LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION celebrating the life and accomplishments of Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider, distinguished citizen, exceptional athlete and devoted member of his community

WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon the people of the State of New York to recognize those individuals within our midst who have contributed great- ly to the quality of our lives by a commitment to excellence and whose actions and accomplishments have served to honor and benefit the people of the State of New York; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to outstanding athletes who distinguished themselves through their excep- tional performance, and attained unprecedented success and the highest level of personal achievement; and WHEREAS, It is also the custom of this Legislative Body to acknowledge remarkable individuals whose lifework and civic endeavor served to enhance the quality of life in their communities and the great State of New York; the game of , with its origins in New York and so much of its great history in , has long held a place of honor among the citizens of New York State; and WHEREAS, Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider, the Baseball Hall of Fame renowned for his home drives and superb defensive play in the Brooklyn Dodgers' glory years, died on February 27, 2011, in Escon- dido, California at the age of 84; and WHEREAS, During his playing days with the Brooklyn Dodgers, was a Brooklyn celebrity; he was a prince of New York's golden age of baseball and lived at 178 Marine Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn; although he later made his home back in his native California, he always retained his emotional ties to Brooklyn, New York; and WHEREAS, Born on September 19, 1926, in , Edwin Donald Snider was brought up in nearby Compton, California; his father, Ward, seeing him return proudly from his first day at school, at age 5, called him the "Duke"; and WHEREAS, Duke Snider signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers' minor league system out of Compton Junior College and made his debut in Brooklyn at on opening day 1947 with a pinch- single against the Boston Braves on the same day that broke the major leag- ue baseball color barrier; in his first full year as a Brooklyn Dodger in 1949, Duke Snider hit .292 with 23 home runs and 92 RBIs; and WHEREAS, From 1949 until 1957, Duke Snider was a New York baseball colossus, roaming center field with superb skill and grace that placed him in the illustrious company of his local rivals, of the and of the New York Giants; as celebrated in the song, "Willie, Mickey and the Duke," these three legendary center fielders defined New York baseball in the '50s; and WHEREAS, Duke Snider's Brooklyn Dodgers, immortalized by the writer Roger Kahn as "The Boys of Summer," won six National League pennants during Snider's 11 seasons in Brooklyn; on a team of stellar players, Duke Snider was a star among stars; as uniformly acknowledged at the time, "Duke had it all: a sweet swing, a bazooka arm, and springs in his legs"; and WHEREAS, Playing for 18 major league seasons, Duke Snider hit 407 home runs and had 2,116 hits; he batted at least .300 seven times and had a lifetime batting average of .295; he appeared in eight All-Star games; and WHEREAS, Duke Snider became a New York baseball icon as the "Duke of Flatbush"; he hit 40 or more home runs in five consecutive seasons and is the only player in major league history to hit four home runs twice in a , including in 1955 when the Dodgers captured Brooklyn's only World Series championship; he also hit the last at the Dodgers' famed ballpark, Ebbets Field, at the end of the 1957 season; and WHEREAS, Duke Snider played for the Brooklyn Dodgers for 11 seasons and then for the Los Angles Dodgers for five additional seasons; he also played for the and prior to his retirement in 1964; he later managed in the Dodgers' and ' farm system and served as a broadcaster for the Padres and Mont- real Expos; and WHEREAS, Survived by his wife, Beverly, whom he married in 1947; and by two sons, Kevin and Kurt; and two daughters, Pam and Dawna; Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider, leaves behind a legacy which will long endure the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to all he enter- tained, thrilled, served and befriended; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to celebrate the life and accomplishments of Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider, distinguished citizen, remarkable athlete and devoted member of his community; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran- smitted to the family of Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider.