Community Corner
Contributions Needed For Book About Latino Baseball
The histories of Latino baseball have been buried, and every lead helps to uncover community and cultural heritage, a local author says.
Organizers of the Latino Baseball History Project put out a call today to Coachella Valley residents for contributions to a book about baseball in the region.
“We would love to have recounts of memories, descriptions of life at the time, or pictures to be contributed to our project,” said Dr. Richard Santilla, a co-author of “Mexican American Baseball in the Inland Empire.”
The book will be the next installment in a series chronicling baseball as catalyst for social change for Mexican Americans from the 1900s to the early 1970s.
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“We’re interested in Mexican-American baseball photos ranging anywhere from youth leagues, high school, women’s teams, and even military service teams, to semi-professional and professional leagues,” Santillan said.
As part of the Latino Baseball History Project, an exhibition in honor of 81-year-old Jim “Chayo” Rodriguez, a notable Mexican-American ballplayer of the Inland Empire, is currently on display in the lobby of the Mary Stuart Rogers Gateway Building at the .
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“The Latino Baseball History Project was officially established in 2009,” said Cesar Caballero, dean of the John M. Pfau Library. “Up until now, the histories of Latino baseball have been buried, and every lead helps us to uncover community and cultural heritage.”
For more information about contributing to the book, contact Dr. Richard Santillan, at 909-869-3683, or by e-mail at rsantillan@csupomona.edu.
