It’s October 24th, 2017. For the first time in 29 years, the Los Angeles Dodgers are playing in a World Series on a sunny day in Southern California. The stands are packed with fans of all ages decked out in blue and white, cheering for their team. But one man in the crowd is more dedicated than most. His name is Richard Santillan, and he’s the owner of the most extensive private stash of Dodgers memorabilia.
“I’ve been a fan since I was a kid,” Santillan says. He started the collection with just a few ’58 Dodgers black and white pictures. His father got him these photos for just 25 cents. He spoke admiringly of the photos, calling them “beautiful.”
After that, every time Richard and his brother attended Sunday games played in the afternoon; he asked players for their autographs once the games were finished. Baseballers like Duke Snider became accustomed to seeing the young fan waiting by their car after every game. “It is like I became addicted to getting autographs. And I enjoyed helping them carry the bags they kept their game items in,” Richard said.
Santillan has been collecting Dodger memorabilia since 1958, when he was just a kid. At age 72, his collection has grown to include more than 200,000 items. It holds the record for the most extensive private collection. Over the years, his collection has grown to include everything from mentos to baseball cards and game-used jerseys to magazine and newspaper clippings.
Speaking about the collections, Terry Cannon, the co-director at the institute, said, “These are exclusive materials that you won’t find anywhere else.” “The Dodgers’ first 58 years in Los Angeles will come to life for students and scholars of baseball through these archival materials.”
It is quite a time capsule. It captures the energy and excitement of being a Dodger fan over the years. Something you can only get with the help of an expert history essay writer if you were to have them in writing. With specialist essay writers, you can be assured of not only the quality of your essay but also the accuracy and timeliness of the delivery.
Santillan and his wife donated the collection to Whittier College because they greatly admired Price and Cannon, the co-founder of the Baseball Reliquary at Whittier College.
“I greatly admire their love for baseball and their efforts to remember the history, especially the involvement of women and minorities in the sport,” Santillan admitted. “And for me, there is no more fitting place for the collection than at Whittier College.”
A Brief History of the Institute
In 2014, Professor emeritus Joseph L. Price teamed up with Terry Cannon and Whittier professors Michael McBride and Charles Adams to create the library. Price said, “It was in 2012 that Terry Cannon came to me with the idea of storing the Baseball Reliquary’s bound historical materials and archives from exhibits.”
He adds, “We weren’t able to reach a consensus with Whittier College’s library at first. Nonetheless, we didn’t give up. We continued working with the administration for the following two years until we finally found the Institute for Baseball Studies.”
The administration wasn’t entirely convinced that the institute would enjoy any success. Price says, “In the beginning, Dr. Sharon Herzberger, the Whittier College president at the time, felt that the idea of forming the institute was a bit strange. However, she thought the institute might help keep us—three retiring faculty members—connected to the college”.
The news of the institute’s existence quickly spread throughout the baseball world, as it became known as one of the premier places to explore baseball from a cultural perspective. Price Says, “In 2018, when Dr. Sharon Herzberger was retiring, she had a lengthy conversation with Terry, admitting that she was not expecting such public use or attention for her work.
The project strengthened relationships within the local community and across the country with other baseball experts.” The institute currently boasts a healthy following of upwards of 9,000 passionate baseball fans in the vast online community.
Memorabilia
The memorabilia collection has kept growing over the years, and there are more people to thank. From Fred Claire, the now-retired Los Angeles Dodgers General manager who led them to a famous World Series success in 1988, to donations from baseball historians and the local business community, almost everyone seems to have contributed in some way.
Select items from the library caught Professor Price’s eye and are now some of his favorites. He says, “We got hold of an ad that the Hayward Hotel ran in the first year that Dodgers were in Los Angeles; that was way back in 1958. For just $14.25, you could get a ticket to watch the Dodger game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a ballpark snack, a shared double room at the Hayward Hotel, and transportation to the ballpark breakfast and back.”
