HISTORY OF THE TED WILLIAMS MUSEUM
IN THE BEGINNING . . .
In 1993, Sam Tamposi and Gerald Nash, founders of the Ted Williams Museum, put together a search and feasibility study on creating the Museum; the first museum ever dedicated to a living athlete. It was decided that it must have expansion capabilities to provide recognition for other players, thus fostering continued public interest but most importantly, it was concluded that this must be a non-profit foundation in order to raise enough funds to provide education and programs for the youth of America. Ted could not have agreed more.
On February 9, 1994, in Hernando, Florida, a few blocks from where Ted Williams himself resided, the dedication of the Ted Williams Museum was held in honor of Ted Williams. Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Muhammad Ali, Bobby Orr, and David Hartman, were just a few of the celebrities in attendance for the Gala Event. Later that year the Museum was honored to receive the American Institute of Building Design Award for being the number one commercial designed building in the United States. This was extremely gratifying for all involved due to fact that all of the design work, building materials and most of the labor were donated from friends.
While formerly ranked as the number one tourist attraction in Citrus County, the Museum's goal is to preserve and build on the rich tradition and heritage of our national pastime -- baseball. The Museum's mission is one of outreach and education.
OPENING OF ORIGINAL HITTERS HALL OF FAME IN 1995
Even before the Museum had been completed, Ted wanted to expand it to honor others in baseball. Just a year after the Museum itself opened, another ceremony was held to inaugurate the Ted Williams Hitters Hall of Fame in February 1995. The game's finest players, past and present, and their fans, came together every February for the Museum's Induction Ceremonies to honor Ted Williams and the world's Greatest Players. During the opening in 1995, the "20 Greatest Hitters" selected by Ted Williams were recognized. Inducted were Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, Rogers Hornsby, Joe DiMaggio, Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Joe Jackson, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Hank Greenberg, Mickey Mantle, Tris Speaker, Al Simmons, Johnny Mize, Mel Ott, Harry Heilmann, Frank Robinson, Mike Schmidt and Ralph Kiner.
THE DESIGN OF THE ORIGINAL MUSEUM IN HERNANDO
The Museum was designed to be user-friendly for all, baseball fan or not. Through its' vivid historical perspective, the Museum entertained and enlightened baseball fans of all ages. The Museum depicted Ted's brilliant career, as well as other important facets of Ted's life away from the diamond as a world class fisherman, a U.S. Marine aviator who served in two wars and a stalwart supporter of charities such as the Jimmy Fund. Complimenting Ted's accomplishments, the Museum reflected the excitement generated by some of the game's greatest hitters and paid tribute to their remarkable achievements.
In the divider of the driveway leading to the Museum was (it is still there today) a giant number 9 painted in the true Red Sox Red color followed by three flag poles which flew the United States, Marine Corps, Florida State and the Boston Red Sox Flags, respectively. Surrounding the borders of the parking lot were the American and National League Team Flags. Inlaid along the front sidewalk were two granite slabs, inscribed with Ted's Cooperstown Hall of Fame induction speech on one side and his lifetime statistics on the other.
As you entered the Museum, you couldn't miss the patined bronze statue "On Deck" created by Artist Armand LaMontague which depicts Ted on deck leaning on his bat. Moving along you noticed the open ceiling structure and exposed ductwork design that gave one the feeling of being at Fenway Park, located in Boston. The Fenway Green color used throughout the Museum was the actual paint used in Fenway and on the "Green Monster."
The stretch from home plate around the diamond chronicled Ted's accomplishments on the baseball field, in the military field during World War II and the Korean Conflict, and in the fields and streams where he became an internationally recognized outdoorsman.
Directly in the center of the Museum were elevated steps that represented the pitcher's mound. A statue, created by Artist Armand LaMontague, of Ted swinging his bat stood upon the base of the elevated mound. This sculpture, which is ten percent taller than Ted's actual height, was visible the moment you stepped inside the Museum.
The Museum told its story through the effective use of photographs and artifacts. It provided a retrospective of history's most significant achievements in hitting: from Babe Ruth's fabled "Called Shot" home run in the 1932 World Series, to George Brett's 1980 bid to become the first player since Ted Williams to hit .400 in a season. There was also an 85-seat auditorium that continually showed videos of "Ted's 20 Greatest Hitters" with portions of the 1995 Induction Ceremonies with Bob Costas as the Master of Ceremonies; and "One on One," an interview with Ted about his life -- from his days at Hoover High School through his Boston Red Sox years and after.
For baseball fans young and old, it was a great way to spend a day -- browsing through the Ted Williams Museum and reliving history.
