A Sad Note

Oscar Reeder Wallace, my grandfather's best friend, has died. I did not know him as well as I would have liked, but I will remember his kindness, his Southern charm, and the way that he was always friendly to me.

Oscar's name once came up in the drawing room at Mallet. Several folks were sitting around, testing one another's knowledge of baseball trivia, and someone asked "when was the last time that a batter was killed by a pitch in the US?" I didn't know exactly when, but I knew that it was during the 1930's. I knew this because my grandfather had told me the story of how Oscar, pitching in a local "bush league" game, had accidentally hit a batsman in the head, killing him. It is said that Oscar was an amazing pitcher, but that this accident haunted him for the rest of his life. (only one "major leager" has been killed by a pitch, that was Ray Chapman).

I thought very highly of him, and I hope that he is at peace.