Made 66 years ago. KOM Flash Report for week of March 27, 2016

If the report does not appear here and you wish to see it contact John Hall j03.john@gmail.com

 

The KOM League

Flash Report

for

Week of

March 22 thru April 2, 2016

 

Shared due to a doctor’s advice:

 

A few hours prior to this report being released I had about decided to ditch it and not “crucify” the readership with a verbose tome at this Easter season. However, I had a doctor’s appointment in the early morning hours and he told his nurse that I wrote interesting and historical reports. Furthermore, he suggested that I somehow mention my visit with him in the upcoming release. At that point I told the very good doctor that about all I had to share were some stories about guys who “never-weres (bad grammar) rather than has-beens. I gave him a glimpse of what I had uncovered this week as he glanced out his office door, probably to make sure no one was eavesdropping. This report should probably have stayed in the waste can but I never go against doctor’s orders. So, this report is coming to you because Dr. John DeSpain of Columbia, MO prescribed it. How about that Doc?

_____________________________________________________________________________

Back to the 1947 Ponca City Dodgers

 

In a recent Flash Report the obituary of Kendell Wherry was shared with a few comments. He was with Ponca City until the 26th of May of 1947 when manager Boyd Bartley and a couple of Brooklyn Dodgers scouts; Bert Wells and Andy High, along with Pepper Martin, determined Wherry was “not a prospect.” However, he was around a lot longer than many guys who showed up with Ponca City in the early days of that city’s first KOM franchise.

 

There isn’t any way that I have found all the guys who showed up at Ponca City in 1947 only to be eventually shown the “road back home.” Upon seeing those names I knew they represented young men with dreams of a baseball career and for reasons ranging from a lack of talent to not liking the contract offer made to them, they were on their way to the rest of their lives.

 

I trust a couple of the recipients of this report will read some of it. If you read only one or two of the excerpts on the twelve guys who didn’t make the team I’d suggest you spend the time regarding Herbert Wimberley and Ray Krasovic.

 

Here is a list of some of those fellows and where they called home.

John Moncravie—Ponca City, Oklahoma Born Arkansas City, KS

Peter Bugni—New Gretna, New Jersey

Gerald Kunkle—Rochester, NY Born Franklin, Pennsylvania

Norman Pietras—Trenton, New Jersey

Ray Merritt—Johnson City, New York

Garnet Ferryman—Moline, Illinois

Herbert Wimberley—Ft. Worth, Texas

Raymond Peter Krasovic—Pueblo, Colorado

John Prozar—Nanticoke, Pennsylvania

William Schneider—New York City

Jim Hayman—Kaw City, Oklahoma

Ken Deakings—Kaw City, Oklahoma

 

With the foregoing twelve names I assumed I could find enough material on those guys to write a story about those who didn’t make the Ponca City team. As usual, I found traces of most of those guys and wasn’t disappointed by the stories found. Some, however, were tragic.

 

Each of the dozen guys who didn’t make the 1947 Ponca City club is recognized in the order they were previously listed.

 

The Introduction

 

A few weeks ago I did an article on William Amason who was the first person to sign a contract to play for Carthage and it was also the first contract signed by any KOM leaguer. Since Moncravie at least gave it a shot I decided I’d attempt to find out some more about him.

 

The Ponca City News reported on April 20, 1947 that John Moncravie would be the first hometown boy to try out for the Ponca City Dodgers. He was listed as a 22-year-old right-handed pitcher and was scheduled for close scrutiny by manager Boyd Bartley and scouts Bert Wells and Andy High. The article said Moncravie was developed on Kid league diamonds there and he had recently completed an army tour of duty which took him to Italy with the air forces. Moncravie was born March 3, 1925 in Arkansas City, KS and died October 12, 1990 in Volusia County, Florida. He attained the rank of Tech. Sgt. In the Army Air Corps. He was buried in Broken Arrow, OK. Check it out here: www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=25051965

 

 

As it turned out Moncravie didn’t make the team but two local boys did play for Ponca City that year, namely, Clark Taylor and Walt Harris. Harris gained fame as an outstanding artist of Indian images.

 

***John Barada Moncravie—quoted from a family historical record

 

John Barada Moncravie's father was a half-blood of another tribe of Indians; however, we, at this time, are not sure which--it could be either Blackfoot or Assiniboine Indian. He would be 1/4 Indian in addition to 3/16 Osage Indian, 1/8 Omaha Indian, and French.

 

Anna (Fronkier) Moncravie was baptized at St. Francis de Hieronymo Church at what is now St. Paul, Kansas, formerly Osage Mission. She was buried at City Cemetery, Pawhuska, Oklahoma.

 

The following is from Kansas, by Blackmar, Vol. III, Pt. 2, pp. 1364-1365.

 

John B. Moncravie of Arkansas City, a successful retired farmer of that city, is, as his name indicates, of French descent and is of the second generation of that family native born to American soil. Mr. Moncravie was born in Richardson County, Nebraska, January 1, 1868, a son of Alexander B. and Elizabeth (Loise) Moncravie. John B. Moncravie, the grandfather of the subject, was a native of France who settled in Montana, where he engaged in stock raising. There, Indian depredations and outrages were so severe, however, that he and his family were compelled to seek a residence elsewhere. The Indians burned his home, drove off his cattle and ruined him financially. The family then removed to Iowa, but subsequently became residents of Nebraska, in which state marauding bands of Sioux Indians made the life of the early pioneer a very hard one, as not only was his property destroyed, but his life and that of his family were in constant danger. John B. Moncravie, the grandfather, engaged in farming and stock raising in Nebraska and died there. His son, Alexander B., the father of the subject, was married in that state to Miss Elizabeth Loise, a daughter of Edward Paul Loise, a native of Nebraska, and she was employed in that state as manager for the American Fur Company. He died in St. Louis. Alexander B. Moncravie was a farmer and stock raiser by occupation. He was a loyal defender of the Union during the Civil War and died in 1875 from the effects of wounds received while in the service. He was a staunch Republican and took an active interest in the success of his Party.

 

John B. Moncravie, of this review, was but eight years old when his father died. He received his education in the schools of Omaha, Nebraska, except two years' study in the schools at Dakota City, Nebraska. He began farming for his mother, which whom he re3mained until 1889, in which year he moved to the Osage Reservation in Oklahoma. From there he removed to Arkansas City, Kansas, in 1905, in order to secure better educational facilities for his children. He now owns 4,600 acres of valuable farm land in Oklahoma which he rents out for cash rent. He has been an extensive cattle and stock raiser and is a lover of the fine horses, of which he owns a number. By a number of years of energetic business management and well-directed efforts, he has provided a competence which has enabled him to retire from active business cares early in life and gives him leisure to enjoy the outdoor sports of fishing and hunting, of which he is very fond.

 

Mr. Moncravie has been twice married. His first wife, to whom he was married in 1892, was a Miss Anna Fronkier from Osage, Oklahoma. She died in 1893; and in 1896, Mr. Moncravie wedded Miss Florence Slade, a daughter of Joseph Slade, a native of France. To this union, seven children have been born: Sylvester A., who is attending the Arkansas City high School; John N., Alexander C., Barada J., Vivian L., and Anna A., all students in the grades at Arkansas City; and Harry E., not yet of school age. Fraternally, Mr. Moncravie is a member of the Benevolent and Protective order of Elks, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Improved Order of Red Men, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and has served as a trustee of the last named order. In politics, he is a Republican and is an active worker in his party's behalf. He and his family are devout communicants of the Roman Catholic Church and are numbered among the most respected families of Arkansas City.

 

(Note by Virginia M. Moncravie: Alexander B. Moncravie died 1876; Sylvester A. was son of first marriage (Anna Fronkier); correct way of writing name "Moncravie." Last name of second wife spelled "Lade." I have coped as appeared in book with misspellings, etc.)

 

***Peter Bugni

 

This gentleman is 89-years-old and living in New Gretna, New Jersey where he was born. He lived for a number of years in Florida.

 

***Norman Pietras

 

This fellow was a Dodger hopeful from Trenton, New Jersey. You will notice in this list that many of the fellows the Brooklyn Dodgers assigned to Ponca City were from the east coast.

 

***Gerald Charles Kunkle

 

On October 3, 1923 this fellow was born in Franklin, PA. He moved to Rochester, NY and was living there when he enlisted in the U. S. Army on January 8, 1943. After the war he was signed by the Dodgers, still making Rochester his home. He lived there until January 23, 1989 when he passed away

 

***Ray Merritt

 

All of the vital statistics on this gentleman, along with his photo, can be found at this link:

www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=916204...

 

 

***Garnet C. “Mike” Ferryman

 

My research shows he was born in Moline, Ill. and if you follow the next URL you can see the tale of his interesting and tough childhood which indeed started in Moline.

www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=973730...

 

***Herbert Livingston Wimberley Jr.

 

Around the 15th of April, 1947 a young man was sent from Texas, by the Dodgers to Ponca City. Here is the quote from the Ponca City News. “Herbert Wimberly (sp), 20-year-old lad optioned her from Abilene, Texas of West Texas-New Mexico circuit. Arriving in Ponca City with a strained shoulder, Wimberly (sp) was set on the disabled roster—an inactive status not affecting team limits.”

 

That terse verse is all I knew about Wimberley until reading the following, which is a death certificate showing him dying at the age of 25 years, 11 months and 29 days.

 

interactive.ancestry.com/2272/40394_b062426-03363?pid=234...

 

 

Fort those without Ancestry.com you won’t be able to access the aforementioned URL Thus, I am summarizing the death certificate as follows:

 

So, six years after trying out for the Ponca City Dodgers, Wimberley was a salesman for the Carnation Milk Company. On the evening of June 12, 1953 he walked into a night club at 603 W. Mag. (abbreviations for streets in that city were checked and I believe it could have Magdalen Ave.) in Ft. Worth, Texas. He was shot in the chest and taken to City/County Hospital where he died near midnight on June 13. The death certificate stated his death was a homicide. He was buried June 15, 1953 at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Ft. Worth. He was born June 16, 1927 in Ft. Worth. He was buried two days prior to his 26th birthday.

 

Here is Wimberley’s Find-A-Grave site which you can access without Ancestry.com

 

www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=111723...

 

In looking into the matter of Herbert Wimberley I found a reference to what has to have been him in the July 4, 1953 edition of Billboard Magazine. It stated his death in this precise manner. “Herbert Livingston Wimberly (sp) Concessionaire on Diano Bros.’ Circus, June 13 in Ft. Worth of injuries suffered in auto accident. Survived by his parents. Burial in Ft. Worth Cemetery.”

 

What would be the chances of two Herbert Livingston Wimberley’s dying on the same day, at the same age, in the same town and only being survived by their parents? I think this matter should be turned over to the “cold case” squad to find out who murdered Wimberley. I’m going to take the word of a death certificate over a Billboard Magazine obituary, any day. The Billboard obituary is located at:

www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/50s/1953/B...

If you wish to take a gander at it be prepared for the PDF issue of that publication to download which will take a few minutes. The obituary is toward the bottom of page 63 in the right hand corner.

 

***Raymond Peter Krasovic

 

This native of Pueblo, Colorado was born on the 29th day of June in 1926 and had high hopes of being the starting first baseman for the 1947 Ponca City club. When that didn’t work out the Dodgers sent him home promising him another shot at the job in 1948. The trail on Krasovic isn’t difficult to follow. He stayed in Pueblo and was for many years a licensed contractor specializing in brick masonry construction. He is now 90 years of age and a couple of years ago was interviewed about a smelter controversy in Pueblo. Click here if you are interested:

www.koaa.com/story/27611177/new-superfund-site-in-pueblo-...

 

In attempting to find more on the life of Raymond Peter. Krasovic I found the following URL

krcc.org/post/pueblos-old-bojon-town-celebrates-heritage-... One of the quotes from that article stated. “ Joe Kocman grew up in Old Bojon Town. He says everyone had nicknames: “My dad’s nickname was Moon…My Uncle Albert was Jonesy and Ray Krasovic was Killer and he won’t tell why it’s Killer but that’s been his nickname ever since he can remember…My brother’s nickname was Pudgy.”

 

Stop the presses.

 

What has just been stated, about Krasovic, could have been uncovered by anyone with a computer and some old Ponca City newspapers. The foregoing is all I knew about the fellow until mid-morning of March 23, 2016. . After reading two Internet references to him I said to myself “Self, why don’t you call him?” I had every reason not to, like, he might not be the same guy, if he is he might not wish to speak with me and if he happened to want to talk he might not be able to hear me all that well.

 

Well, to make a long story even more so, I called Krasovic. There was an initial problem in getting through to him since he had a block on the telephone that screens out all robo calls and those from solicitors. I finally got a voice on the other end and explained who I was and the fun began.

 

Krasovic was the same guy Ponca City cut loose after spring training in 1947. However, they kept their promise and he attended their spring training camp at Santa Barbara, California in 1948. During that camp he attempted to catch a ball with his bare hand and it in the process he lost two fingernails. That was enough to sideline him for a while and during his recuperation period he had time to think things over. He said that by that time he was nearly 22 years old and that even if he stayed in the Dodger organization for a dozen years he’d come out without a job. So, he decided to return home and get an education. When he arrived back in Pueblo he said he got a call from a “Mel Ott” in Oklahoma to play for his Sooner State league club. I interjected that I didn’t wish to correct him but I would imagine the guy’s name was Otto Utt from Duncan, Oklahoma. He paused a couple of seconds said that was the right name. Utt told Krasovic that he wanted him to join his team and would meet him Wichita Falls, Texas. That meant Utt would drive from Duncan, OK and Kravosic would drive from Pueblo. Kravosic agreed to meet Utt but after thinking about it for a while he decided he didn’t care to drive nearly 600 miles for the meeting whereas Utt’s trip was only about a tenth as far. When Kravosic didn’t appear for the meeting Utt was very unhappy.

 

Utt knew about Kravosic through Frank Golob who pitched for him in the Sooner State league starting in 1947. Golob was a fixture with Duncan and then Shawnee when Utt moved the franchise there. Golob and Krasovic were friends from growing up together in Pueblo.

 

Having read the URLs about Krasovic, prior to calling him, I had some questions. One reference stated that his nickname was “Killer.” I asked how that came about and all he could come up with was that he always hit line drives. At that point he stopped me and asked how I knew about that nickname. I told him I always did my research before contacting anyone. He was the one who raised the name of Golob and remarked that everyone in his neighborhood had a nickname and Golob’s was “Freena” That bit of trivia is probably only interesting to baseball researchers.

 

Due to the short length of time Krasovic was in Ponca City he said the only name he remembered was his manager, Martinez. Again, I told him that I didn’t want to correct him, however, I did. I told him Owen Martinez was the business manager and Boyd Bartley was the field manager. Back in that era the business manager was usually the bearer of bad tidings. In Krasovic’s case it was the news he was being sent home

 

Krasovic never graduated from high school having to go to work in the steel mill in his junior year due to his father’s health. He attended Central High School, in Pueblo, through his junior year and was a member of the baseball team that played in the state championships in Denver in 1943. The place was crawling with big league scouts looking for talent due to the shortage caused by the war. He recalled that a St. Louis Cardinal scout approached him regarding signing a contract and he told the scout that he would be in the service in a very short time and to forget it.

 

Within a short time Krasovic was fighting in the Pacific. At the conclusion of the war he was stationed in Guam and played service ball for a year and a half. He said that when he played in that era his nickname was “Radar” for he could catch anything hit in his direction. Following his tryouts in 1947 and 1948, and his rebuffing the offer made by Otto Utt, he played a lot of semi-pro baseball in the Pueblo area until softball became the “sport of choice” and he performed on the softball scene for a number of years.

 

For the “fact checkers” out there I want to provide this information. Raymond Peter Krasovic and Raymond Louis. Krasovich weren’t the same guy even though both were property of the Brooklyn Dodgers at about the same time. Krasovich pitched in the Wisconsin State league in 1950 and was a big lefty standing over 6’ and 200 pounds. Krasovic told me he was 5’ 11 ¾ inches tall and weighed 160 pounds when he tried out with the Dodgers. He said he went to the doctor recently and the nurse said “You are 5’8”. He said I told her that had to be wrong and she advised me I had shrunk. He retorted, “Mr. Hall I have lost 3 ¾ inches.” But, one thing he hasn’t lost is his ability to remember, speak well and hear much better than Yours truly.”

 

I did mention his work history, as a contractor, that I had found, on-line, and he replied “That’s right, I laid bricks for 50 years.” As I came to the benediction of our conversation I told him that I had really appreciated his time. He retorted with “I’ve enjoyed this more than you will ever know.” He reinforced what I have long known; a guy didn’t have to play in a professional baseball game to be a part of its history. Krasovic would have played, at least a while, for Ponca City, in 1947, had Bill Boudreau not been on the squad and by being there he made others compete for their positions making the team that much better.

 

Oh no, another twist to this story

 

After speaking with Ray Krasovic I wondered where Ray Krasovich, the former Wisconsin State league hurler, may have called home. A quick check showed that he too was born in Pueblo, Colorado on March 8, 1929. One thing from my previous day’s conversation with Ray Krasovic came back to mind. He said that over the years the spelling and pronunciation of the family name had changed. At that point I knew that the other guy with an “h” at the end of his name had to be a relative.

 

After reading some things about Ray Krasovich I found that he had been an Air Force pilot and had attained the rank of Lt. Col. He had survived the war and lived until 2004 when he passed away in Arvada, Colo. and was buried at Ft. Logan Military Cemetery in Denver.

www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=144547...

With that bit of information I called Ray Krasovic once more to ensure myself they were kin.

 

When I called Ray Krasovic I learned that all his kin, who moved to the United States from Europe, worked at a steel mill in Pueblo that was owned by John D. Rockefeller. The family was Slovenian and different segments of the family selected their own way of anglicizing their last names. Raymond Peter Krasovic was a second cousin, on his mother’s side, to Raymond Louis Krasovich. They were separated by three years in age and thus were never real close. However, Ray Krasovic recalls his cousin bailing out of his Air Force jet and landing in a tree and didn’t receive a single scratch. This citation of Air Force accidents includes that of Ray Krasovich

www.i-f-s.nl/accidents-incidents-1959/

 

Upon nearly completing this article I stumbled, in every sense of the word, over this link:

www.chiefads.com/metro/retired-air-force-pilot-dies-at/ar... With the space already taken up by this article I’m a little reluctant to print the whole text but it is too good to ignore. Here it is:

 

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Raymond L. Krasovich fell in love with flying as a young boy and often would ride his bicycle to the Pueblo Airport to watch airplanes take off and land. He died last Friday at his Arvada home after a long battle with cancer. He was 75.

 

Krasovich, a 1947 graduate of Central High School, spent 23 years flying Air Force fighter planes and, later, commercial airliners. Over the years, his friends in Pueblo kept track of his flying career through periodic newspaper stories about Krasovich's close calls as a military pilot.

 

Perhaps the most amazing incident was in January 1960, when Krasovich was taking off from an air base in Spain in an F-104 Starfighter.

 

As the jet climbed to about 700 feet, the engine suddenly flamed out. Krasovich had to eject, but his parachute failed to open and simply \"streamed\" behind him. The pilot tumbled through the sky until he was caught in an olive tree, where he sustained only minor bruises and scratches.

 

"My Dad was always a martini fan after that," joked his son, Steve Krasovich of Denver.

 

Krasovich went on to fly more than 100 combat missions over North Vietnam and received numerous military decorations including the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star. He retired from the Air Force in 1974 and became a pilot for Aspen Airways. He flew commercial airliners for 12 years.

 

Krasovich is survived by his widow, Dottie, and five children.

 

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 12735 W. 58th Ave. in Arvada. Burial with military honors will follow at Fort Logan National Cemetery.

 

I have to stop this now. It could soon become a non-bestselling book.

 

***John Prozar

 

Early Ponca City newspaper accounts showed Prozar being a catcher from Nanticoke, PA.

He had played in less than two dozen games the previous season with Niagara Falls, NY in the Middle Atlantic league. Upon arriving in Ponca City he didn’t have a contract and one was never forthcoming that was to his liking. He was reported to have returned home. He is another guy most likely with a truncated last name and there are no further clues regarding him that I could find in my research.

 

***William Schneider

 

He was shown as a pitcher from New York City. Nothing more is known about him.

 

***James Fletcher Hayman

 

Birth: 13 Feb 1925 Shidler, Oklahoma

Death: Dec 1987 - Newcastle, Weston, Wyoming, USA

Parents: William Fletcher Hayman, Cora Ellen Roberts

 

***Kenneth Deakins

 

When Deakins was not signed to a Dodger contract, the business manager, Owen Martinez state he wasn’t a prospect.

 

www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=839355...

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Well, I’m done.

If anyone reading this report recognizes more than two or three names I’d be in shock. If this report has bored you and you find all my “hard work” irrelevant, let me know. I do have a pretty good story I could send you in return about the late Joe Garagiola and Yours truly. He and I had similar jobs in Southwest Missouri . He was at Springfield in 1941 and I came along doing the same thing at Carthage in 1951. My story deals with Mickey Owen, Joe Garagiola, Oscar “Pappy” Walterman, a catcher’s mitt and Corky Simpson. If someone requests hearing that story for the first or 100th time I could place it in the next Flash Report. If I don’t hear from a few of you there won’t be a “next” one. Bye!!!

 

Note: This report was placed on Flickr and it may or may not remain there. Flickr has been doing a lot of flickering lately.

www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/25209864564/

 

Done