Aurora To Celebrate Baseball Player With 'James Deacon White Day'
AURORA, Ill. (CBS) -- Aurora will be celebrating a man who's been called one of the most overlooked baseball players in history.
James "Deacon" White was a barehanded catcher who helped the Chicago White Stockings, which was an early version of the Cubs, win their first pennant in 1876.
He and his wife moved to Illinois and the house he lived in with his daughter and her husband in Aurora still stands at 221. S. Calumet Avenue.
His great grandson Jerry Watkins says he didn't get a lot of recognition back then, but was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer
"Two historians on the committee, both of whom were huge James White fans and knew an awful lot about him and were able to convince the committee that he deserved to be in the Hall of Fame," said Watkins.
Aurora To Celebrate 'James Deacon White Day'
Sept 29th is being named "James Deacon White Day" in Aurora.
