To order images and/or obtain permission to use them commercially, please contact the KSHS Reference Desk at KSHS.reference@ks.gov or 785-272-8681, ext. 117.
For more information see the Copyright and Permission FAQ.
This photograph shows Ray Etzel of Topeka (standing on the left) with two other members of the Marine Corps. The unidentified men were probably teammates of Etzel's, since the three are posing with baseball gear. Etzel played for the San Francisco Marines Baseball Club while stationed in San Francisco during the final year of his World War II service. He was a member of L Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment, in the 2nd Marine Division. Following the war, Etzel pitched for the minor league Chanute Owls in 1946, his only season as a professional player. Afterward, he played semi-pro baseball in Topeka and also became active in the Shawnee County Amateur Baseball Association. Ray Etzel was a life-long Topeka resident (1921-2006). He worked for the U.S. Postal Service as a rural mail carrier for 37 years, and later worked for the legislative post office. Digital reproduction of the photograph was accomplished through a joint project sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society and the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame.
Date: Between 1945 and 1946
Item Number: 305841
Call Number: 2014-120
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 305841
Collections - Photograph
Community Life - Recreation and Sports - Sports - Baseball
Date - 1940s
Military - Service - Marines
Military - Wars - World War II
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Photograph
Places - Cities and towns - Topeka
Places - Counties - Shawnee
Places - Other States - California - San Francisco
Thematic Time Period - World War II, 1939 - 1945
Type of Material - Photographs
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/305841