NEW BERN CRAVEN COUNTY
PUBLIC LIBRARY
The NEW BERN
PUBLISHID WIIKLY |
IN THI HBART ^
VOLUME 10
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1967
NUMBER 37
Of interest to New Bernians
in general, and Dr. Sherman
T. Lewis particularly, is the
acquisition by Keystone Junior
College of Christy Mathewson’s
priceless souvenirs.
Sherman didn’t know until we
told him that the great base
ball pitcher used to hunt at
Camp Bryan, down in Craven
County’s lake region. Natural
ly this intrigued ”Doc”, inas
much as he did a special issue
on Mathewson, years ago, while
he was student editor at the
Pennsylvania school.
Matty’s first athleUc fame
was achieved on the gridiron ^
not the diamond, at Keystone.
Until his death from tuberculos--
is in 1925, he had a special
place in his heart for the col
lege, and when his wife, Jane,
made her will she left all of his
treasured mementoes to the
school.
Today the relics are housed
in a fireproof vault, and even
tually will be placed in a spe
cial room of the Christy
Mathewson Memorial Field
House. Alumnae of the college
has given the project top prior
ity, and are going all out to
see that the structure is com
pleted in the near future.
In his day, Matty was idol
ized by all America as "sports
man and Christian gentleman."
Playing with the New York
Giants in the early 1000’s,when
roughneck ball players was the
rule, Christy Mathewson stood
above the crowd. His language
was clean, his behaviorUbove
reproach, and his ideals lofty
and unassailable.
Children, whom he loved,fol
lowed him about. Sports writers
strained their minds, trying to
describe his greatness. Pans
turned out to watch the Giants
play, and to worship the man
they called Matty or Big Six.
He was accorded unequaled
adulation because he was not
only a superb human being, but
also a superb ball player in a
day when baseball truly was
die national game. No other
athlete In history ever rated
the respect that rich and poor,
young and old, reserved exclus
ively for this diamond im
mortal.
He pitched 30 or more vic
tories for the Giants in three
successive seasons, and won
353 games during Ids career.
He hurled shutouts in three con
secutive World Series games,
something no one else has been
able to do in all the years since.
Matty’s ability wasn’t limited
to the mound. He could play
first base and 'he outfield quite
capably, and was called upon to
pinch hit on quite a few crucial
occasions. Like Babe Ruth, who
also hunted in these parts when
he was riding the crest of fame,
Big Six could do it all.
Included in the Keystone col
lection is an oil painting of
Matty in his Giants warmup
jacket, a fine likeness by J. H'.
Kqrnan. Directors of the Base
ball hall of Fame at Coopers-
town, where Matliewson is
honored with the greats, would
give their eye teeth for this
portrait.
There are many other trea
sures in the Keystone sou
venirs, such as hit contracts
fur such tiny salaries as $4,000
a year at tlie height of his
career, and $12,000 for man-
(Continued on page 8)
IN FAVORED ROLE—-New Bern Hiffh school's exper
ienced Bears have been picked with Kinston and West
Carteret to be front runners in the tough Northeast
ern Conference. Standing, left to right, are George
Byrd, Ray Dunn, Bruce Wolfe, Calvert Weatherly,
Thomas Stovall, Scott Davenport, Pat McGuinness,
Chuck Mohn, 0. A. Adams, Richard Stilley, Billy
Farmer, Donald Lamar. Kneeling are the managers,
Jimmie Beck and Jeff Stocks.—^Photo by Chick Na
tella.
ON THEIR WAY—These youngsters, members of the
New Bern High school Junior Varsity, have hooes of
stardom in a year or two. They are the building
blocks in the Bruin basketball program. Standing,
left to right, are John Gaskins, Joey Justice, Larry
Mosei\ Johnny Rogers, Brad Sneeden, James Johnson,
Tim Coates, Bobby Marshburn, Frank King, Tony
Hickman, Bobby Fulcher and Buck Jones. Kneeling
are Chip Heath, Glenn Russell and Charlie Meekins.
—^Photo by chick Natella.
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