Could This Happen Today?

            Fifty years ago, in fact exactly fifty years ago in 1956, the airline sponsored a number of employee athletic teams (softball, golf, basketball and bowling) in municipal leagues. In the Twin Cities highly regarded fast-pitch softball teams existed at the Holman Field overhaul base and at the Minneapolis airport. Then a new team made up of middle management and clerical personnel from the old University Avenue system-wide General Office was organized. Despite closely monitored cost and expense controls of the day, a teary eyed and hand wringing Tony Ettel (we’re only kidding), our stellar Director of Employee Services, was induced to pop for funds to provide league entrance fees and to provide team members with logo emblazoned T-shirts, hats and uniform pants plus a few bats and balls. Team members furnished their own cleated baseball shoes and gloves.

            The team took the field in the lowest classification league in the St. Paul municipal program. Led by Team Manager Jack Keillor (then Manager of Agency Sales); hard charger and boisterous Scheduler Bob Hewitt, heavy hitter Labor Relations Attorney; Bill Dillon (brother of St. Paul Mayor Joe Dillon) along with great glove work from banjo hitting but PR grunt Bob Johnson and Tariff’s’ Bob Goeritz and a few others, the team tied for the league championship with next door neighbor and arch rival Mutual Service Insurance Co.

            A banner year followed with the team being moved up a notch in play competition. Team management went on a wild spending spree to buy free agents. The pitching staff of “old man” Don Craigie, Advertising Production Manager and Accountant Don Black was augmented by fire-balling airport Transportation Agent Loyal Freeman formerly of the Minneapolis team. Sparkplug infielders Don Ryan and Glen Olson came along with Freeman. From St. Paul came very talented Keith Olson. Wayne Corder, Director of Aircraft Routing was another addition. It still amazes me to think of Wayne playing in the outfield. He had one bad arm and was forced to catch with one hand, toss the ball out of his glove, drop the glove, catch the ball and throw it back into the infield – sort of like the one-armed St. Louis Browns outfielder Pete Gray, during the war. Ye old editor always had trouble catching the ball with two hands and then would find myself having to stop and figure out what to do with the ball once I caught it.

            The team’s spectacular performance stirred up much interest from our fellow workers at the G.O. A support organization called the Northwest Airlines Booster, Bleacher and Beer Bust Club was formed headed by Sam Wyman and Addie Gran. Its headquarters was two doors down at Esslinger’s Bar and Café. Organizational meetings and often after-game celebrations took place there. Esslinger’s owner Harold Nelson, who probably knew more about Northwest’s triumphs and problems than any non-NWAer alive, was named Clubhouse Manager.

            On opening day BBBers showed up more than 100 strong to root for their worthies and do some heckling and general harassment. Director of Airmail and Express Fred Erickson and Director of AirFreight Tommy Nolan (in a woman’s red wig and smoking a cigar) were named “Opening Day King and Queen” and rode around waving from the back seat of a convertible. And that’s not all. Can you imagine this happening anywhere else but at “Old Northwest?” – President and Board Chairman Croil Hunter, Sales VP Gordon Bain, Treasurer Bill Eiden and Corporate Secretary and legal-beagle Ed Floan also showed up and took part in the pre-game warm ups and festivities. It was quite a party, so good that I can’t recall who won the game. Nor do the meticulous records of scorekeeper Art Carlson provide a clue.

            The notoriety of the team’s accomplishments apparently spread throughout the airline. In mid-July an invitation and challenge was issued by DSM Jack May and the employees in Milwaukee for the G.O. team to come to their backyard and play a game. Of course the challenge was accepted. On a bright August Saturday morning most of the team members and a few extras boarded the early Startocrusier Washington bound flight for the jaunt to MKE. Enroute Captain George Stone just had to make a PA announcement that the elite G.O. team was on board rushing to meet the MKE challenge. While several of us tried to hide and be totally inconspicuous there surprisingly was a ripple of applause from the paying passengers.