Reginald Howard - History Alive
Negro League Fan/Bat Boy/Player/Historian
History Comes Alive!
Many people can recall accounts of life during the "Civil Rights Era." In 1957, alone, there was the Little Rock school integration struggle, the establishment of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the founding of the Motown Corporation by Berry Gordy Jr.
There are very few people who can give first-hand accounts of
what it was like to be a professional athlete during the
racially adverse period in American history.
Reginald Howard is one of the few who can describe what it was like to traverse the United States playing America's favorite past-time as a Black Man.
Dan Babb, of the Memorabilia Store (Memphis, TN),
had this to say:
"As the owner of a sports memorabilia store, I have
been granted the opportunity to dialogue with countless numbers of
people. When it comes to Negro League baseball, Reginald seems to be
the most knowledgeable person I have ever interacted with. As an
example, during the 1997 Memphis Red Sox reunion, the late Sherwood
Brewer and the late Buck O'Neil were attempting to establish who the
shortstop was for the Indianapolis Clowns in the 1945-46 era. They
had been attempting to figure this out for several minutes and
somehow Reginald walked by and heard their conversation and looked
at them and said without hesitation, 'Nate Oliver's father, James
Oliver was the shortstop during that time.' That is one primary
example that comes to my attention."
What Others Have Said:
"I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the wonderful presentation on your experiences as a fan, bat boy, and player in the Negro Leagues. The effort you expended was above and beyond my expectations."
"This guy obviously doesn't know how to play the game of modern Q-and-A. He actually gave direct answers to direct questions. Like when one student asked him what he thought about steroids. 'It's cheating,' Reginald Howard said. Period."