Office politics hurt Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
Hampered by political infighting and jealousy, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was a mess before Buck O’Neil passed away.
The strength of Buck’s charismatic personality rendered much of the behind-the-scenes turmoil irrelevant. Buck O’Neil single-handedly made the museum relevant locally and nationally.
That — obviously — is no longer the case.
Since his passing in October 2006, momentum at the museum has ground to a halt as his NLBM survivors bicker over leadership of the 18-year-old shrine at 18th and Vine. Plans to construct a $15 million Buck O’Neil Research and Education Center have stalled as the unwieldy, 25-person board squabbles over the appointment of a new executive director and vision for the museum.
Several board members told me that Kevin Gray, the head of the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission and NLBM board member, is leading a movement to prevent the Research and Education Center from being built.
“That is absolutely not true,” Gray told me Saturday afternoon over the telephone. “Everybody wants to see the research project happen.”
Gray then went on to tell me about the NLBM’s financial woes, the need for a feasibility study and how only $200,000 had been raised toward the project despite the museum paying a fund-raiser close to a half-million dollars over five years.
Gray didn’t sound enthusiastic about the Research and Education Center. He sounded like a politician who was saying one thing while painting a picture that completely contradicted his stated position.
Further complicating the museum’s ability to move forward is the messy succession plan for executive director Don Motley.
Mr. Motley is a very nice man. He volunteered to be the museum’s executive director at its infancy, when it was nothing more than a room in a building at 18th and Vine. Years ago, the museum outgrew Mr. Motley’s effectiveness. He was allowed to continue in his figurehead role because when Buck O’Neil was alive, it did not really matter that Mr. Motley’s main role was gossiping with anyone who would listen about the need to revive baseball in the inner city.
Buck O’Neil and his trusty sidekick, Bob Kendrick, did all the real work.
I’m not writing that to diminish the work of others who helped turn the museum into something we can all be proud of. I’m writing it to wake people up to the reality that Buck’s death signaled very clearly that it was time for major change at the museum.
It’s difficult telling people that their job is done and that their continued involvement potentially stands in the way of progress.
Mr. Motley is not happy that he is being replaced. He does not want to be succeeded by Bob Kendrick, the NLBM’s longtime marketing director and unofficial executive director. Kendrick was Buck’s right hand. For years, well-meaning people — especially black men over 70 — associated with the museum had a problem with Buck’s popularity. Envy doesn’t care about age or color. It will jump on anybody. Kendrick, 46, is now the target of the resentment once directed at Buck O’Neil.
Mr. Motley and Kevin Gray are pushing for NLBM curator Ray Doswell to be executive director.
Doswell, a St. Louis academic with few Kansas City connections and a reserved personality, was appointed deputy director while the board wastes money conducting a nationwide search for a new executive director.
Let me be clear. I am friends with Bob Kendrick. Years ago, we worked together at The Kansas City Star. We’ve also worked together on several projects at the NLBM. We put on an event with football legend Jim Brown just last week.
To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.
