The Saga of Branch Rickey's Headstone: Just Another "Happy Ending" Lucasville Tale

 

 

"We got involved...cleaning up the monument to one of the most important men in baseball history (with Lucasville's William McKinley)". Press Pros Feature Photos

Lucasville businessman William McKinley got the ball rolling. “Sometimes it takes an undertaker to get something done ‘above’ ground,” he said.

(Sonny Fulks. “Sometimes It Takes An Undertaker…Cleaning Up Baseball History.” https://pressprosmagazine.com/sometimes-it-takes-an-undertaker-cleaning-up-baseball-history/. Press Pros Magazine. July 21, 2021.)

Linda Scott and the Lucasville Area Historical Society have invited local residents to enjoy a “Branch Rickey Up Close and Personal” encounter at the Heritage House on Saturday, April 16, honoring Lucasville native Branch Rickey on the 75^th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's MLB debut on April 15, 1947.

In her latest post related to the event, Scott featured two photos of Rickey's tombstone in nearby Rush Township Cemetery. William McKinley had told her a story about Sonny Fulks, the Managing Editor at Press Pros Magazine coming to Lucasville to research a piece on Branch Rickey. Those photos reveal an inspiring Branch Rickey narrative.

Allow me to fill in the rest of the story.

On a Cold January afternoon in 2021, Fulks came to William McKinley for help. He asked McKinley if he knew where Rickey was buried. He needed help to write his story for the magazine.

Help? In Lucasville? You bet.

I'm not sure, but I believe William McKinley's middle name is “Supporter.”

Anyone who knows William McKinley knows that he is a stalwart advocate of Lucasville, and his beloved alma maters Valley schools and Ohio State University. He consistently champions the Purple-and-Gold, and he rarely misses an Ohio State football or basketball game. His funeral home decor is all scarlet and gray with a giant blow-up figure of Brutus Buckeye out front, and the walls are adorned with various photos of area baseball and Buckeyes’ legends.

Would McKinley help? Everyone in our community already knew the answer to that question. No one knows the heritage of the town better than William, and the owner of McKinley's Funeral Home is renowned for his good works and generous contributions to the betterment of the area. In fact, he was honored in the recent Lucasville Bicentennial as a Grand Marshall of the Bicentennial Parade and a Hometown Hero.

McKinley is also a huge baseball fan – a Reds season ticket holder for decades, he can spin tales about the diamond that span the years. Always a dedicated baseball booster, he has been longtime friend of Valley High baseball – a tradition that began with Branch Rickey and continues to inspire young athletes today.

“If you’ve never taken the time to read, there’s a baseball legacy associated with tiny Lucasville, Ohio that few communities anywhere can match. The hometown of the man whose vision it was to break the color line in the major leagues, there’s still plenty to learn about Branch Rickey…if you know who to ask.”

– Sonny Fulks

I should explain that William McKinley already knew Sonny Fulks because McKinley is a subscriber and advocate for Press Pros. The two had met before at a recent baseball murals banquet in Portsmouth.

Then, William had kindly told Sonny Fulks ...

“If you want to know more about Mr. Rickey come down and I’ll introduce you to his nephew.”

And, now it was time for William to work his connections. With a quick call to Chris Cobb, grandson of Branch Rickey’s brother, Frank – who worked as a scout for years, for the Cardinals, Dodgers, Pirates and New York Giants, signing many of the notable players associated with the great Brooklyn and St. Louis teams, and lived in Lucasville up until the time of his death in 1953 – the trio met at McKinley Funeral Home and then headed for Rushtown.

And, this is where the story gets good … as they say, “the plot thickens.”

Rickey died in December of 1965. His grave in Rush Township Cemetery is marked by a large white marble headstone. Fulks came to the cemetery to show his respects; however, he was shocked. Fulks remembers his first glimpse of the stone – it definitely wasn't what he had expected. 

 Fulks wrote:

“Of course, in the 54 years since he died time and the elements had taken their toll on Mr. Rickey’s stone, turning it dark and discolored with algae and mold from the nearby fields. Frankly, it was ugly, and sad that one of the most important men in baseball history could be forgotten and neglected in such a way.”

(Sonny Fulks. “What I Learned On A Cold Afternoon In Lucasville….” https://pressprosmagazine.com/what-i-learned-on-a-cold-afternoon-in-lucasville/ Press Pros Magazine. January 30, 2021.)

One must remember in April 2013 the Hollywood production of 42 was released. It opened up the story of Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey not only to fans of baseball but to true-believers of equality all over the world. At the time, Dan Sewell of the Associated Press wrote that the movie would likely heighten interest of the area increasing tourism and the following for the local Shawnee State University baseball team.

Al Oliver, a Portsmouth native who starred for major-league teams including the 1971 world champion Pittsburgh Pirates, said …

“No. 1, most people would not believe that someone from southern Ohio would have been the one to have made that move. His spiritual outlook on life was what made him the man he was.”

(Dan Sewel. “Ohio hometown of baseball exec Branch Rickey awaits '42' tourism boom.” https://skift.com/2013/04/15/ohio-hometown-of-baseball-exec-branch-rickey-awaits-42-tourism-boom/. Skift. April 15, 2013.)

It was evident Rickey headstone did little to honor his legacy. Now, Press Pros would serve as a witness. It didn't take long. Fans of the Dodgers and MLB saw the Fulks' photo of the headstone online and felt equally disgusted. As Fulks explained …

“Well, the internet is an amazing tool, and before long we began to hear from people who read the story from out of the area – a Dodger fan from Arizona, for one, and another from upstate New York, near Cooperstown, who asked, 'Is there no one locally who might clean that stone? It’s a disgrace to one who did so much for baseball history.'”

(Sonny Fulks. “What I Learned On A Cold Afternoon In Lucasville….” https://pressprosmagazine.com/what-i-learned-on-a-cold-afternoon-in-lucasville/ Press Pros Magazine. January 30, 2021.)

Fulks was also surprised that Branch Rickey’s gravesite is quite modest, But by all accounts Branch Rickey was a pretty simple man. He was principled, as demonstrated by his vision to integrate baseball, but hardly extravagant. His one vice, as far as anyone knows, was the constant comfort of a cigar. That humble aspect of his resting place seemed to fit the man … but that nasty stone was another story.

Fulks wrote back to William McKinley about the problem, and William told him: “For the sum of $300 we could have someone power wash the monument and restore it to its original condition – 'showroom spendor.'”

Following that communication, Sonny Fulks never heard another word. So, with the help of Lucasville businessman William McKinley, whose family has owned and operated the McKinley Funeral Home for 80 years, Press Pros took the project upon itself.

Sonny called McKinley once more. “Do it,” Fulks said. “And I’ll see you in the summer to settle up.”

And, “do it, they did.”

After Flowers Monument did their amazing restoration work, Fulks eventually came to town during the 2021 Memorial Day week; he and McKinley then headed to the cemetery to view the finished product. Within minutes they were standing at the foot of Branch Rickey’s grave site. What a beautiful sight.

“I’ve showed this to what there is left of the Rickey family in the area,” said McKinley. “They’re thrilled with the way it looks now.”

 

McKinley and Fulks at Rickey's grave site. The man who integrated major league baseball...Branch Rickey was born and raised, and is buried in Lucasville, Ohio, with family members in the community who still remember his impact on the world. (Press Pros File Photos) 

They took some photos for posterity, and left, pleased to have added this small touch to one of baseball proudest accomplishments.

“I guess sometimes it takes an undertaker to get something done above the ground,” laughed McKinley.

“Let’s see if anyone in New York, near Cooperstown, notices,” Sonny Fulks said as he paid McKinley for the work. Fulks continued: “Or sends a check.”

(Sonny Fulks. “Sometimes It Takes An Undertaker…Cleaning Up Baseball History.” https://pressprosmagazine.com/sometimes-it-takes-an-undertaker-cleaning-up-baseball-history/. Press Pros Magazine. July 21, 2021.)

And you just know they didn't – it was the old “the check's in the mail” scenario.

You see, sometimes a couple of people working together make all the difference. Ohio State University's Center For Folklore Studies had interviewed William McKinley in 2019 about the cultural richness embedded in local history. Then, McKinley explained that despite being considered poverty-stricken, Scioto County has a strong philanthropic base. Many institutions and programs have been funded partially or entirely by local generosity.

William said …

“For instance, a capital campaign for Shawnee State University raised sixteen million dollars from private funds and a charity event for the Red Cross raised close to 200,000 dollars.

“When you’re down here, it’s a split society, but Ohio is becoming a split society. Educationally, financially, socially. When economic hard times hit, society splits and you forget about all of the progressive people that live here that make this community go. Just like, who would think that we could have raised sixteen million dollars in private money for the university? The Hospice Center also received extensive donations from community members and is looking to expand in the spring.”

(“Lucasville Historical Society.” Ohio State Center For Folklore Studies. https://cfs.osu.edu/archives/collections/ohio-field-schools/lucasville-historical-society.)

To end this blog entry, I will ask you who is a Board Member of the Southern Ohio Medical Center's Transcending Lives Committee and extremely active in their Hospice Expansion Project? I'll give you a hint. He's a Lucasville role model who likes to get things done “above the ground.”

History Note:

Sonny Fulks recollections …

With appreciation to Chris Cobb, I found him fascinating for his command of the facts surrounding Lucasville’s best-kept secret, now 54 years after the death of the man who arguably did more to change baseball than anyone before, or since.

“Mr. Rickey,” as Jackie Robinson often referred to him, with admiration and respect.

Mr. Rickey, from Lucasville, Ohio…with the most unlikely baseball legacy imaginable.

Branch Rickey died December 10, 1965, while making a speech in Columbia, Missouri on the occasion of his being inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

“I never got to spend that much time with Uncle Branch, as we called him, because he was gone so much,” said Cobb, whose brother Ricky was a member of the 1966 Ohio State Buckeyes NCAA championship team.“He was always working, and of course he lived in St. Louis for a long time, then New York, and Pittsburgh. But when those teams would come to Cincinnati to play the Reds we always got great tickets from him to go and watch the games. Uncle Branch never went to the ballparks on Sunday because he once promised his mother, my grandmother, that he wouldn’t work in baseball on Sundays. She was a strict Methodist and those were her rules. So he’d leave his tickets for the family to come to the games on Sunday.”

After a short trip to the Rush Township cemetery, where Branch Rickey and Frank Rickey are buried side by side, we retired to the funeral home to talk about Rickey’s portrayal in the well-acclaimed movie, ’42’, that documented the relationship between Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson – the support Rickey showed Robinson as he endured the hardships of being the first black player in the major leagues.

“I thought the movie was good,” said Chris Cobb. “And Harrison Ford (who played Rickey in the movie) looked an awful lot like Uncle Branch. In fact, the two actors they considered for the role were Ford and Robert Redford, and they picked Ford because they liked his personality better.”

(Sonny Fulks. “What I Learned On A Cold Afternoon In Lucasville….” https://pressprosmagazine.com/what-i-learned-on-a-cold-afternoon-in-lucasville/ Press Pros Magazine. January 30, 2021.)

(Sonny Fulks. “Sometimes It Takes An Undertaker…Cleaning Up Baseball History.” https://pressprosmagazine.com/sometimes-it-takes-an-undertaker-cleaning-up-baseball-history/. Press Pros Magazine. July 21, 2021.)