The rest of the story

If I were Paul Harvey, I would be able to write this so that there was a surprise twist at the end. I'd also be rich beyond the dreams of avarice and there would be a BOSE Wave radio in every room of the trailer.

But, I'll let Bill Clark, a columnist for the Columbia (MO) Tribune, tell the story of a Burlington Bee pitcher from 1929.

Father-daughter team spells baseball relief

Vern Kennedy was born in Kansas City in 1907 but spent his entire life in Mendon with his brother Bill. A year apart in age, they were like twins, starring on the basketball team at Mendon. They went on to Central Missouri State Teachers College at Warrensburg and became stars on the athletic fields.

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Vern became best known as a track man and baseball pitcher. He emerged as an Olympic decathlon favorite by wining the four major college relay 10-event titles: Texas, Kansas, Drake and Penn. In 1928, he qualified for the Olympic Games only to become the alternate when politics reared its ugly head, as often happened then in the amateur sport world.

Vern graduated from CMSTC in 1929 and signed a minor league baseball contract with the Burlington, Iowa, Bees. He found his way into the Chicago White Sox organization and came to the big leagues at the end of the 1934 season.

On Aug. 31, 1935, Vern became one of a small number of rookies ever to throw a no-hitter when he shut down the Cleveland Indians 5-0 and won his own game with a bases-loaded triple. His no-hitter was the first ever thrown in Chicago’s Comiskey Park.

In 12 years as a big leaguer, Vern went 102-134 with seven teams, finishing his career in 1945 with the Cincinnati Reds.

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Vern worked for 15 years as a drivers’ education teacher at Brookfield, and Maud taught first grade for 25 years at Mendon. Vern is in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, the UCM Hall of Fame and was once named the American Legion citizen of the Year. He died in 1993; Maud died in 2005, weeks shy of her 101st birthday.

Vern coached his kids’ youth baseball team with Carole in center field and her brother, Lynn, behind the plate. In 1956, when Carole was 16, Vern was still pitching semi-pro ball. He had gone eight innings against Jefferson City and had a lead when he waved Carole in to pitch the ninth.

She gave up no hits, walked a pair, induced a Jeff City hitter to ground into a double play and caught a pop fly to end the game. The relief job earned the Kennedys national attention.

Give the column a read to see what happened to Carole after her relief appearance.