Designating the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as America's National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

DESIGNATING THE NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, AS AMERICA'S NATIONAL NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM

Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about Senate Concurrent Resolution 60, a resolution sponsored by my friend Senator TALENT, and agreed to by this body yesterday, that designates the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City as America's National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. It was my pleasure to work with Chairman POMBO and the Resources Committee to bring this important resolution to the floor, and I thank the Chairman for his help and friendship.

Those of us familiar with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum already think of it as America's museum, but the passage of this resolution makes that distinction official.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was founded in 1990, and for its first four years of existence operated out of a one room office in the historic 18th and Vine District of Kansas City. Today it is a 10,000 square foot Museum, filled with historic memorabilia, sculptures, photographs, and other exhibits that pay tribute to some of baseball's greatest pioneers.

It is fitting that the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is in Kansas City, Missouri, Mr. Speaker, because the Negro Leagues were officially organized in Kansas City during a meeting in 1920. Kansas City was also the home of the Negro Leagues' longest-running franchise--the Kansas City Monarchs--which sent more Negro Leagues players to Major League Baseball than any other Negro Leagues franchise.

From 1920 until the closure of the last teams in the early 1960s, countless greats excelled at America's pastime in the Negro Leagues, including Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, James ``Cool Papa'' Bell, Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, and of course Mr. Speaker, John Jordan ``Buck'' O'Neil.

Mr. O'Neil is the current Chairman of the Board of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and continues to work tirelessly at age 94. He has enjoyed an unparalleled career as a player, scout, manager, coach, and ambassador for baseball since 1937, and Buck O'Neil also selflessly interrupted his stellar professional baseball career to serve our country during World War II in the United States Navy.

It is ironic that this resolution came before the House for consideration a few days before Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown, New York. Several Negro Leagues players will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend, but Buck O'Neil is tragically not among them. Mr. Speaker, I can think of no one more qualified for induction into the Hall of Fame than Buck O'Neil, but sadly that will not happen this weekend.

So, we must console ourselves in the knowledge that Buck O'Neil's passion--the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum--is granted official recognition by our nation with yesterday's passage of this concurrent resolution. I thank my colleagues for supporting this important measure, and I urge them to come to Kansas City and visit America's National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

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