THREE FORKS HISTORY: Baseball great chose Oklahoma as home

Jul. 1—A Buffalo, New York high schooler had one ambition as he faced graduation. He wanted to play professional baseball. The young left-handed pitcher didn't have to wait long for the ball clubs to come calling. He was that good.

Warren Spahn signed with the Boston Braves system for $80 per month just before the outset of World War II. He made his playing debut in the Major Leagues in 1942, but soon his baseball career was interrupted when he received his draft notice.

As a member of the 276th Engineer Combat Battalion, Spahn was sent to Camp Gruber for training. At Gruber he met another soldier from Buffalo named Roy Reimann whom he had played against in high school. They became good friends and both played for the 276th's baseball team, helping win the Camp Gruber championship in 1943.

It was while attending a USO dance in Tulsa that Spahn met LoRene Hill from Hartshorne. They would marry after the war ended. Spahn was sent to Europe in 1943 and his unit fought at the Battle of the Bulge. Warren earned the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart during the fight in Europe.

He returned home, got married and resumed his baseball career. He played for the Boston Braves and then for Milwaukee when the team moved there. Spahn enjoyed a 21-year career and became the winningest left-handed pitcher in baseball history with 363 wins.

Spahn's last years in baseball were spent in Tulsa where he managed the Tulsa Oilers from 1967 to 1971. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

After he retired, he and LoRene settled on a ranch near Hartshorne and Spahn lived there until he passed away in 2003. Three bronze statues of Warren Spahn have been placed in Atlanta's Monument Grove, Guthrie's Sports Museum and the Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.

Reach Jonita Mullins at jonita.mullins@gmail.com.