The Immortals

The National Baseball Hall of Fame elected its first five players in 1936. The museum officially opened its doors on June 12, 1939, in Cooperstown, New York. Joseph Kennedy, a Columbus Indiana postal clerk, set out to collect signatures from all the living player members of the Hall of Fame in 1938, on a first day cover, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the game of baseball. Those 11 immortals included, Connie Mack, Cy Young, Ty Cobb, Larry Lajoie, Tris Speaker, Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, Eddie Collins, George Sisler, Grover Cleveland Alexander and The Sultan of Swat, Mr. Babe Ruth. Joseph Kennedy reached out to these players as he thought it would make a great souvenir for his then, 8 1/2 pound, 2 week old, grandson, Joe Griffin. Although Joseph Kennedy finished collecting all the signatures by 1940, Joe Griffin was unaware that he had them until 2009. What a great story about early TTM (Through The Mail) autograph collecting, and a grandfather's love for his grandson.