1962 Hall of Fame

     In 1962 we had moved from Honolulu, HI to Ferndale, CA.  Dad was now stationed at NavFac Centerville Beach, I remember going past a horse, peacocks and a statue of the Virgin Mary in a hillside on the way to the base from home.  Ferndale is where I went to the first of the 10 schools I would attend in the next 12 years in 4 states on 2 coasts.
When I started this project years ago this was the first year that I had heard of any of the inductees, and I had met one of them, several times.
       Bob Feller was inducted into the HOF in his first year of eligibility in 1962, he played for the Indians from 1936-1956 with 4 years of service in the U.S. Navy aboard the U.S.S. Alabama.  He is the only Chief Petty Officer enshrined in the HOF, his bunk is highlighted on the Alabama at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, AL.  He played for the Indians from 1936-1956 and then retired to Van Meter, IA.  He then crisscrossed the country signing autographs all over the country.   I believe I got his signature at least three different minor league ballparks, one dinner and a couple of shows.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, in his first year of eligibility with 93.8% of the vote.
He was diagnosed with leukemia in August of 2010 and he passed away in December of that year.
     Bill McKechnie played from 1907-1920, and his managerial career overlapped from 1915-1946.  He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1962 by the Veterans Committee as a manager.  He managed the Pirates to a World Series victory in  1925 and the Reds in 1940.  McKechnie Field at the Pirates spring training facility in Bradenton, FL is named for him.  He died in 1965 at the age of 79.
       Jackie Robinson was also inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, he was elected with 77.5% of the vote.  There isn't much to say about Jackie Robinson that hasn't already been said.  He passed away in 1972 at the age of 53.  His number, 42, has been retired by all the major league baseball franchises and on Jackie Robinson day each April all major league players, coaches and managers wear 42 in honor of Jackie.
       Edd Roush played for the Indiana Hoosiers, the Reds, the Newark Peppers, the White Sox, and the Giants from 1913-1931.  He had been on the writers ballot almost every year from 1936-1960, he was elected by the Veterans Committee.  He played for the Reds in the 1919 World Series and insisted that even if the Black Sox had played on the level the Reds still would have won.   He died in 1988 at the age of 94.