Saturday, February 22, 2020
Thoughts and prayers to the family of David VanGelder.
In 2004 I began writing a book about the history of baseball in Ontario County.
Somehow word got around and someone mentioned David.
So I ask those who knew him and where can I meet this man? They answered, most likely the Winged Pheasant Golf Course
in Shortsville. So after several visits to Winged Pheasant G.C. I finally was able to track David down.
It was there I was able to schedule an interview for my book.
You see my reason to interview David was the fact he is the grandson of Sam Jackson,a member of the 1871 Boston Red Stockings
and one of the first professional baseball players in America who is buried in Riverview Cemetery near the hamlet of Gypsum near Clifton Springs NY.
Though I was trying to gather information on his grandfather I learned many things about David.
This rather quiet man who kept to himself was very well read, knew alot about early history, especially European and Scottish history. He also had a passion for wood working, his creations ranged from birdhouses to those neat pieces of lawn art that moved in the wind.
In closing David will be missed, he was Canandaigua's Renaissance man who flew under the radar.
Thank you for your service to our country and God Bless.
Sincerely,
Timothy D. Munn
Author
"From Backyards to Big Leagues"
