Hey, Graig... Don't you have better things to do today than read Net54?
Gehrig had always been a hero of mine, and I really wanted his autograph. In those days, there were no dealers--and it wouldn't have mattered if there were, since I had no money. All the vintage autographs we had were obtained for free, by writing to the widows of the ballplayers, who would send checks, or check cuts. By that time (1966) though, Eleanor Gehrig was no longer responding. I decided to cast a wider net. I went back to Frank Graham's
Lou Gehrig, a Quiet Hero, and looked for names. The book mentioned Pitzi Katz, a comedian who would go to Gehrig's home in 1939-40 to cheer him. I looked in the Manhattan phone book, and there he was. (How many Pitzi Katz's could there be?) I wrote to him, explaining how badly I wanted Gehrig's autograph, and asking if he had any signed item to spare. About a week later I received a phone call from his daughter, who told me that he had died. She asked to speak to my mother--to see if I really was a kid!--and then, a few days later I received the photo in the mail, with a beautiful letter. She told me that the photo was inscribed to her sister, who had also died. She asked that if I ever got another, would I
lend the photo back to her, but "if not, keep it and I know it's in good hands." She was incredibly kind.
I was recently contacted by the woman's daughter, who saw the photo on line, and got in touch. My collection goes to me kids when I'm gone, but the photo will go back to the family.