Released  June 23, 2014  8:24AM

Union Station, Los Angeles, California

 

My mother and grandmother always told me that

my maternal grandfather was a lead “foreman” on

the construction of Union Station. It was a great

source of family pride. I never met him. He died

when my mother was 15 years old. His name was

James Baker. He came to California from

Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

James Baker played the fiddle and taught music,

but he was also a baseball player. My mother

always said that his proselytizing father would not

let James sign professionally because it would

mean he would have to play games on Sunday,

which was forbidden by his family.

James Smith Baker was a pitcher. b.1899 d.1944