IN MEMORIAM: Howard Talbot, 89; Directed Hall Of Fame For 17 Years

IN MEMORIAM: Howard Talbot, 89;

Directed Hall Of Fame For 17 Years

Howard Talbot, second from left, shared a laugh on June 12, 2014, Laughter erupted when Catherine Walker recalled, a little disparagingly, the “red coats” National Baseball Hall of Fame staffers used to wear. Be careful, they were my idea, said former Hall director Howard Talbot, second from left. The two, both of whom attended the 1939 Induction, joined Homer Osterhoudt, center, at a panel to discuss Inductions then and now in the Hall’s Bullpen Theater at 1 p.m. today, part of the 75th anniversary festivities. At left is emcee Bruce Markusen; at right, retired Hall curator Ted Spencer (Jim Kevlin/allotsego.com) — Howard Talbot, second from left, participates June 12, 2014, on panel of people who attended the original Hall of Fame Induction in 1939. Laughter erupted when Catherine Walker recalled, a little disparagingly, the “red coats” Hall of Fame staffers used to wear. Be careful, they were my idea, said Talbot, with his usual good humor. They were joined by, from left, Bruce Markusen, Homer Osterhoudt, who has attended all but three Inductions, and retired Hall curator Ted Spencer. Jim Kevlin/allotsego.com)

COOPERSTOWN – Howard Chase Talbot, Jr., retired director of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, passed away with his family by his side Saturday evening, July 18, 2015, at Bassett Hospital. He was 89.

Calling hours are Tuesday and the funeral Wednesday. (See below)

A revered figure in the Cooperstown community, he served as Hall director – then the equivalent of president – from 1976 to 1993. Initially hired as the museum’s assistant director, Mr. Talbot worked for the institution for a total of 43 years, according to a posting of condolences by the Hall’s Education Department on Facebook.

Raised in Cooperstown, young Howard was just 14 and home on vacation from Manlius Military Academy when he witnessed the first Hall of Fame Induction in 1939, when Babe Ruth and other heroes of the early 20th century were installed.

”It was a pretty big day for a little burg like Cooperstown,” Talbot was quoted as saying in the New York Times last year. ”You have to remember there was no TV. It’s safe to say that at least 90 percent of the people there that day had never seen a Major League game played. I know I hadn’t.”

When he joined the Hall in 1950, it had only four employees: then-Director Bob Quinn, formerly of the Boston Braves, his secretary Helen Tyson, a girl named Roth in the ticket booth, and the custodian, Milton Shepherd.

Calling hours are 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, July 21, at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home.

The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at The First Baptist Church. Burial with military honors will follow at Lakewood Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the Talbot Family asked that memorial gifts be made to The First Baptist Church Memorial Fund, 19 Elm St., Cooperstown, NY 13326 or Cooperstown Emergency Squad, P.O. Box 322, Cooperstown, NY 13326 or Pathfinder Village Foundation, 3 Chenango Road, Edmeston, NY 13335-2314.

A complete obituary will be published this afternoon on www.allotsego.com, and in this week’s Freeman’s Journal.

Arrangements are entrusted to Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.

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