Scraps from Statesville, Part 1

Click the photo to see at full size. The 1961 Statesville Owls, by name: Bottom Row: Vito Porta, Dick Simpson, Manager George Wilson, Jack Hiatt, George Bryson, Peter Curtis, John Isaac Middle Row: Batboy Wayne Galliher, Dana Wooster, Jerry Fox, Dave Best, Glade Cookus, Wayne Young, Gail Thomas, Paul Mosley Top Row: Alan Flitcraft, Bob Johnson, Carl Mutert, Robert Lucas, Dick Wantz, George Conrad

The 1961 Statesville Owls were one of only two minor league teams the Angels had in their inaugural season. Last week I received a scrap book from Jerry Fox, one of the Owls’ independent players, with all sorts of memories from that year.

Jerry included a sheet naming each one of the players in the above photo. Jerry is in the middle row, third from the left.

Three of these players went to the major leagues with the Angels — Dick Simpson, Jack Hiatt and Dick Wantz. Gail AKA Ed Thomas made it as far as Triple-A with the Angels and attended major league spring training in 1964.

The above photo copy came in e-mail a few weeks ago from Paul Mosley. Jerry’s copy is in the scrap book. He had his teammates sign the back, along with their home towns. Here’s what it looks like; to see it full-size, click on the image:

I’ll post more scans from Jerry’s scrap book as time permits.