Branch Rickey: Baseball's Ferocious Gentleman

Lee Lowenfish, Author
Bob Holm, OWU Class of 1960, Retired Vice President for University Relations, Ohio Wesleyan University and LLI Steering Committee Co-Chair

Wednesday, 2 p.m.-4 p.m. (October 14)

Class Location: Ohio Wesleyan University Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, First Floor Benes Room, 40 Rowland Ave, Delaware.

As told in Branch Rickey: Baseball's Ferocious Gentleman, author Lee Lowenfish outlines that by the time Branch Rickey (1881-1965), a 1904 Ohio Wesleyan graduate, finished with baseball, he had revolutionized the sport – not just once but three times. As the mastermind behind the Saint Louis Cardinals from 1917 to 1942, Rickey created the farm system, and by signing Jackie Robinson and other Black
players, he single-handedly thrust baseball into the forefront of the civil rights movement. His book offers an intriguing, richly detailed portrait of a man whose life is itself a crucial chapter in the history of American business, sport, and society. This class will portray Mr. Rickey's journey through a video lecture given by Mr. Lowenfish (who is unable to travel to Ohio Wesleyan due to knee surgery) in July 2026 at the Chautauqua Institution with additional recollections of Branch Rickey from Ohio Wesleyan 1960 graduate, Bob Holm.