[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 85 (Thursday, May 16, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3757-S3758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 696--HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF CARL DANIEL 
                                ERSKINE

  Mr. BRAUN (for himself and Mr. Young) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 696

       Whereas Carl Daniel Erskine was born on December 13, 1926;
       Whereas Mr. Erskine first showed signs of athletic 
     greatness at Anderson High School in Anderson, Indiana, where 
     he was a 4-year letter winner in both baseball and 
     basketball;
       Whereas Mr. Erskine continued his baseball career at 
     Anderson College in Anderson, Indiana, before signing with 
     the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946;
       Whereas Mr. Erskine joined the United States Navy in 1945;
       Whereas Mr. Erskine played his entire career from 1948 to 
     1959 with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, helping the 
     franchise win 5 National League pennants and the 1955 World 
     Series;
       Whereas, in 1953, Mr. Erskine won 20 games and set a then-
     World Series record with 14 strikeouts in game 3 of the 1953 
     Fall Classic;
       Whereas, in his career, Mr. Erskine pitched 2 no-hitter 
     games (in 1952 and 1956) and was selected as a National 
     League All-Star in 1954;
       Whereas Mr. Erskine pitched the first nationally televised 
     no-hitter game in 1956 against the Giants;
       Whereas, after he retired from Major League Baseball, Mr. 
     Erskine became the head coach at his alma mater, Anderson 
     University, for over 12 seasons;
       Whereas, while Mr. Erskine was the head coach, the Anderson 
     College baseball team

[[Page S3758]]

     won 4 Hoosier Conference championships and reached the 
     National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) 
     World Series in 1965 after a season of 20 wins and 5 losses;
       Whereas, in 1979, Mr. Erskine was inducted into the 
     inaugural class of the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame;
       Whereas Mr. Erskine also enjoyed a successful corporate 
     career as an executive and board member of a bank and an 
     advisor and trustee for organizations such as the Special 
     Olympics, Babe Ruth Baseball, Anderson College, and the 
     Baseball Assistance Team (BAT), a nonprofit organization that 
     assists former Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, 
     and Negro League Baseball players with financial and medical 
     difficulties;
       Whereas Mr. Erskine conducted numerous summer baseball 
     camps and was an active member of the First Baptist Church of 
     Anderson;
       Whereas the Carl D. Erskine Rehabilitation and Sports 
     Medicine Center in Anderson, Indiana, was named in his honor 
     and has a statue of him at its facility;
       Whereas, in the early 2000s, the Erskine family sold 30 
     acres of land at a discounted price for the construction of 
     Anderson Community Schools;
       Whereas Erskine Elementary School in Anderson, Indiana, was 
     named in honor of Mr. Erskine and his family;
       Whereas Mr. Erskine's son Jimmy competed in the Special 
     Olympics for over 50 years, leading Mr. Erskine and his wife, 
     Betty, to become active volunteers with the organization;
       Whereas, to recognize Mr. Erskine's legacy, the Special 
     Olympics of Indiana named its planned giving society, which 
     helps the Special Olympics of Indiana expand its reach and 
     promote its vision of a more inclusive world for people with 
     intellectual disabilities, ``The Carl and Betty Erskine 
     Society'';
       Whereas, after more than 4 decades as a volunteer, Mr. 
     Erskine was awarded the Special Olympics' highest honor, the 
     Spirit of the Special Olympics Award;
       Whereas the Erskine Green Training Center in Muncie, 
     Indiana, is a postsecondary vocational training program for 
     those with special needs, which was partially named in his 
     honor;
       Whereas Mr. Erskine was a charter member of both the 
     Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Baseball Assistance 
     Team;
       Whereas Mr. Erskine was added to the Fellowship of 
     Christian Athletes Hall of Champions in 2002;
       Whereas, in 2010, Governor Mitch Daniels presented Mr. 
     Erskine with the Sachem Award, the State of Indiana's highest 
     honor, which recognizes a lifetime of excellence and moral 
     virtue that has brought credit and honor to Indiana;
       Whereas, in 2022, a documentary about his life, ``The Best 
     We Got: The Carl Erskine Story'', by Ted Green, was released;
       Whereas, known as the ``Last of the Boys of Summer'', Mr. 
     Erskine received the John Jordan ``Buck'' O'Neil Lifetime 
     Achievement Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 
     2023;
       Whereas the Hall of Fame presents the John Jordan ``Buck'' 
     O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award every 3 years to an 
     individual whose character, integrity, and dignity has had a 
     positive impact on society; and
       Whereas Carl Erskine passed away on April 16, 2024: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the life and legacy of Carl Daniel Erskine, 
     including the dedication of Mr. Erskine--
       (A) in particular, to the game of baseball and fans in the 
     Hoosier State;
       (B) to his work on and off the field in the State of 
     Indiana; and
       (C) to the various lives he improved through his kindness 
     and compassion in his various philanthropic endeavors;
       (2) recognizes the success of Mr. Erskine as a source of 
     continuing pride for the entire State of Indiana;
       (3) gives a heartfelt thank you to Mr. Erskine for all of 
     the memories and will continue to remember his legacy; and
       (4) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate 
     transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of 
     Mr. Erskine.

                          ____________________