Former Dodger outfielder Glenn Burke will be among three men posthumously inducted into the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals today in a ceremony at the Pasadena Central Library.
Joining Burke in the 17th class of electees are the 1950s Pacific Coast League power-hitting star Steve Bilko and baseball card pioneer Sy Berger.
The 2 p.m. Induction Day ceremony is open to the public. Admission is free. Organizers encourage attendees to arrive by 1:30 p.m. when the library’s Donald R. Wright Auditorium opens. Once seating capacity has been reached, people will be turned away.
The ceremony will begin with the traditional ceremonial bell ringing in honor of the late Brooklyn Dodgers fan Hilda Chester who would ring a cowbell from the bleachers of Ebbets Field. Organizers encourage all in attendance to bring a bell.
Also to be honored are Tom Keefe, who will receive the Hilda Award, which recognizes distinguished service to the game by a baseball fan and was established in memory of Chester; and Gary Joseph Cieradkowski, who will receive the Tony Salin Memorial Award, which recognizes individuals for their commitment to the preservation of baseball history.
Keefe is the founder and president of the Eddie Gaedel Society, Spokane Chapter No. 1, which promotes the legacy of the 3-foot-7-inch St. Louis Browns pinch-hitter. It meets annually on Aug. 19, the anniversary of Gaedel’s lone appearance in Major League Baseball.
Cieradkowski is the creator of The Infinite Baseball Card Set blog, which features baseball cards of unique real and fictional players in the style of the tobacco cards of the late 19th and early 20th century, combined with biographical material.
Following the award presentations, the keynote address will be delivered by author Charlie Vascellaro, renowned for his presentations on the history of Arizona’s Cactus League.
The Monrovia-based Baseball Reliquary, founded in 1997, bills itself as a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture though the context of baseball history and exploring the sport’s unparalleled creative possibilities.
More information about the Induction Day ceremony and the Baseball Reliquary is available by contacting Terry Cannon at 626.791.7647 or by email at terymar@earthlink.net.
Burke played for the Dodgers from 1976 through 1978 and the Oakland A’s in 1978 and 1979. Burke revealed in a 1982 interview with Inside Sports magazine that he was gay, the first major leaguer to publicly acknowledge he was gay.
Burke also figured in the creation of the high-five.
After Dusty Baker hit his 30th home run at the end of the 1977 regular season — making the Dodgers the first team to have four players with at least 30 home runs — Burke raised his hands in celebration at home plate.
As Baker crossed home plate he reached up, slapped one, and the high- five was born.
Burke died of complications for AIDS-related illness in 1995 at the age of 42.
Burke’s induction will be accepted by his sister Paula Hunt. Burke will be introduced by Doug Harris, a co-producer of the 2010 documentary, “Out. The Glenn Burke Story.”
Playing for the Los Angeles Angels, based at the since-demolished Wrigley Field in South Los Angeles, Bilko led the Pacific Coast League in home runs in 1955, 1956 and 1957.
He won the league’s triple crown in 1956 and was Los Angeles’ biggest sports star before the arrival of the Dodgers in 1958.
Bilko played for the Dodgers during their inaugural season in Los Angeles and with the Angels in their first two seasons in the American League, 1961 and 1962.
Comedian Phil Silvers named the character he played in his 1955-59 CBS comedy for Bilko.
He died in 1978 at age 49. His induction will be accepted by his eldest son, Stephen R. Bilko.
Bilko will be introduced by John Schulian, a newspaper sports columnist turned television producer and writer, and Gaylon H. White, author of “The Bilko Athletic Club: The Story of the 1956 Los Angeles Angels.”
Berger is considered the “Father of the Modern Day Baseball Card,” designing and overseeing production of some of the most innovative and revered baseball cards of all-time when he worked for the Topps Co., and making baseball card collecting a popular hobby.
Berger died on Dec. 14 at age 91. His induction will be accepted by his daughter, Maxine Berger. He will be introduced by his son Glenn Berger, who will share stories about his father.
He topped the field of 50 candidates, receiving votes on 33 percent of the ballots returned by members of the Baseball Reliquary. Bilko was second with 31 percent and Burke third, also with 31 percent.
Runners-up included sportscaster Bob Costas (30 percent), two-sport star Bo Jackson (29 percent), 1970s pitching star J.R. Richard (29 percent), three-time Olympic gold medal-winning softball pitcher Lisa Fernandez (26 percent) and the late Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley (26 percent).
The three candidates receiving the most votes are elected to the Shrine of the Eternals, which differs from the Hall of Fame in that statistical accomplishment is not the principal criterion for election.
Its criteria are distinctiveness of play (good or bad), the uniqueness of character and personality and the imprint the individual has made on the baseball landscape, according to the organization’s website.
Electees, both on and off the field, shall have been responsible for developing baseball through athletic and or business achievements, in terms or its larger cultural and sociological impact as mass entertainment and as an arena for the human imagination.
