Looking Back
Article V - More About The 1945 Championship
By Johnny Davenport
Well, it's been awhile since I've had time to try to write another "Looking Back" article. I have received a lot of information over the last few months, and have been busy trying to get it all sorted out, and filed away, so I will be able to find it, later.
Because of some things that have come up this summer, I would like to touch on how Ed. McFarland may have gotten credit for winning State, in 1945. I have, also had a few people ask me how this came about. We probably will never know, for sure, when he was first credited with winning in 1945, but I'm going to try to show how mistakes are made, in things past.
This past winter, when I was appointed Historian, our webmaster, Robert Smith, was working on past Champions, State tournament sites, etc. I wrote Gene Meyer, and asked him something about the 1984 State Tournament, held in Arlington that year. Gene didn't know anything about it, because he didn't start pitching 'til a year or so later. I had just moved back to Texas that year, and "looking back", I was certain that I went to Arlington that fall, for the State Tournament. After he jogged my memory, a little, about some things, I realized that I DID NOT go to State, in 1984---it was 1985!! (State was held in Austin in 1984). It was 1985 that I was talking about. What I'm getting at, is, 10 or 15 years down the road your mind gets confused on these dates. If someone is relying on memory,only, to put history down, sometimes the ol' noggen tells you wrong.
If I had not taken this job, I probably would have sworn, the rest of my life, that I went to Arlington in 1984, not 1985! If we didn't have the records that we now have, and some ten years down the road, someone asks me where State was held, in 1984, I would have said "In Arlington, I was there". Then it gets put down on paper, and it becomes "fact".
I didn't pitch at the 1985 Tournament, because the morning of the tournament, the whole area was under water! I could not see how it could be pitched, that day, so my wife, Jean, and I came on back home.
Now I'm going to give some more examples of people that have gotten confused on things that happened in the past. As with me, ha, I'm not trying to belittle anyone that I will mention in this article.
A few months ago, Mark Slack, of Plainview, and I were talking about a dirt tournament (doubles) that was held at some "blowout" in Plainview, back in the early 1990's. I mentioned how my partner, Greg Pillow, and I won that tournament. Mark jumped on that, saying " My partner and I won that!, I have the trophy on the shelf at home". I was sure that Greg and I won this tournament, but my trophy's from back that far are wrapped up, boxed, and put away. I also, instantly, remembered the afore mentioned thing about State being in Arlington, in 1984. So I thought I could possible be wrong about this,too. I asked Mark if he would Ck. his trophy. He said he would.
Sometime later, at a tournament, I asked Mark about this. He said "You were right, you and Greg won it. We got second!!!"
Last Spring Terry Haslett told me that he beat "The Rev. Burgess's son, when he won the 1971 Jr. State Championship. When I finally got the early Ringers (News Letters) from Jim Woodson, I was looking at the 1971 State tournament results, and guess what?- Rev. Burgess's sons NEVER pitched in the 1971 State!. I don't know what tournament Terry has gotten mixed up on, but he did, some how. He even told me how the Burgess boy (he couldn't remember which one) pitched, and how he was "off" a little, that day.
At State this past October (2007), Jack Richards and I were talking about past records, honors, etc that people have won. We got to talking about the Charlie Posey Sportsmanship trophy. I said that Coke Bowker won the last Mose Sanderson Sportsmanship award, or the first Charlie Posey one, I couldn't remember which one---I would have to check.
Later that morning, as I was eating dinner, Cathy, Jack's wife came over, and told me that she won "the first Charlie Posey Sportsmanship Award, and the first Charlie Posey Classic", held in Arlington, in his honor. I knew she won that tournament, as I won class "B" at that tournament.
A few weeks after I got home, the thing about Cathy winning the first Charlie Posey Sportsmanship Award was bugging me some. One day I pulled out the Ringers from that time. The Feb., 1996 Ringer had the Minutes of the 1995 State Meeting. On the 3rd page was the Awards. I am quoting now, including the italics: "1st Annual Charlie Posey Sportsmanship Award- Sidney Chandler." !
I knew Cathy had won this award, about this time, so I looked a little further, and found, in the Dec.,1996 Ringer, the Minutes of the 1996 Meeting. It stated that Cathy won the Charlie Posey Sportsmanship Award that year--1996!.
As most of you know, I'v stated that I read that the first Hall of Fame members were inducted in 1974, instead of 1973, and I've also seen it stated that they were inducted in 1975. Well, in these same minutes of the 1995 State meeting, I found this: "Bob Graham gave a brief history of the Hall of Fame Committee in Texas. The committee was formed in 1975 with Archie Roach serving as the first chairman." It goes on, naming the Charter members as "Archie Roach, Ed. McFarland, Jim Woodson, Berlin Sipple, and Rev. Marvin Burgess."
There are TWO BIG ERRORS in this statement. Bob Graham, himself, was Chairman of the first Hall of Fame Committee, which was in 1973. Bob Graham and Matt Bowers were inducted, in 1975. Archie Roach was not inducted 'til 1976.
All of the above mentioned people are very well respected by everyone, I'm sure, but these things that they said happened, at a certian time and date, were wrong. It's not that they (we) are not reliable, it's just that you can't trust your memory, when it comes to things that happened many years ago.
The earlist dated, printed material, that I have run across, concerning Ed. winning State in 1945, is the "HQ Houston", a monthly magazine put out by EXXON. In the August, 1973, issue, they have a story inside about Ed McFarland. In this story, they state that Ed. moved to Houston, in 1945, to join Exxon USA. The story is not quoting Ed. here, as it goes on to say that Ed. won his first Texas State Horseshoe Pitching Championship that year.
Did Ed. tell them that he won in 1945, or did they come up with some other information? We will probably never know, but the stories I've just written, in this article, suggest that Ed. may have told them, in good faith, that he did win in 1945. Anyway, in things that have been printed in later years, some of them show that Ed. won in 1945. Remember what I said, earlier, when there are no written records, and someone will say something was done on "such an' such" date, and when it's put down on paper, it becomes "fact"?. I am not trying to be pushy here, but I beleive that is how Ed. got credit for winning in 1945.
I am going to send our Webmaster a copy of a printout, that is in the August, 1969 Newsletter. It has drawings of three past State champions, and all around these drawings, it states all of the known, at that time, State Champions. It states that "ZUCHOWSKI" won in 1945, and that "E.J. McFARLAND" won in "1946-1957". That is a total of 12 years straight. Ed. was still living in California at this time in 1969. I hope Robert will print this with this article.
"Til next time,
Johnny Davenport
THPA HISTORIAN