August 30, 1918—July 5, 2002
Remembering Ted Williams
Memories of Ted
Throughout his life, Ted Williams touched the lives of many. Anyone who ever got his autograph, had a conversation with him, or simply watched him play has an inspiring story to tell about the Splendid Splinter. Some of these stories appear below. Send us your own memories or thoughts about what Ted meant to you and we will add your remembrances to this page.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
I will never forget the night the Stack family had dinner with Ted Williams. My
father had grown up a foster child in Scranton, PA and had become an avid fan of the
Red Sox minor league team, the Scranton Miners. His passion for the Red Sox only grew
when he relocated to the Chicago area, married, and became a successful businessman.
In the 1950s, he began donating $100 to the Jimmy Fund for every Ted Williams home
run. My dad's generosity got Ted's attention and the Stack family became friends
with Ted Williams. On one occasion, we joined Ted for dinner at a Boston hotel.
After dinner, he invited us to his hotel room for dessert—ice cream—and a
demonstration on the art of making flies for fly-fishing. It was an unforgettable
evening for the Stack family. Ted, thanks for the memories.
— anonymous
Not Only the Greatest Hitter
On my 40th birthday, my wife wanted to get me a birthday gift that would be meaningful.
She had heard me talk about my hero, Ted, who had inspired me to be the best hitter I
could be as I played 5 years of minor league baseball, played on two NCAA and one
American Legion National Championship team, and how I studied and read all of Ted's books
and how I admired his talent and dedication to doing what is the hardest thing to do in
all of sports—hit a baseball. My wife wrote Ted a letter asking how
much she needed to pay to get an autograph. To her astonishment, Ted wrote back saying
that she owed nothing and he included an artist's rendering that read "Happy Birthday
Craig" with his signature. However, this wasn't all, Ted included 2 tickets to a baseball
collector's show in our local area and asked that we come and meet him. When my turn
came to greet him, I thanked him for the tickets and in Ted's typical way he stated "I
must have had a bad day." The drawing hangs on my office wall at work and I share my
story with many of my clients about the fantastic woman I married and the type of guy
Ted Williams is. I got to shake the hand of my hero. My wife could not believe that Ted
Williams would take the time to acknowledge two nobodys. Thank you Lord for giving us Ted
Williams—God Bless Ted Williams.
—Craig
My Ted Williams Story
When I was a kid my parents knew a local sporting goods dealer named Joe that was friends
with Ted Williams. The guy knew I was a huge Ted Williams/Red Sox fan. One day I was
playing ball in the backyard with a friend of mine when my father came out and said
"Joe has some new baseballs, let's go get one." I agreed, not being a kid who'd turn
down a baseball. We drove down to Joes store and Joe said there were some new balls in
the back room, behind the curtain. He told me to go pick one out. I pushed aside the
curtain and was treated to the electrifying sight of Ted Williams seated behind a table
covered with boxes of baseballs. He looked up and said "Your name is Gene, right?" I
was unable to speak and stood there like a post. Ted picked up a baseball, wrote
something on it and threw it to me. Thank god I caught it. He talked about Little
League baseball and how he'd played it too when he was a kid. I never said a word. On
the way home I looked at the ball and he'd signed "To Gene, Ted Williams." When I found
my voice again I said to my father. "I caught a ball thrown by Ted Williams!" Ted has
always been my biggest sports hero. My admiration for the man is hard to describe but
you probably know how I felt about him. See you again someday Ted.
— Gene
Ted Williams Camp 1960
In 1960, I was a "full summer" camper at Ted Williams Camp in Lakeville. I have very
fond memories of three of us kids (one of whom was Bobbie Jo Williams) going to the
swim area with Ted. Ted would throw a red-painted rock out into the lake, and the three
of us would race to it, dive down to the bottom, and fetch it back to Ted, then he would
repeat the process. How many kids had the chance to shag rocks for Ted Williams? What a
memory!
— Mike
