DATE: 1947 ORIGINAL or REPRINT: Type 2 Original - Printed from the original negative, but in a later period TEAM: Washington Senators SUBJECT: Frank Mancuso PHOTOGRAPHER: George Burke APPROXIMATE SIZE: 3-1/2"x5-1/2" MARKS / STAMPING: Handwritten identification of photo's subject. Has standard postcard back but remains postally unused. NUMBER OF PHOTOS: 1 COMMENTS / CONDITION: Offered is an approximately 3-1/2"x5-1/2" real photo postcard of Frank Mancuso, pictured in his Washington Senators uniform circa 1947. The original photo was taken by George Burke in 1947, but this card was produced some time later (no earlier than the 1950's judging by the standard Kodak back). Comes from a large collection of such postcards that we will be listing over the coming months, all having standard postcard backs but being postally unused. Wear on these, if any, is mostly confined to minor corner and edge wear, but see scans for further details including condition. We do not deal in stock images or modern reprints, and all scans shown are of the actual item being sold. If you have any questions about a particular piece, please ask before the auction ends. BIO: Frank Octavius Mancuso was born in Houston, TX and died in 2007 in Houston, TX. He played major league baseball from 1944 to 1947 as catcher for the St. Louis Browns and the Washington Senators, and appeared in the 1944 World Series. Mancuso entered the U.S. Army as a paratrooper at Fort Benning, Georgia in December 1942 and was on his way to an accident that forever altered the course of his baseball career. In 1943, he suffered a broken back and leg when his chute opened late and improperly. He almost died from his injuries and was subsequently discharged from the service for medical reasons. A part of his injury was an unfortunate condition for a catcher, where in looking straight up caused him to lose the flow of oxygen to the brain, and he would pass out. As a result, he never regained all of his mobility after the parachute jump and was never responsible for catching pop-ups. After baseball retirement, Mancuso served for 30 consecutive years (1963-93) on the Houston City Council. During his political life, he gave of himself generously to the needs of the young people and to causes benefiting disadvantaged children. He also supported the creation of Lake Livingston and Lake Conroe reservoir to meet the city's long-term water needs; the construction of Houston Intercontinental Airport, and was chairmanship of a special committee that recommended the Houston Fire Department have its own ambulance service. Beside this, Mancuso also was the only Italian-American on the council. In the late 1990s, Harris County built the Frank Mancuso Sports Complex, a facility that strategically reaches out to the needs of inner city kids, in his honor. His 2003 induction into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame reunited him with his older brother, Gus Mancuso (1905-1984), as the second member of the family to be inducted. SKU: GB13040
Item: GB13040
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