Find Your Monmouth Beach Connection …
Find You or Yours (click on the image to enlarge) …
This 1974 photo was taken on Raccoon Island for the Monmouth Beach Recreation Department by Dan Hennessey. It includes most all borough baseball participants back then — players, coaches and officials. It is perhaps the town’s definitive legacy photo for its time. Many families, friends and neighbors are represented. Have a look and see if you can find your own “Monmouth Beach Connection.”
Some more points about this classic borough image:
• Can you believe? There is in fact a future Major League Baseball player in this photograph: John Farrell (a notable American League pitcher from 1987-96); he went on to win two World Series titles as a manager and a pitching coach. Befitting his stature, he’s somewhat alone in the picture: lower center. Even then he had the “pitcher’s stare.” His father Tom, who played minor league baseball, is also in the photo. The family home was across the street from the Raccoon Island ball field.
• The Jones family claims the photo’s largest family contingent — six in all: Linda, Allen, Lester, John, Bob and mom, Roberta. Good athletes all.
• The mayor at the time was Sidney Johnson, then in his 25th consecutive year as the borough’s leader. He is in the back center in black shirt and eyeglasses. He and his wife Mary were regular fans at town baseball games.
Photo by Dan Hennessey
This is wonderful Greg. Thanks😄
Paula, is that your father in the back row?
Greg, this is an incredible picture which I don’t remember at all. I am in this picture to the left with the MB Falcons, right behind Allen Jones, and Bill Gironda. Thanks for sharing!
Greg Kelly: Thanks to you Chris for visiting my site, looking and commenting. Pass it along please keep coming back. Best, Greg.
Wonderful picture! Many missed!
I see Harold Murphy, Sid Johnson. Mr Burns, and Lou Sodano. But the others … I’m too old now. Will pass onto my younger sisters and brothers.
Greg, this is fantastic. I’ve seen it before but was never able to zoom in for a good look. I remember the day this was taken…over at the field on Racoon Island where the Babe Ruth league played and practiced.
I ran out of fingers and toes counting how many of them I taught!
There are actually 6 Jones’s in the photo. Linda, Allen, Lester, Bobby, Johnny, and our mom, Roberta. Great memories in this photo.