University of Chicago - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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Michigan 'IQ Chicago O, Thanksgiving Day, 1895. AMOS ALONZO STAGG, A BIOGRAPHY By William D. Watson and Everett C. Parker Amos Alonzo Stagg began his colorlul career in a small but comlortable cottage located at 384 Valley Road, West Grange, New jersey on 'I6 August 1862. l-le was the Fifth in a Family ol eight children. l'lis father was a cobbler by trade, having been apprenticed to a shoemaker at the age ol seven. The lather was intellectually ambitious, however, and by the time he was twenty had succeeded in educating himsell. This desire lor intellectual advancement he later transmitted to the large lamily which was his greatest pride, and while the Stagg home was devoid ol most ol those advantages which make living luxurious, it was never one which was starved ol inspirational ideals. All ol the children were early given moral instruction in the home, and while their minds were still plastic, they were inculcated with a code ol upright living. The neighbors ol the Stagg family in West Grange were predominately native and lrish, being lor the most part a homogeneous group ol hat Factory workers, and laborers. Some ol the men ol the com- munity were addicted tothe habit ol sauandering their wages on drunken revels. The Stagg lamily scorned such tactics and the children at an early age were made to understand the evils connected with the saloon. That Stagg learned his lesson ol the saloon well is demonstrated by the lact that all ol his liie he has been a militant crusader lor temperance. As a curly headed boy, Stagg First learned to love sports, engaging in his First team play when but a little over six years olds As a member ol a local baseball team, the boy acted as both secretary and player, playing First-hand base and third-hand base. The story is told ol how he was given custody ol the pennies which the boys laboriously saved in order to buy a league baseball. Finally having saved the total ol S'l.25, they invested in a Hred-dead baseball, which was the pride and joy ol every member ol the team. When proiessional baseball came to Grange in 'l876, the boys watched the progress ol the games through knot holes in the lence surrounding the Field. From the very First Amos Alonzo took a great interest in the art ol pitching, and lor many weary months he practiced with his cousin who lived next door, experi- menting with the curve ball, a discovery then new to the game. l-le tells ol how one day he stumbled upon the out, easiest ol curves, and ran excitedly to the kitchen yelling, HMammal Mammal l,ve got itln Tl-IE FIRST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS-1899 Top Row-Charles Gibbons Flanagan, Frederick Feil, Charles William Ervin, Bert James Cassels, H. B. Conibear, Trainer. Third Row-Henry Gordon Gale, Kellogg Speed, James Ronald l-lenry, l-lerbert Frederic Ahlswede, Clarence Bert l-lerschberger. Second Row-Amos Alonzo Stagg, Coach, Frank Louis Slaker, August Fred l-lolste. Front Row-William Franklin Eldridge, Ralph C. Hamill, Walter Scott Kennedy, Capt., Jonathan Edward Webb, James Milton Sheldon.

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l 2 E E E GRAND CJLD MAN

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Chicago 21 lllinois 21. 6 November 19524 lt was his fathers great desire that young Stagg should have the best of educational advantages, but because of his meager Finances he Found it almost impossible to send him to school. l-le told his son that he would provide him with a home, but it would be necessary For him to raise his own tuition money. Accord- ingly he began his education in the small district school house of West Grange, paying his tuition by picl4ing up ditterent odd jobs. ln an interview some ten years ago, Stagg told a reporter of how he recalled in particular one job which consisted of beating Brussel carpets. l-le added good naturedly that he was prob- ably one of the best rug beaters in all oi West Grange. The majority of the boys in West Grange were satisfied with a grade school education, in fact many oi them stopped at the third or Fourth grades, but Amos Alonzo realizing the handicaps his Father had suttered from lacl4 oi learning, aspired to high school training. Accordingly, he diligently worked his way through Grange l-ligh School in three years, laboring at all types of jobs Familiar to poor but ambitious boys. It was while he was in preparatory school that he First played on an organized baseball team, and this initial par- ticipation in organized athletics is one ot his fondest boyhood memories. The very First year he became the school pitcher by virtue of his small stocl4 of curves, and the following year he helped to organize an amateur team. l'le pitched For this team when he could sandwich a game in between jobs, and gradually he began to earn something of a local reputation. ' During his last year in high school, Stagg sought the advice of the high school principal as to how he should go about rounding out his educational pursuits. The principal, who was always a sympathetic Friend to the ambitious boy, urged him to matriculate at Yale and study For the ministry. Stagg was much in Favor of this proposal, but when he came to investigate the situation, he Found that he could not pass the Yale entrance examinations. l-le, therefore, decided to go to Rhilips Exeter Academy to mal4e up his scholastic deficiencies. F-le spent the next six months in concentrated study at the Academy, his poverty forcing him to live under extremely trying conditions. l-le was so engrossed in his worl4, however, that he didnyt seem to mind the dingy garret room, where he was forced to live on two meals a day consisting of a hall pound of soda crackers, divided between the noon and evening repasts. Neither did he seem to mind the shivering Tl-lE LAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS-1924 Top Row-N. B. johnson, C. C. Jackson, A. A. Stagg, N, l-l. Norgren, Dr. C. O. Mo- lander. Fourth Row-T. G. Drain, .....,.....,.. , F. M. Henderson, F. E. Law, R. C. Emrich S. A. Rouse. Third Row-P. B. Barto, G. A. Kernwein, F. G. Clark, D. Cameron, F. j. l-lobscheid l-l. E. Neff, J. Pondelik, l-l. G. Frieda. Second Row-C. M. McKinney, F. F. Caruso, M. A. Polcrass, W. E. Marlcs, F. K. Gowdy Captain, S. E. l-libben, l-l. L. Thomas, G. W. Scott. Front Row-J. P. Long, R. N. Rolleston, A. L. Goodman, l-l. E. Barnes, R. E. Curley Clark, E. A. Francis. s,,.. I , ..-3-lg., ,,3i:,z,,,,.,z,,-:lui-'11--QE-e M V V -- I