OT Ernie Harwell Passes 92

[jmk59]

Originally Posted by CW

For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

That will bring a tear to just about anyone from Michigan.

J

[Chris-Counts]

Rest in peace, Ernie ...

[Joe_G.]

Today there is crying in baseball. Rest in peace Ernie.

Forgive the following re-post. It was initially posted at the tail end of the last Ernie Harwell thread and may have been missed by some. I want to make sure the board realizes Ernie was a Top Notch guy, a great amongst greats, and understands the passion he shared with all of us who collect and otherwise.

Shortly after I wrote the Tomlinson Studio article for Old Cardboard (fall 2007), Ernie contacted me asking if we could meet. He is such a fan of baseball history. Long story short, my wife and I met with Ernie and Lulu for dinner and I took some of my favorite pieces including some Tomlinson cabinets (after all, that is what prompted him to contact me). After a wonderful dinner of conversation, I began sharing some items with him. Part way through, he looked up at me and with a big smile and glimmer in his eye asked if I had any Old Judges. Unfortunately, I didn't take any of them with me on that trip. I then explained how I had already studied his collection in great detail at the Detroit Public Library where he has his collection of 98 Old Judges including an exceedingly rare copy of Flynn (one of three documented examples). He recalled with great detail the items he had collected in his youth and donated to the library some 40-50 years earlier.

As we neared completion of the Old Judge book, Ernie was asked if he would be willing to write a Foreword and boy did he. It is beautiful from the first word to last, a true writing talent. My favorite part reads as follows:

"I collected these in my youth and derived great enjoyment from them. In this book, they remind me of those collecting days and how much enjoyment they afforded me. Reading this book, I felt young again."

What a pleasure it was growing up listening to Ernie. It is because of his frequent stories of baseball past that I began taking interest in early Detroit history, eventually collecting only Detroit Wolverine items.

It's time for me to call family and friends; I've yet to talk to my dad who I know is grieving with the rest of us.

[Rickyy]

My condolences to the Harwell family and all of his friends and fans.

[oldjudge]

Rest in peace Ernie.

[ethicsprof]

my deepest condolences to friends and family,

barry

[Boccabella]

The theme that you hear over and over again with regard to Ernie is that he was a very humble man who had time for everyone--famous or not. He was completely without pretense.

I remember sitting in the press box at County Stadium when the Tigers came to play the Brewers--Ernie sitting in the booth with his familiar cap on--that great voice flowing out of the open booth.

The best of the best--and an even better person by all accounts.