Frank Steele left legacy at the Hall of Fame

For more than two decades, the prominent names of Frank and Peggy Steele have been attached to the internship program at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. But the Steeles’ support of the program that they nurtured goes deeper than just financial support and name recognition.

It is a relationship that has produced one of the country’s most respected endowed internships – and some of the brightest young talent.

Peggy Steele has become a fixture at the Hall of Fame, often visiting Cooperstown to meet with education department officials and checking in each summer to monitor the progress of each class of interns. And much like his widow, the late Frank Steele forged an important link to the Hall of Fame and its educational mission.

MEETING OF THE MINDS

Born on Sept. 2, 1928, in Pittsburgh, Pa., Frank Steele graduated from law school, but other than a short stint in the Air Force, he did not practice law. Instead, he decided to take his talents to Wall Street, becoming a member of the New York Stock Exchange. And then, in the 1970s, the lifelong fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates chose to channel his efforts toward baseball and the production of a distinctive set of baseball cards.

Avid collectors of baseball cards and other memorabilia, the Steeles married in 1976. That same year, they met an artist named Dick Perez. Frank Steele began talking to Perez about his interest in collecting. One night, as Perez visited the Steeles at their home in Laverock, Pa., he examined an old Allen & Ginter card that the Steeles had purchased. The artist remarked, “Why don’t they make baseball cards like that anymore?” Steele responded that no contemporary artists painted in the manner of the Allen & Ginter cards. Perez said that he could paint in that style, prompting an idea from Steele’s creative mind. “You paint like that,” said Frank Steele, “and we’ll sell them door to door if we have to.”

Within three years, the Steeles and Perez founded Perez-Steele Galleries with the intention of producing a unique line of cards. By then, the Steeles had forged a strong relationship with the Hall of Fame, primarily through their friendship with Hall of Fame executive Ed Stack. “At the All-Star Game in Philadelphia in 1976, Frank and I went,” Peggy recalls. “Sitting in front of was Paul Kerr, the president of the Hall of Fame, and Ed Stack, (who would become) the chairman of the Hall. Frank knew them from Wall Street – they were clients of his – and he introduced them to me. Frank and Ed Stack rekindled their friendship that day and that’s what really started our relationship with the Hall.”

POSTCARDS FROM COOPERSTOWN

In 1980, the Perez-Steele Galleries released the first series of their Hall of Fame Postcard set, in conjunction with the Hall of Fame and Museum. Depicting the newest members of the Hall of Fame, the cards would become an annual set, issued in limited edition and highly desired by collectors, particularly those looking for an ideal collectible to be autographed. Steele also made sure to send complimentary sets to each member of the Hall of Fame.

Doing much of his research at the Hall of Fame, Perez used photographs as the basis for his artwork, which featured an array of watercolors. Given the emphasis on artwork, as opposed to the basic photography employed by other companies, Steele didn’t regard the collectible as merely baseball cards. “We are selling baseball art in a postcard format,” Frank explained to Richard Johnson of the Freeman’s Journal. “They’re not baseball cards.”

By 1982, Steele found an additional partner in the Donruss Card Company, which began including an annual “Diamond Kings” subset in its annual release. Much like the Hall of Fame cards, the Diamond Kings cards featured Perez’ artwork. Steele forged yet another idea: Including puzzle pieces within each pack of Donruss cards. When completely formed, each puzzle featured an artistic image of a Hall of Famer, including such legends as Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb. As part of the arrangement, some of the royalties from the sales of the cards went directly to the Hall of Fame’s educational mission. 

Steele’s natural enthusiasm carried over to day-to-day life in Laverock, where he and Peggy resided. “He always spent time with people; he was very outgoing and gregarious,” said Peggy. “He loved people. Just as an example, he’d go to the grocery store and he’d be gone for two hours. He’d talk to the owner, George, ask him how the business was doing. He enjoyed talking to people and helping people.”

Steele certainly made an impression on Hall of Fame executives. “Mr. Steele had a tremendous influence on myself, personally, and others,” said Bill Burdick, the longtime secretary of the Hall of Fame. “He was a very caring individual who obviously felt positively about the game of baseball and the Hall of Fame.”

A COOPERSTOWN LEGACY

In 1997, Steele showed his gratitude to the Hall of Fame when he and Peggy donated their collection of baseball sheet music to the Museum. The Steeles had collected sheet music for 20 years, with a collection that covered a span of over a century. Thanks to the generosity of Frank and Peggy, the Hall of Fame’s sheet music collection doubled in size.

Sadly, Frank Steele died only three years later. On a June day in 2000, he passed away in his home from the effects of pulmonary fibrosis. His death saddened the baseball collecting world, which had come to love his enthusiasm for collecting and the game itself. 

Not wanting Frank’s legacy to be quieted, Peggy soon approached the Hall of Fame about an idea that she had been considering. Knowing that Frank had a special interest in the education of young people, Peggy decided to create and fund an internship program that would benefit college students looking for an important work experience. “I thought the internship program was a natural because Frank mentored people. That was something that he always did.”

Beginning in 2001, the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship program was born, allowing students to embark on an annual internship at the Hall of Fame. Two decades years later, the internship program continues to give students a chance to gain experience working at the Hall of Fame in almost every department, from the curatorial staff to the public relations office, from the middle of June to the middle of August. The interns also experience the hectic pace of Hall of Fame Weekend, including the annual induction ceremony. 

“It’s exciting,” Peggy says in considering the growth of the internship program since Frank’s passing. “It’s great how all of the managers at the Hall of Fame pay attention to the interns. They have a strong commitment to mentoring. Some Hall of Fame executives have told me, ‘This program is so Frank, and what he was he was all about.’ 

“It’s what Frank would have done.”