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Hall, Cooperstown Have Changed, Veterans Reflect

By JIM KEVLIN

Yesterday was today’s topic, and things have changed.

“I shouldn’t say this,” said Ted Spencer, the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s retired curator, “but my first year here” – 1982 – “I tried everything on.”

How things have become more formal and security-conscious over the years was one theme that emerged from a panel Spencer rounded out Thursday, June 12, the 75th anniversary of the first Induction, with three who attended the original event: Homer Osterhoudt and Howard Talbot of Cooperstown, and Catherine Walker of Fly Creek.

Osterhoudt, then 21, and later a 30-year mail carrier in the village, had worked on the construction crew of the just-completed Hall. Talbot, 14, was home from Manlius Military Academy. Walker, then 8 and later the mother of five, was on her father’s hand most of June 12, 1939.

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You have reached your limit of 3 free articles To Continue Reading SubscribeLogin Our hard-copy and online publications cover the news of Otsego County by putting the community back into the newspaper. We are funded entirely by advertising and subscriptions. With your support, we continue to offer local, independent reporting that is not influenced by commercial or political ties. Login…
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