George Strohmeyer Sr.†
Inducted: 1990
Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.
Best Known for: Athlete-Baseball
One of the original sporting stars of the Valley, Strohmeyer once dueled legendary Satchel Paige in a 13-inning 1-1 classic as a member of the St. Louis Browns in the early 1930s.
Gifted with a tremendous fastball, Strohmeyer played three years with the Browns and later became one of the Valley's leading semi-pro baseball pitchers and catchers, plying his trade for over 20 years alongside such stars as Leo Najo Alaniz and Bernard Papa Peña with the Mission Rifles (or 30-30 squad) and other local units.
Later, Strohmeyer was one of the Valley's finest officials for more than a decade, working all the big games with fellow greats like C.W. “Napper”Davis and Jimmy Lawrence. He was the official scorer for the first Valley semi-pro All-Star Game in the late 1940s.