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Baseball Museum rises from ruins, highlights 3 careersThe grand opening of the new home of the Bottomley-Ruffing-Schalk Baseball Museum in Nokomis took place May 31, but retired attorney Myron Kelly Schaefer was looking in from the outside for the first time in several years. Established 27 years ago to celebrate three local men whose major league careers earned them enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame, the museum’s existence was threatened by a fire that destroyed an adjacent building in 2005. The remaining structure, including the museum, had to be razed. Schaefer and a few friends took up the challenge and set about to raise funds and expand membership so another building could one day house a growing collection of baseball memorabilia. The contents would do more than perpetuate the memories of “Sunny Jim” Bottomley, Charles “Red” Ruffing and Ray “Cracker” Schalk. It would be a tribute to the national pastime. Schaefer continued his yeoman work as editor of the museum’s monthly newsletter, The Bull Pen, and meticulous treasurer of the dimes and dollars that trickled in. As completion of the museum neared, however, Schaefer bowed out “with regret,” writing to members that “circumstances have developed that make it incumbent upon me to turn my attention to other matters.” In a recent issue of Bull Pen, the museum board thanked Schaefer for his many years of service, adding that “His many contributions will be missed by all.” The Bottomley-Ruffing-Schalk Baseball Museum on State Street in Nokomis is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, and at other times by appointment. Monetary donations are always welcome, whether to honor a ballplayer, a relative or even Myron Schaefer’s tireless efforts. Mail them to B.R.S. Baseball Museum, P.O. Box 75, Nokomis 62075.
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