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 The Beginning — Texas Baseball Hall of Fame was established
in 1978 by the late Texas baseball pioneer George Schepps (shown
below speaking at a TBHOF banquet). It was founded for the purpose
of recognizing those who have contributed greatly to the rich history
of our national pastime in the Lone Star State.
For most of its existence, the TBHOF has operated as a Dallas and
Fort Worth-based organization. With the support of the Old Pros
Former Baseball Player Association of Dallas, Mr. Schepps led the
TBHOF in the conduct of its annual induction banquets in the DFW
area from 1978 through 1997.
For over 20 years, the TBHOF also used DFW banquet proceeds to sponsor
the annual “Showcase” baseball tournament in Dallas. This program
aimed to help non-scholarship high school baseball players earn
financial support for their collegiate baseball careers. Through
the weekend tournament, eligible high school baseball players competed
for scholarships that would help pay tuitions to the schools of
their choices.
When George Schepps died in 1998, the reins of TBHOF leadership
passed on to two passionate historians of the game, Mr. Howard Green
of Fort Worth and Mr. Fred Burley of Dallas. Both men have dedicated
their lives to the promotion of baseball - and to the preservation
of the game’s history in the State of Texas. Both are men of great
integrity.
From 1998 through 2003, Green and Burley kept the annual TBHOF induction
banquet and Showcase programs going in the DFW area with the help
of the “Old Pros” (Ex-Professional Players Association of Texas)
and the Dallas chapter of SABR (The Society for American Baseball
Research). Because of age attrition within the Dallas group, the
decision was made to move the headquarters of the TBHOF to Houston
in 2004. The TBHOF made the move to the Bayou City in January 2004
and has since conducted its first annual induction banquet in Houston
on November 12, 2004.
The New TBHOF in Houston —
Our move to Houston already has produced some major changes in the
way we operate, and in the way we view our mission commitment to
the history of baseball excellence in the State of Texas. It is
a process of change that shall continue to unfold as we grow in
wisdom and strength to the tasks at hand. No less an effort could
leave us with any honest hope of getting the job done in a first
class, meaningful way. As you read about our present
and future, keep in mind
the value that underlines all we now do. We are totally dedicated
to building a Texas Baseball Hall of Fame that is based on clarity
of purpose and integrity of action, and one that makes no concession
to expediency.
State Chartered Status — The first step we took in Houston was to
build a more formal organization, one that would support the growth
of our mission without any dependency upon the ongoing presence
of any single individual leader. The TBHOF is now a state chartered,
non-profit organization with a set of formal by laws and an executive
directing Board of seven members. We have applied to the IRS for a
501(c)(3) tax-exemption status that we expect to obtain prior to
end of 2005. These steps allow financial contributors to the TBHOF
to receive income tax deductible credit for their support of our
mission. |
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