Brooklyn, NY.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sporting Life obituary, April 5, 1913, pp. 1.


appeared in 1889 book.

[Bill Burgess]

Andrew Brown Rankin, V---AKA A. B. Rankin & June Rankin

Born: September 20, 1851, Welsh Run, PA
Died: April 25, 1930, Brooklyn, NY, age 78,---d. Kings County Hospital, after a short illness.

New York sports writer;
Chambersburg, PA, 8-year old, (July 18, 1860 census)
Ramapo, NY, clerk, stationer, (August 24, 1870 census)
Brooklyn, NY, reporter, (June 9, 1880 census)
Brooklyn, NY, journalist, (June 6, 1900 census)
Brooklyn newspaper journalist, (April 15, 1910 census)
Brooklyn newspaper reporter, (January 20, 1920 census)
New York Herald,
New York Mercury,
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1894 - 1916ish
New York World, 1895 - 1930

Father: Andrew Brown Rankin IV: Born: October 9, 1821 Greencastle, PA, d. October 3, 1890 Long Island, NY. Inventor, Editor, Lawyer. Wife, Annie, born in Brooklyn around 1862; Had 2 daughters, Elizabeth (Betty), born in Brooklyn around 1895, and Margaret, born Brooklyn around 1901. Son: Andrew, born 1889; Son: Herbert, born 1892; Daughter: Elizabeth, born 1894; she was business manager of Women's Day from 1939 to 1959 if you want exact dates); Daughter: Marguerite, born 1900.

Started his baseball writing on New York Sunday Mercury, summer, 1875, & New York Herald, 1876-89, He served as official scorer for the New York Metropolitans, 1880-83, and for the Giants, 1883-89.
His brother was very well-known in baseball circles, William M. Rankin, who died March 29, 1913.
Was a newspaper reporter in 1920, according to 1920 US census.

Andrew Brown Rankin, V was nick named "Jun" for Junior. He was a sports writer and editor for the New York Herald and the New York World during the turning of the other century. He loved team sports, world series, cigars, and boxing. He traveled with all of the teams. Jun's daughter followed in his steps by becoming business manager of "Women's Day" Magazine from the 1930's-1950's.

After writing for the Herald and Mercury, he wrote on golf and boxing for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1894 to 1916ish, and New York World (1895 to 1930). He worked until death for the New York World.

His children were: Andrew (1889), Herbert (1892), Elizabeth (1894; she was business manager of Women's Day from 1939 to 1959 if you want exact dates) and Marguerite (1900).

Internet genealogy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------appeared in 1889 book.--------------------Brooklyn Eagle obituary, April 26, 1930, pp. 24.

[Bill Burgess]

Raymond Miller Ziegler

Born: June 5, 1878, Reading, PA
Died: April 19, 1968, Atlantic City, NJ, age 89

Philladelphia sports writer;
Philadelphia, PA, reporter, (June 1, 1900 census)
Philadelphia, PA, reporter, newspaper, (April 20, 1910 census)
Philadelphia, PA, advertising, own business, (January 9, 1920 census)
Atlantic City, NJ, salesman, advertising, (April, 1930 census)
Atlantic City, NJ, writer, W.P.A. Writer's Project, (April 5, 1940 census)
Graduated Temple University (Philadelphia, PA), 1898
Detroit Free Press, 1901 - 1902
Philadelphia Record, 1902 - ?
Philadelphia Record, 1911 - 1913
Philadelphia Inquirer, (motor boat regattas)
Self-employed advertising writer, September, 1918
Philadelphia Public Ledger, 1917 - 1922
Philadelphia Record, handicapping horses, under "Joe Finn", 1927.

Father: Martin, born October, 1847; Mother: Salina, born Pennsylvania, December, 1860; Wife: Magdalena C., born Pennsylvania, 1879?; Daughter: Ruth, born Pennsylvania, 1907?;

In 1922, moved Atlantic City, NJ, opened Margate dog kennels, bred racing greyhounds; In 1925, opened pet show;
Radio Station WPG, 1st sportscaster, 1928, Atlantic City, NJ

Atlantic City Press-Union article, February 24, 1953.

[Bill Burgess]

Richard John Guy, Sr.---AKA Dick Guy

Born: February 14, 1878, Irwin, PA
Died: December 22, 1963, Pittsburgh, PA, age 84

Pittsburgh sports writer;
Shaffon, PA, 2-year old, (June, 1880 census)
Mount Pleasant, PA, 22-year old, blacksmith, (June 6, 1900 census)
Wilkinsburg, PA, editor, newspaper, (April 16, 1910 census)
Wilkinsburg, PA, editor, newspaper, (January 5, 1920 census)
Wilkinsburg, PA, Athletic Director, College, (April 11, 1930 census)
Pittsburgh Dispatch, 3 years
Pittsburgh Ledger sports editor
Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, at least 1910? - September 12, 1918?, 9 years.
Pittsburgh Gazette Times, editor, (September 12, 1918 WWI Civilian Draft Registration)
Unemployed, attempting sport enterprise, (April 27, 1942 WWII Draft Registration)
Retired by 1956.

Father: Richard, born Pennsylvania, September, 1857; Mother: Martha, born Pennsylvania, June, 1860; Wife: Mary M., born Pennsylvania, 1897?; Son: Richard J., Jr., born Pennsylvania, 1921?; Son: Phillip J., born Pennsylvania, 1926?; Wife: Mattie C., born Pennsylvania, 1861?; Son: James C. born Pennsylvania, 1881?; Son: Richard J., born Pennsylvania, 1879?;

Sporting News' obituary, January 4, 1964, pp. 20.


January 26, 1958, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, NYC:
L-R: E. A. Batchelor, Willis Johnson, James Cruisinberry, Ford Frick, Richard Guy, Ed Bang.

[Bill Burgess]

William J. Lee---AKA Bill Lee

Born: April 3, 1903, Brooklyn, NY
Died: April 25, 1979, Bloomfield, CT, age 76,---d. St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center (Hartford, CT)

Hartford sports writer;
Bridgeport, CT, 7-year old, (April 20, 1910 census)
Bridgeport, CT, none, (January 5, 1920 census)
Hartford, CT, Assistant editor, newspaper, (April 10, 1930 census)
Hartford, CT, sporting editor, Hartford Courant, (April 3, 1940 census)

Father: Joseph, born New Jersey, 1876?; Mother: Jane (Jennie), born New York, 1880?; Sister: Marian, born Connecticut, 1910?; Sister: Catherine, born Connecticut, 1914?;

Hartford Courant, sports writer, 1925-1939, sports editor, 1939-74. Continued to write his column, 'With Malice Toward None', 4 times a week after his retirement, January 1, 1974.

Hartford Courant obituary, April 26, 1979, pp. 1B.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------(L), Receiving the Walter Lawrence Memorial Award in 1975.

[Bill Burgess]

Charles Emmet Van Loan

Born: June 29, 1876, San Jose, CA
Died: March 2, 1919, Los Angeles, CA, age 42, ---d. chronic nephritis (inflammation of the kidney) at Philadelphia's Abington Hospital, was on East Coast on business

San Francisco / Los Angeles / New York sports writer / sports author;
Seaside, CA, 4-year old, (June 25, 1880 census)(listed Chas. Emmit Van Loan)
Los Angeles, CA, bookkeeper, (June 5, 1900 census)(listed Charles Van Lean)
New York, NY, reporter, newspaper, (April 23, 1910 census)(listed Charles E. VanLoan)
Los Angeles Morning Herald, sports writer & editor, 1904 - 1907
Denver Post reporter and sports writer, 1907 - 1909
New York American, sports reporter, 1909 - 1911
Saturday Evening Post, (Philadelphia, PA), staff writer, 1914, freelance contributor (1911 - 1918), Associate editor, (1918 - 1919).
Also worked as a stenographer for the Standard Oil Company and a secretary for a Los Angeles meat-packing house.

Father: Richard, born New York, 1848?; Mother Emma J. Blodgett, born California, 1854?; Wife: Emma C. Lenz, born California, 1879?; Daughter: Virginia, born California, 1906?; Son: Richard E., born California, 1909?; Charles married Emma November 20, 1902;

Was one of best baseball story-tellers of his age. He was called the greatest baseball writer by several of his peers.

Charles Emmett Van Loan first began writing about sports while working as a secretary in a meat-packing house. His manager took him to baseball games where they would continue working--the manager dictating letters and Van Loan writing them down--while watching the games from the stands. In between taking dictation, Van Loan made notes about interesting and amusing events that he witnessed on the field or in the crowd. These notes later became articles that Van Loan published in the Los Angeles Examiner.

In 1904 Van Loan began writing sports articles on a full-time basis for the Los Angeles Morning Herald. He continued to work as a sports reporter, first in Denver and then in New York, until a chance meeting with the editor of Munsey's Magazine, Robert H. Davis, at a boxing match in 1909 changed the course of his career. Van Loan, who was covering the middleweight championship boxing match between Stanley Ketchell and Jack O'Brien for the New York American, was unknowingly seated next to Davis. An introduction between the two men took place when Davis, who had been quite animated as he followed the fight, accidentally punched Van Loan in the ribs. The two men became friends. Later that year, Davis helped Van Loan sell his first short story, "The Drugstores Derby," to the All-Story Weekly. About the same time, Van Loan's "The Golden Ball of the Argonauts," his first fictional story about baseball, appeared in Munsey's Magazine.

For the next year Van Loan continued to publish short fiction with sports themes in journals like Popular Magazine and Outing. By 1911, he had become successful enough at it to leave his newspaper job. That same year he published his first book, The Big League, a collection of stories about baseball. With their vivid characterizations of the players, coaches, and umpires, and humorous viewpoints, these stories appealed to many readers of the day, whether they were sports enthusiasts or not. As a critic for the New York Times wrote, "Mr. Van Loan knows baseball from backstop to field fence, and he has the breezy newspaper style which is necessary to make baseball reading worth while."

"The Crab," one of the stories included in The Big League, exemplifies some of the qualities that are typical of Van Loan's fiction. It focuses on the struggles of a single character whose experiences teach the reader a moral lesson. This story follows third baseman, Henry Gilman, during the end of his career. Having played professionally for a decade, Gilman has to face the fact that his physical abilities are not what they used to be. But always having been a level-headed and modest person with a fallback career as a farmer that he practiced in the off-season, he is able to accept transition in his life. His career as a baseball player ends on a high note when, having been benched due to his failing arm, he is put back into play during the championship game and makes the game-winning catch.

Van Loan's next book, also a collection of baseball stories, was published in 1912. The Ten-Thousand-Dollar Arm, and Other Tales of the Big League includes "The Comeback," a story about a pitcher named Solomon Lee. Lee's rookie year is wildly successful, but, after only a couple of years in the big league, he begins to succumb to some of the temptations of fame and success. His drinking and wild lifestyle lead to his downfall. Disappearing from the game for years afterward, he re-emerges to coach a new young pitcher in the art of pitching as well as in the art of maintaining a moderate lifestyle.

In 1913, Van Loan published two more collections of short fiction: Inside the Ropes, a book of boxing tales, followed by his third volume of baseball stories entitled The Lucky Seventh: Tales of the Big League. The same year he moved back to California and settled in Los Angeles where he took up playing golf on a regular basis. His ability to play was hindered, however, when a severe car accident left him unable to use his left arm. Spurred on by his love of the game, however, he learned to swing a club with just one hand and came to excel at the sport despite his handicap.

Following his accident, Van Loan became an even more prolific writer. Having befriended George Horace Lorimer, the editor of the Saturday Evening Post in Philadelphia in 1913, many of Van Loan's stores appeared in Lorimer's magazine. His stories, which also appeared during this period in Cosmopolitan Magazine and Collier's, showed his ability to write about topics other than sports, including the circus, horse racing, and Hollywood. In 1915, he published two single-theme collections: Buck Parvin and the Movies, about the Hollywood film industry, and Taking the Count: Prize Ring Stories, about boxing. He also continued to write nonfiction articles that were published in newspapers, including a series about ghost towns of the West and a piece on the Grand Canyon, a place he loved to visit.

Old Man Curry, published in 1917, is Van Loan's collection of horse racing stories. The following year he released a volume of stories celebrating his personal sporting passion, golf. Fore! contains tales that are typically character driven and full of humor. In his final book, Score by Innings (1919), he returned to the genre which won him his first acclaim as a fiction writer, the baseball story.

The injuries Van Loan suffered in his car accident of 1914 plagued him for the remaining years of his life and probably contributed to his early death in 1919 at the age of forty-two. His death marked the end of what was, according to R. C. Brignano, writing in the Dictionary of Literary Biography, "probably the most concentrated period of sports fiction writing by any figure in American literature--an immensely productive stretch of ten years."

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Born June 29, 1876, in San Jose, CA; died of nephritis, March 2, 1919, in Philadelphia, PA; son of Richard and Emma J. (Blodgett) Van Loan; married Emma C. Lenz, November 20, 1902; children: Richard, Virginia.

CAREER
Short-story writer and journalist. Los Angeles Morning Herald, Los Angeles, CA, sports editor, 1904-07; Denver Post, Denver, CO, sports writer, 1907-09; New York American, New York City, sports writer, 1909-11; Saturday Evening Post, Philadelphia, PA, staff writer, 1914, associate editor, 1918-1919. Also worked as a stenographer for the Standard Oil Company and a secretary for a Los Angeles meat-packing house.

Sporting News' obituary, March 6, 1919, pp. 6.



Authored:
Buck Parvin and the Movies: Stories of the Moving Picture Game
Computational Frameworks for the Fast Fourier Transform (Frontiers in Applied Mathematics)
Insight Through Computing: A MATLAB Introduction to Computational Science and Engineering
Levelling With Elisha
Old Man Curry; Race Track Stories
Score by Innings: Baseball Stories, 1919
Fore! Golf Stories
Inside the Ropes (Illustrated by Arthur Hutchins)
Scrap Iron
Taking The Count: Fictional Stories About The Prize Ring
The Big League
The Lucky Seventh: Tales of the Big League
Picture Game
The Ten-Thousand-Dollar Arm; And Other Tales of the Big League

[Bill Burgess]

Harvey Trunkey Woodruff

Born: April 9, 1875, Brazil, IN
Died: June 2, 1937, Evanston, IL, age 62

Chicago sports writer;
Brazil, IN, 5-year old, (June 25, 1880 census)
Chicago, IL, editor, (June 4, 1900 census)
Chicago, IL, sporting editor, newspaper, (April 18, 1910 census)
Chicago, IL, journalist, newspaper, (January 12, 1920 census)(listed H T Woodruff)
Evanston, IL, writer, newspaper, (April 3, 1930 census)
Chicago University, 1895 - 1897
Chicago Times-Herald, 1895 - 1898
Chicago Record sports editor, 1898 - 1901
Chicago Herald reporter, 1901
Chicago Tribune, February, copy reader/sports writer, 1901 - 1903
Western Jackey Club, secretary/treasurer (turf official)
Chicago Tribune sports editor, 1909 - 1920, sports columnist, November 25, 1919 - June 2, 1937 (In the Wake of the News).

Father: Amos H., born Ohio, January, 1835; Mother: Julia Trunkey, born Ohio, November, 1836; Wife: Eva H., born Arizona, 1886?; Daughter: Alberta E., born Illinois, 1911?; Daughter: Julia H., born Illinois, 1913?;

Woodruff inherited the sports column, In the Wake of the News, at the Chicago Tribune, from Ring Lardner November 25, 1919. This renowned sports column had been hosted by such writers as Hugh Fullerton, Hugh Keough, Lardner (1913 - 1919). When Woodruff died, the column passed to Arch Ward (1937 - 1955), who held it to his death.

The Chicago Tribune's 'Wake of the News' is probably the 2nd most prestigious sports column in the country, after the New York Times' 'Sport of the Times'.

His middle name, 'Trunkey' was his mother's maiden name.

Who Was Who in America, Volume 1, 1897-1942-----------------------------------------------------------Harvey's January 17, 1925 passport photo.

Who Was Who Among North American Authors, 1921-1939, Volume 1-7--------Who Was Who in Journalism, 1925-1928

Chicago Tribune obituary, June 3, 1937, pp. 31.


New York Times' obituary, June 3, 1937, pp. 25.

[Bill Burgess]

Bernard William St. Denis Thomson

Born: November 27, 1873, Point Fortune, Quebec, Canada
Died: February 26, 1937, New York City, NY, age 63---d. pneumonia after a few days.

New York sports editor;
Washington state, lawyer, (June 11, 1900 census)
New York, NY, editor, New York Times, (January, 1920 census)(listed Thompson)
New York, NY, editor, newspaper, (April 11, 1930 census)

Immigrated from Canada to US, 1895
Graduated Harvard Law School, 1895
Chicago Record-Herald's staff
New York Sun, Sunday editor
New York Times, Assistant Sunday editor, September, 1913, - sports editor, 1916-37 (succeeding Harry Burchall)

Father: Edward William Thomson, born Canada; Mother: Adelaide Louise Grace St. Denis, born Canada; Wife: Ethel McKay Wright, born Canada, October, 1873; Son: Edward Wright Thomson;

Made the New York Times' sports section what it was, and justly famous for its' famously deep and comprehensive coverage.

Bernard Thomson (Sports editor.) Born, Point Fortune, P.Q., Nov. 27, 1873; died, New York, Feb. 26, 1937.) Among the most colorful lives ever by a New York sports editor was lived by a man universally described as “self-effacing.” Bernard William St. Denis Thomson, the son of a prominent Canadian newspaperman, was an athlete, a rancher, a gold prospector, and a military officer, as well as sports editor of The New York Times for 21 years. Thomson was also a lawyer who graduated Harvard Law in 1895. He spent much of his youth in the Canadian wilds before attending Harvard and some time after his graduation practicing law in the State of Washington. Thomson turned to newspaper work with the Chicago Record-Herald, then moved to the original New York Sun morning edition as Sunday editor before joining The Times as assistant Sunday editor in 1913, During breaks in his newspaper career, he was advertising manager for Continental Insurance in New York and twice broke the casino bank at Monte Carlo before going broke himself. He succeeded Harry Phillip Burchell (q.v.) as sports editor Dec. 14, 1915. Thomson inherited a staff of six writers and over time expanded it to 46 full-time writers and editors, plus a clerical staff handled by Philip E. Burke (q.v.). As a sports editor, he wrote little by the standard of the day, hiring John Kieran as a columnist instead. Thomson concentrated on organizing and building both a staff and a style. At his death, only James P. Dawson (q.v.) and Clarence E. Lovejoy remained from his original group of writers. His favorite sports were rowing (in which he had competed), boxing, and horse racing (which he frequently attended). During World War I, Thomson was an officer in the Quartermater Corps, serving in France in 1918. Following a tour with the occupation force in Germany, he turned to The Times on Apr. 9, 1919. Thomson mustered out of the Army as a captain. (The Bill Shannon Biographical Dictionary of New York Sports is an open database of sports biographies maintained by Jordan Sprechman and Marty Appel.)

New York Times' obituary, February 27, 1937, pp. 17.


----------------------------1938 Baseball Guide Death notice.

[Bill Burgess]

James Warren Schlemmer---AKA Jim Schlemmer

Born: December 24, 1899, Punxsutawney, PA
Died: May 10, 1977, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, age 77,---d. was found at his Cuyahoga Falls home, presumably of a heart attack.

Akron sports writer;
Bell township, PA, 5-month old, (June 16, 1900 census)
Philadelphia, PA, 11-year old, student, (1910 census)(listed L.J.A.)
Akron, OH, 20-year old, (January 14, 1920 census)
Cuyahoga Falls, OH, newspaper sports editor, (April 23, 1940 census)
Akron Beacon-Journal, sports editor / columnist, 1920 -1970.
Akron, OH, student, (September 12, 1918 WWI Draft Registration)

Father: Philip J., born Pennsylvania, January, 1873; Mother: Maud, born Pennsylvania, September, 1876; Dora C., born Ohio, around 1899;

Authored:
Something to Cheer About

New York Times' obituary, May 11, 1977, pp. 32.

[Bill Burgess]

Herman Nickerson, Jr.

Born: May 15, 1870, Boston, MA
Died: June 10, 1954, Lincolnville, MO, age 84

Boston sports writer / editor;
Boston, MA, 1-month old, (June 20, 1870 census)
Boston, MA, 10-year old, (June 3, 1880 census)
Boston, MA, newspaperman, (June 2, 1900 census)
Boston, MA, editor, newspaper, (May 12, 1910 census)
Arlington, MA, editor, newspaper, (January 8, 1920 census)
Arlington, MA, editor, newspaper, (April 4, 1930 census)
Arlington, MA, editor, newspaper, (April 25, 1940 census)
Boston News, cub reporter (?-1894)
Boston Journal, reporter (1894 - 1900),
Boston Herald, copy desk head (1902 - 1907)
Boston Journal, sports editor (1907 - 1912)
Boston Braves, secretary (December 26, 1912 - 1915)
Boston Globe, news editor (1925 - 1945).

Father: John Freeman Nickerson, born Massachusetts, September 21, 1836 (stock broker); Mother: Susan S., born Massachusetts; Wife: Emma Eva Carver, born June 20, 1872, died January 15, 1973; They married October 12, 1912 in Lincolnville, Maine; Wife 2: Nellie (Nora) G. Buzzell, born Massachusetts, June 13, 1874, died May, 1972; Wife: Gertrude, born Massachusetts, 1876?; Son: Herman, Jr., born Massachusetts, July 30, 1913, died December 1, 2000; Son: Carver, born Massachusetts, 1918?;

Sporting News' obituary, June 23, 1954, pp. 40.-----------------------------------------------------------------New York Times' obituary, June 12, 1954, pp. 15.