At the age of 14, my grandfather, John Bennett, began working at A.J. Reach Company in Philadelphia. He worked his way up and became the foreman of the baseball winding room, where his two sisters worked with their friend Emma May, whom he eventually married. When they were starting their family, the Reach company was acquired by Spalding in Massachusetts. The family didn't want to move to New England, but it was during the Depression, and they had little choice.
Growing up, my dad always talked about how he and his brothers helped my grandfather make a display of baseballs, and that it was on view at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Our whole family took a trip to Cooperstown to see the display, but by then, in the 80s, it was no longer there. We were disappointed, and never saw it.
On my recent trip to Pennsylvania, my aunt mentioned that she had a photo of my grandfather at the hall of fame. I was amazed! When I saw the photo, It was like a piece of my childhood was put back in place. I'm bringing the photo back to Massachusetts where I will make copies and give them to all my cousins. This is family gold, I mean crypto, and I'm the miner!
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