House Resolution 38 - Introduced HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 38 BY WATTS , KELLEY , BALTIMORE , and SWAIM A Resolution celebrating baseball and baseball’s 1 greatest in Iowa. 2 WHEREAS, springtime has come again to Iowa, bringing 3 with it another season of baseball; and 4 WHEREAS, as another season opens we pause to 5 remember two remarkable Iowans who dedicated themselves 6 to the game, first cousins Bob Feller of Van Meter and 7 Hal Manders of Waukee; and 8 WHEREAS, as kids Bob Feller, Nile Kinnick, and Hal 9 Manders all played on the same Junior Legion Baseball 10 Team; and 11 WHEREAS, Hal Manders was born in 1917, and studied 12 medicine at the University of Iowa and pitched for 13 the Hawkeyes, but chose baseball over medicine and 14 was a relief pitcher in major league baseball in the 15 1940s, playing for the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago 16 Cubs; and 17 WHEREAS, Mr. Manders returned home in 1946 and 18 farmed the rich soils of Dallas County for the rest of 19 his life, working as a community leader and a rural 20 development advisor to President Ronald Reagan; and 21 WHEREAS, Bob Feller was born in 1918, actually 22 pitched his first professional game before he 23 was a senior in high school, and spent his entire 24 professional career of 18 years with the Cleveland 25 Indians, and in 1962 as “the Heater from Van Meter”, 26 was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame; and 27 WHEREAS, Mr. Feller put his career aside to serve 28 -1- LSB 2766HH (5) 84 jr/rj 1/ 2
H.R. 38 his country, volunteering immediately for combat 1 service following the attack on Pearl Harbor, and 2 becoming the first major league baseball player to do 3 so; and 4 WHEREAS, both have passed away in 2010, Mr. Manders 5 on January 21, and Mr. Feller on December 15, with Mr. 6 Manders remembered at the Manders Museum Wing in the 7 Waukee Public Library, and Mr. Feller memorialized at 8 the Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter; and 9 WHEREAS, both of these Iowans live on through the 10 game they loved, as each springtime introduces a new 11 generation of youngsters to baseball, fans fill the 12 bleachers, and players take the field; NOW THEREFORE, 13 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That 14 the House of Representatives celebrates the coming of 15 spring and another baseball season, and celebrates the 16 memory of Iowa greats Bob Feller and Hal Manders. 17 -2- LSB 2766HH (5) 84 jr/rj 2/ 2