Submitted report
A major opening event will celebrate Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American, a nationally acclaimed exhibit about Jews and Baseball.
The Fort Worth event will honor Tom Schieffer, former Texas Rangers president, and Dr. Bobby Brown, former New York Yankees star third baseman.
Schieffer served as president of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club for eight years and was responsible for the operations of the club as well as the building of The Ballpark in Arlington. In 2001 President George Bush nominated him to serve as U.S. ambassador to Australia. In President Bush’s second term, Schieffer took on a new role as the U.S. ambassador to Japan.
Brown, known as “Golden Boy” during his baseball career, played 548 regular-season games for the Yankees and appeared in four World Series, batting .439 in 17 games. His baseball career was interrupted twice for military service.
While playing for the Yankees he studied for his medical degree. After baseball, Brown practiced cardiology in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for 25 years until the early 1980s, when he returned to baseball as a vice president of the Texas Rangers. In 1984, he became American League president and held the post for a decade.
Brown is considered to have few equals in the history of major league baseball.
The opening event Saturday evening, Jan. 7, will be held at Congregation Ahavath Sholom in Fort Worth. Event tickets are $25 and can be reserved by calling 817-909-4354.
The exhibit celebrates baseball and the players whose contributions went far beyond mere batting averages or stolen bases. From Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax to Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson, these are players who didn’t just play the game — they changed the game. For generations of American Jews and other minorities, they served as athletic, cultural and ethical role models.
Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American is organized by the Philadelphia Museum of American Jewish History and presented by the Tarrant County B’nai B’rith Isadore Garsek Lodge, one of the most active chapters in the U.S. The TJP is the exclusive promotional sponsor for the show. It features fascinating historic photos, films, and interactive experiences that recreate the Jewish story of our national pastime.
Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American runs Jan. 8 to March 5 at Congregation Ahavath Sholom, 4050 S. Hulen St., Fort Worth. Hours are Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Sunday noon-6 p.m. Tickets are $5, children under 12 admitted free.
For more information, call 817-909-4354.
