FOR THE ARCHIVES : Ref. The HERALD, Everett, WA. Date: Sunday, July 31, 2005 Section: Sports Site: http://www.heraldnet.com/about Article: The 'Rock' Snohomish's Earl Averill earned the nickname "Rock" due to his solid physical build and his consistent playh in 13 major league baseball seasons. The six-timeAll-Star center fielder had a career batting average of .318. Averill, who was elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1975, is No. 1 on the list of Snohomish County's Top 50 athletes. By Scott M. Johnson, Herald writer Full page picture of Earl Averill with batting stance captioned: Earl Averill played 13 seasons in the major leagues, compiling a .218 lifetime batting average with 238 home runs and 1,164 RBI. Another picture of Earl Averill on page D3 smiling and captioned: Earl Averifll smiles as he shows off the plaque commemorating his joining the Major League's 200 Home Run Club. Averill, who didn't begin his major league career until the age of 27, finished his career with 238 home runs. This excellent article lists Earl Averill's career batting stastics for the years 1929 through and including 1941, plus a very accurate description of the athlete from his birth to his death. On page D4 of this issue of The Herald is another picture of Earl at bat on the Top 50 page with more information re Earl Averill, Snohomish making this attention to his career, and expertise one that has been long overdue and neglected. COMMENT: I hope that this article will be included among the archives of the Snohomish Historical Society for future reference by historians of the future regarding Snohomish History. Thank you Scott M. Johnson, Herald Writer for this comprehensive artical on Earl Averill of Snohomish whom I knew well, including the various members of his family with whom I grew up in our small community. It is time that his expertise and history be known that though he had to quit school in Snohomish at age 15, he went on to "put Snohomish on the map" literally. His father, Jotham Averill died when Earl was 2 yrs. old; one of his brothers, Easter Averill, died at the age of 8 and both were buried in the Snohomish Cemetery (Caucasians and Indians were buried there) at 1nd and Cypress in Snohomish, the now controversial Cemetery that became the site of the Snohomish Senior Center, though Snohomish Cemetery is still a legal cemetery and has not, as yet been decomissioned as a cemetery. Both Jotham and Easter Averfill's remains were removed to the G.A.R. Cemetery, just outside of the city limits West of Snohomish when the cut through Snohomish Cemetery was accomplished in 1947 leaving a small portion of the original cemetery on the north side, and a rather large portion of the cemetery on the south side of the site for Hwy 2 leaving Snohomish toward Monroe. Remains still exist in the cemetery, whether Native Amer. (Indian) or Caucasian is not certain. Earl Averill was never referred to as "Rock" by Snohomishites - he was known as "Dunk" (probably because he was from a "podunk" little town called Snohomish) by our family. Herb Ness of Snohomish was Earl Averill's earliest managers, and it was Ness who taught Earl how to bunt the ball. A poster used to hang in the gym area of the old old Snohomish High gym showing Earl Averill bunting a ball when he was among the big leagues. Earl made a name for himself among Cleveland, Detroit and other fans, as he was from that funny sounding name of Snohomish, but it put that funny sounding name on the maps as the home of Earl Averill who earned the Cooperstown, N.Y. Baseball Hall of Fame. Carroll Clark, Snohomish WA (1924) The following is a copy of the article that I sent to the Rootsweb System Sun. July 10, 2005 titled SNOHOMISH'S Best Kept Secret * * * 30 * * * ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carroll Clark" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Cc: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, July 10, 2005 9:05 AM Subject: SNOHOMISH'S Best Kept Secret : > Ref. The HERALD, Everett, WA. > Date: Sunday July 10, 2005 > Section: Sports or D Section > Site: http://www.heraldnet.com/about > Article: Talkin' baseball By Larry Henry, Special to The Herald > Dave Larson knows all there is to know about the history of > baseball in Snohomish County. > PIX captioned: Dave Larson of Anacortes has spent a great deal of time at > the Everett > Public Library doing research for a book on the history of baseball in > northwest Washington. > Pix by Michael O'Leary/ The Herald > > COMMENT: This Historian pays attention, and credence to many Snohomish > (Snohomish County) players, but he prefaces this article with considerable > recognition of Earl Averill. senior, a man who has helped greatly in > "putting the Town of Snohomish on the maps" > over the many years. > A location which in the earlier history of Snohomish City was known as > "Averill Field" > located on the NW corner of 2nd. Street and Pine Avenue, now the site of the > Hal Moe Pool, a child's play complex, and youth meeting center is busy with > activities. > > CHALLENGE: Try to find the 30" sign which pays tribute to Earl Averill > senior, our > State's Baseball Hall of Famer of Cooperstown, N.Y. This minute sign does > NOT > mention Earl Averill's membership in the Cooperstown, N.Y. Baseball Hall of > Fame. > It does depict him swatting a ball and that he was known as "The Earl of > Snohomish" - (the original one) plus > his scores on the obverse. > > Just try to find that 30" recognition sign on that complex without asking > someone (if they would know). > Two 6 ft. signs were originally approved by the Averill Family but they > never materialized, just as the "bronze plaque that was to be made at the > factory" never materialized, which was an earlier endeavor to recognize Earl > Averill. > > This will go into various files at the Snohomish Historical Society's > Archives, but I wish to leave a trail of one of Snohomish's Best Secret(s) > for someone to find in the Future who will do something of historical value, > and make it known to YOUNG and OLD ! > > Thank You ! Larry Henry and Dave Larson, for your great article in The > Herald, and for your research > into baseball in Snohomish County. We need more like you to pass the > history to the generations of our future.. > > Carroll Clark, Snohomish, WA. (1924) > > <><><>30<><><> > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.9.8/61 - Release Date: 8/1/05