OKLAHOMA CITY —Thursday, July 7, the Oklahoma History Center is teaming with Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse and WWLS the Sports Animal to recognize baseball great Mickey Mantle. The History Center will also be honoring sportscaster Al Eschbach’s 40 years in radio. Admission to the History Center will be free from 3 until 7 p.m. that day. At 3 p.m. historian Bob Burke will moderate a roundtable discussion that will feature Mickey’s sons Danny and David Mantle, Al Eschbach and newspaperman Berry Tramel. Eschbach will broadcast his WWLS radio show from the History Center beginning at 4 p.m.
The Mickey Mantle Day festivities will also feature the exhibit “Mickey Mantle: Baseball Hero in Black and White.” The exhibit will be on display through September 15 and features images spanning Mantle’s career that were originally published in the Daily Oklahoman newspaper. This exhibit utilizes the original reporters’ captions to highlight on-field and off-field milestones of the Baseball Hall of Famer.
The roundtable event, which is also free to the public, will be moderated by Bob Burke, coauthor of “Glory Days of Summer: The History of Baseball in Oklahoma.” Eschbach, originally from the New York area during Mantle’s glory years, will talk about Mantle as a national figure. Eschbach will also be asked about his own distinguished career. Danny and David Mantle will give a perspective on their dad’s family and personal life. Berry Tramel, an expert on sports and a real historian of Oklahoma, will speak to what Mantle means to our state.
WWLS will be asking Mantle trivia questions that day, with prizes for the winners from Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse, the Bricktown Hampton Inn, the Oklahoma City Dodgers, and the Oklahoma Historical Society. For more information call 405-522-3602 or visit okhistory.org. The Oklahoma History Center is located in the State Capitol Complex at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. in Oklahoma City.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains 30 museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
Contact: Larry O’Dell
Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-6676
www.okhistory.org
