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 Lou Gherig Photo Gallery
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Ballplayers and Children, Part Four: Lou Gehrig

 

We always hear a lot about Babe Ruth and his love for children. Of course, the Bambino was the “king” of this category. But he was not alone. What about Lou Gehrig? My ongoing series: Ballplayers and Their Sons got me thinking about the Iron Horse and his well-known interaction with kids, so I thought I’d give him some overlooked attention.   

Part of the reason the Babe became such a beloved national figure was by always making himself available for children. Having spent much of his youth in an orphanage, he had a natural affinity for kids. Baseball fans in the 1920’s and ‘30’s sensed his love for kids was genuine and unpretentious. His home run for “Little Johnny Sylvester” in the 1926 World Series became the stuff of legend. It’s a part of baseball’s most treasured lore.

But Lou Gehrig was no slouch when it came to children either. Often overshadowed by Ruth on the field, he was no match for the beloved Babe in this department either.  But who was?  Although Lou never had any children of his own, he was also known for his kindness towards kids and willingness to share his time with them, too.

The wonderful featured photo above is taken from the George Brace collection. Brace photographed Lou in 1934 with children who had won a national contest sponsored by a creamery. One can only imagine the tremendous thrill these kids experienced being photographed with the great “Iron Horse.” I’m sure it’s a moment they never forgot. Here’s the caption I found with the photo:

“Lou Gehrig was George Brace’s favorite player.  ‘He was a quiet man. He never volunteered much of anything,’ Brace says. ‘But if you approached him, he would talk for hours.’ Brace’s collection includes a dozen other photographs showing the kindness Gehrig exhibited toward each child.”

I love the young lad in the top row center with the glasses. He looks like a character right out of an “Our Gang” episode.  Oops!…I almost forgot. You young guys reading this probably don’t know what the “Our Gang” series was. Maybe there’s someone you know, a bit, shall we say? – older – you can ask!

By the way, it’s amazing how many classic baseball photos that we all would recognize immediately are from the George Brace collection. In one of my next posts, I’ll be doing a feature of some of the best from the Brace collection.

Gary Livacari 

Check out my latest book, recently nominated for the SABR 2020 Lawrence Ritter award: Reflections On the 1919 Black Sox: Time to Take Another Look now available on Amazon in e-book and paperback. All profits go to the Illinois Veterans Foundation