North Dakota woman (with no prior baseball
research experience) helps the Donaldson Network redifine their search
methods! - johndonaldson.bravehost.com
I research black baseball history. My area of interest is the
gifted, charismatic, "legendary hurler", John Donaldson. As a white,
married, mother of two grown daughters who knows next to nothing about
Americas favorite pastime, I can hardly believe it myself.
It began simply enough. I am an amateur genealogist, and
happened to read a post on a local ancestry.com
board from a man needing newspaper accounts for two baseball games
played back in the early 1900s. Helping other researchers find
information is an important aspect of genealogy. But this post seemed a
little far-fetched, and I wondered if it were some kind of hoax. The
author, Peter Gorton, said he was making a push for a player to be
inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and claimed this famous
pitcher had played in my hometown. "Yea, right," I thought to myself.
But a few Google searches and mouse clicks later, I discovered that Mr.
Gorton was a contributing author to a book, "Swinging for the Fences:
Black Baseball in Minnesota". He was also mentioned several times in an
online newspaper piece. Reading that article was my turning point. I
had stumbled upon the
story of John Donaldson.
Amazing! How could the sports world have forgotten about such
a talented, ground-breaking athlete? I was fascinated. The newspaper
reporter noted that John died in obscurity, and had been buried in an
unmarked grave in Illinois. Peter Gorton's name was listed as one of
those trying to restore his legacy. That was enough for me. I'd reply
to the post. Finding those two games would be my small contribution to
righting what seemed to be a long overlooked injustice.
It didn't take much time for me to obtain the information that
was needed. However I discovered the more I read about John Donaldson,
the more I wanted to know not just about the athlete, but about the
man. I've stopped counting the numbers of films I've looked through,
the maps I've studied, the archives I've searched, the hours I've spent
at the library, and the late nights in front of my computer. Uncovering
a piece of long forgotten history is exciting. And although my
contribution to recreating John Donaldson's baseball career has been
very small, I can't help but feel that I have done something important.
The information I've found will not be lost again. It will be recorded
in the archives of The Hall of Fame and studied by historians, enjoyed
by fans, and passed down through generations. Isn't it ironic, that in
restoring John Donaldson's legacy, we end up creating a tiny piece of
our own!
The experience of being part of what Pete Gorton likes to call
'The Donaldson Network' exposed me to more than I could have ever
imagined. I now appreciate the importance of newspaper archives. They
contain the details of history that can never be found in books. I've
learned that although the struggle for racial equality finally peaked
in the 50s and 60s, the blurring of the color line began with baseball
decades before. The courageous players who filled the rosters of those
early barnstorming teams often faced hostile crowds, but the talent and
character of men such as John Donaldson demanded respect, and they got
it. An unexpected bonus of my research is the people I've met; the
local baseball historians who never failed to return my phone calls;
all the librarians who not only helped me search, but once actually
assisted in unraveling an entire film through out the library because
it had been incorrectly reeled upside down and backwards; friends I've
never met from the genealogy society who gave me free access to all
their material; and of course, Peter Gorton who answered every single
question I asked (and there were MANY), kept me focused, was always
encouraging, and never failed to let me know how much my efforts were
appreciated. If you ever want an example of the difference just one
person can make, Pete's your man. His efforts on John Donaldson's
behalf can only be described as phenomenal.
Was I disappointed when this extraordinary player was not
inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame? Yes! Do I think it's important
that he be there? Yes! But, I like to think there is a reason for
everything. There are too many games left to find before the measure of
John Donaldson's career can be fully appreciated. The hunt might have
abruptly halted had his induction attempt been successful. So now the
search continues in hopes that when another opportunity surfaces, John
might finally receive the public acknowledgement he so richly deserves.
And if fate and the Hall of Fame decree it otherwise, so be it. No one
can take away what's already been restored, the historical record of a
legendary athlete.
