Oak Ridge museum honors legends behind the baseball plate

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - There’s no secret the City of Oak Ridge is home to rich East Tennessee history, but not all stories are out on display according to historian Katatra Vasquez.

Vasquez and the Oak Ridge History Museum hosted an event Thursday night, honoring some untold stories of the Oak Ridge Bombers baseball team. The team was born out of segregation and got the Bombers nickname as a tribute to the World War II era Manhattan Project.

It’s that kind of information Vasquez said people have to dig to find.

During a board meeting earlier this year, someone offered to donate vintage memorabilia to the museum for display.

“And with that, I began to talk to these different members of Oak Ridge bombers team and it kind of settled in and said the story is like, oh, this story really needs to be told,” Vasquez said.

She’s planning an exhibit honoring players like Charles Boyd, who was recruited as a high school student at the time.

“We didn’t lose too many games,” said Boyd. “I didn’t miss any balls.”

Thursday night’s free tribute included an opening pitch, starting lineup history, all-star acknowledgments, and a vintage baseball memorabilia unveiling.

The ultimate game highlight of the program will be the reunion of local Oak Ridge Bombers who will share their experiences playing baseball, America’s pastime.

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