The partnership, which also includes Southern University, a historically black college in New Orleans and “selected minority public schools” throughout the country, will include developing a set of technology-oriented research, curriculum, instructional and economic development materials.

“The goal is to develop cutting edge presentations of the compelling story of the Negro Leagues, making the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum the focal point,” said Gerald Bailey, a K-State professor of educational administration.

Specific projects will include creating Intranet and Internet websites that will allow the museum to connect and interact with students, researchers and fans worldwide; creation of a K-12 book series that deals with the established themes of the museum: leadership, economic self-sufficiency, race relations and preservation of local cultural heritage; developing a curriculum series; establishing virtual and traveling museums.

Bob Kendrick, the museum’s director of marketing/development, said the museum is “absolutely thrilled to death” to enter into a partnership with K-State.”

“What this partnership will mean is an amazing opportunity to get the Negro Leagues Baseball history into classrooms, ultimately all over the country,” Kendrick said. “It will provide the technology and research that is needed to collect information on this chapter in American history.”

Kendrick said the museum had wanted to build a Buck O’Neil research and education center for quite some time. K-State embracing the idea “lent instant credibility” to the project.

Bailey said this is a unique partnership between a non-profit organization, a public school district and higher education, even though it is still in its “embryonic stage.” He became interested in the museum while traveling to a conference in Denver with officials of the Spring Hill School District and hearing excitement about the museum. Bailey wondered aloud if the museum would be interested in expanding into educational areas such as the Internet and developing curriculum materials. A subsequent meeting with Don Motley, executive director of the museum, and Raymond Doswell, the museum curator, resulted in a combined interest in the partnership.

While the Internet has been the primary focus of work, Bailey said the current web site is limited. He remains open-minded as to the site’s potential. Bailey ultimately envisions the creation of a virtual museum as well as a mobile museum being developed.

“We want to go much faster than things are proceeding, but we’ve taken off some small bites,” Bailey said. “I think we see this as an on-going project; one that is dependent on maintaining ties with the NLBM and its former players and finding some initial success in the project. If we find some initial success with this project I think there will be more money to be found.”

O’Neil, who is chairman of the museum’s board of directors and serves on the Veterans’ Committee of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, has been a tireless crusader to awaken America to this chapter in its history. He says the partnership is just what the museum has been looking for — a vehicle to better tell the world the history of the Negro Leagues, first-hand from the few players still alive. Historical facts such as Negro Leagues Baseball was the nation’s third largest black business at the time — behind the insurance industry and a cosmetics and hair company operated by Madame C.J. Walker; that 40 percent of its players were college-educated men; that they were the first league to take baseball to Japan; the first league to play night games; that their talent was not inferior to white major league teams.

“There are not too many of us left,” O’Neil said. “The (Ted) Double Duty Radcliffes — he’s in his 90s, I’m 87. You can hear the voices of these fellows telling this instead of somebody saying that ‘so and so told them this.’ You can hear Robinson tell it or Radcliffe or Buck O’Neil tell it. That’s what we want the people across America to hear and know about.”

For more information contact Don Motley, executive director, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, (816) 221-1920; Gerald Bailey, (785) 532-5847 or 532-5543; or Dan Lumley, (913) 592-7206. More information is available on the Web at http://www2.educ.ksu.edu/projects/NLBM/Partners.htm

Prepared by Keener A. Tippin II.