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August 2007
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ALUMNI PROFILE |
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Alumnus Hits Home Run with Impressive Memorabilia Collection While baseball fans from around the world celebrate MLB's Barry Bonds as the new, all-time home run king, one AU alum quietly continues to add historical pieces to a sports memorabilia collection that will most likely never include a Bonds autographed baseball, jersey, or bat.
“I’m not a big fan of his,” says Westchester County, N.Y. resident Kenneth R. Stuart, CAS/BA ’69. “But I do have a baseball autographed by both Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.” Stuart has been collecting autographed baseballs, bats, jerseys, and whatever else he can get his hands on, that he deems worthy, for the last 15 to 20 years. He has attended pro team charitable events and auctions held by auctioneers such as Sotheby’s, Mastro, and Leland’s. “I don’t do eBay or card shows anymore,” says Stuart, “because not all of the sellers can be trusted. It’s almost impossible for me to tell the difference between a genuine signature and a forgery, even with two identical items sitting next to each other. The auction houses are more reputable.” Regardless of the fact that his wife, Nancy, refers to it as “a garbage collection,” Stuart remains proud of his athletic artifacts, always keeping an eye out for that special item that is in very limited quantity or that no one else has. “That’s why I almost always ask an athlete to write something original rather than just their name. Everyone gets those. I want something a little different, something that no one else has.” His Mike Torres game-worn jersey boasting the words, “Bucky got lucky,” referring to the homerun hit by New York infielder Bucky Dent off of the Boston Red Sox pitcher in the 1978 playoffs, serves as a perfect example of this collector’s trait. As for where his passion for memorabilia came from, Stuart says it’s all in the family. “My uncle had a terrific FDR book collection, which was an inspiration. So I figured I should start collecting something – and I liked sports – so that’s where I went.” He recalls the story of how he obtained one very special souvenir from boxing’s biggest celebrity. “While I was still in D.C., I had the chance to meet Mohammed Ali. I had a pair of Everlast boxing shorts for him to sign, but wanted something special. So I explained to him that I had once seen him fight years earlier under his former name, Cassius Clay, and would love for him to sign the shorts with that name. He said eventually agreed signed one leg Cassius Clay and the other Mohammed Ali. They're not his shorts, but it’s an original.” While AU didn’t have a hand in teaching Stuart the ins and outs of the sports memorabilia market, it did help to prepare him for a successful career in estate planning, including charitable giving and post mortem estate planning. As a student in the late sixties, Stuart was a firsthand witness to the civil rights movement, recalling the Washington, D.C., riots of 1968. “I was still on campus during spring break because I was on the tennis team and we had scheduled practices. The image of Washington burning in the distance from my dorm room window is something I’ll never forget.” In addition to his tennis team responsibilities, Stuart proved to know more about sports than simply collecting memorabilia by keeping active with university intramurals – so much so that he received the intramural athlete of the year award in 1967. He also served as a dormitory officer (secretary) during his senior year, a time made even more memorable for being the first year women were able to make visits to the men’s dorms. “I was a do-er,” says Stuart. I’ve always signed up for too much.” Stuart welcomes e-mail from fellow alumni with questions or who want to discuss his collection. -David Ferraris | |||
