Documenting the Roar of the Tiger: John E
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Reprint: Business Archives Section Newsletter, 1996 Documenting the Roar of the Tiger: John E. Fetzer, Major League Baseball and a Game in Flux by Scott Grimwood, The Fetzer Institute The Fetzer Institute is a non-profit first national television contract, a archivist for the Tigers is currently research and educational milestone whose ramifications reviewing and organizing the organization dedicated to pursuing changed the very core of the collection, and still has a large the implications of mind-body-spirit game. The Fetzer Collection amount of unprocessed material. I unity in a variety of areas. As the documents all these activities and hope that this material contains Institute’s Archivist/Records more. those records that the Fetzer Manager I wear many hats, from Collection does not have (detailed establishing a records The View from the Owners Seat financial and thy-to-day management program to The baseball portion of the Fetzer documentation,) as well as the overseeing office technology to Collection consists of 31 ln.ft. of originals of duplicate records in the creating an organizational manuscript material, one ln.ft. of Collection. I have also contacted archives. I came to the Institute in photographs, and numerous other institutions seeking June, 1994 to arrange and artifacts. The manuscript material information on what material may describe the business and provides an excellent picture of the have on Fetzer’s ownership of the personal papers of the Institute’s operation of a major league ball Tigers. In particular I have worked founder John E. Fetzer (1901- club and baseball as a whole with the archivists at the National 1991). during a period of tremendous Baseball Hall of Fame and change. It documents the upper Museum and the Sporting News The John E. Fetzer Collection level administration and general not only to unearth relevant documents Fetzer’s pioneering policies of the ball club and the material but as a form of outreach. work in broadcasting, his stadium. These records reflect I want them to feel comfortable in community involvement, and the Fetzer’s philosophy of ownership, contacting me for any information creation of the Institute. A which was to delegate daily that they may need on Fetzer and significant portion of the collection operational issues of the club to his activities. is devoted to a passion that Fetzer the general manager. had since he was a little boy in Interactive Archiving Lafayette, Indiana - baseball, and The records themselves consist of A goal I have for the Fetzer in particular, the Detroit Tigers. such items as American League Collection is to use it as a base for Meeting Minutes, weekly reports educational outreach to inform the Fetzer turned a childhood dream on the operation of the club from general public of the into reality in 1956 when he the Tigers general manager and accomplishments of John Fetzer. became part of an 11-man group others, and publications (including Through this outreach the Institute that bought the Detroit Tigers. By yearbooks.) The photographs hopes to increase public interest in 1962 he had acquired sole document some of the Fetzer, and thus increase interest ownership of the team, which he organization’s facilities and events in and acceptance of the Institute retained until 1983 when he sold over the years. Such standard and its work. Baseball, because of the club. After the sale Fetzer items such as autographed balls its place in American culture, stayed on as Chairman of the and bats make up the bulk of the provides a perfect gateway for this Board until early 1990. artifacts, but there are also two outreach. Currently, the collection very rare pieces - the 1968 and is being used in two projects Fetzer also served baseball as 1984 World Series trophies. funded by the Institute: an oral whole during his association with history and a book. The oral the Tigers. He was a member of The Fetzer Collection is not the history will document all of the Major League Baseball’s executive only repository to possess records major aspects of Fetzer’s life, committee, its pension committee, created by the Detroit Tigers including baseball. The book is and both the American League during the period of Fetzer’s more narrowly focused, examining and Major League Baseball ownership. The team’s current Fetzer’s baseball activities and in television committees. As head of owners, Mike and Marion Hillitch particular his philosophy of the Major League Baseball (who purchased the team in 1992), ownership. The oral history will television committee, Fetzer has a wide variety of materials supplement documents already in helped put together the baseball’s dating to the early 1900s. The the archives, while the book is for 1 Reprint: Business Archives Section Newsletter, 1996 the baseball fan interested in An Archives on a Mission reading about an old fashioned The John E. Fetzer Collection is owner. currently closed to outside researchers because I still have In the future the plan is to use the material to process and have not collection again as a base for other yet fully developed access policies outreach projects. One of the ideas for the archives. When this work is in the works is to partner with a completed, hopefully before the cable network to put together a end of 1996,1 expect the baseball biographical documentary on material will be the most utilized Fetzer. Also we want to upgrade part of the collection because of an exhibit on FetzerÂs life and America’s fascination with the accomplishments at Western game. Michigan University’s Fetzer Center. Currently the exhibit only It is this fascination that makes covers Fetzer’s life to 1984, The Fetzer Collection a significant leaving an incomplete picture. In holding. The Collection's baseball both projects, baseball would be a material offers a window to a time significant part of the final product, when the game went from the and the documents in the national pastime, still full of wonder Collection will provide the factual and innocence, to a troubled base for a visual end product. business torn apart by strife and greed, searching for an identity. The Past as a Compass for the Through this collection I hope Future researchers can achieve a better All of this outreach about John E. understanding of why baseball Fetzer comes from the Institute's changed, and whether or not it can sense of history. To the Institute it ever regain some it its lost glory. is important to know its past in order to help provide direction for the future. On several occasions I have had requests from the staff to search the Collection for information on past activities and quotations illustrating Fetzer’s views and feelings on various topics relating to the work of the Institute. Because the Institute values its past, and it is a well-endowed organization, my work in the archives is well-supported both professionally and financially. I have gotten an excellent archival and records storage facility, the ability to attend several professional meetings a year, and support for my work from the President on down through the staff. Because I know how rare this level of support is, I value it even more, and I exercise responsibility in order not to abuse the advantages given to me. 2 .