How do I write about a guy whose been dead for 75 years?

So, good people of the board, I need some guidance.

With the downtime generated by the virus, I've been upgrading our records and history and came upon the name of Ted Trent, who was one of the best pitchers in the Negro League from 1927-1939 and thus becomes my college's first professional athlete.

There's enough stats and accounts of his playing career, but other than that, it's been hard to make a connection with someone who died in 1944. I mean, he did have his strat-o-matic card generated, which I thought was impressive but...

Any suggestions on how to do this profile?

BTW, let me express my gratitude to Sacramento Bee Sports Editor Jim Patrick. He's an avid Twins fans and when I told him I was doing a story on how Earl Battey came to Bethune-Cookman as an assistant coach, he offered to donate a story, partially because he was bored and it would be cool to write a Twins great story. He also appreciated the irony that he was doing a story for me after I worked for him at Salt Lake

Here's the link.
Twins Great Battey Built On A Legacy At Bethune-Cookman - Bethune-Cookman University Athletics

 

Were there any mentions of teammates or family members in any of the old stories you found? Are there any family members still living you could reach out to?
If he played that long and was enough of a name, perhaps the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City might be able to help you out.
Finding someone who actually knew him would be like finding the Holy Grail, but maybe there's a granddaughter out there somewhere who has some family stories about him (or doesn't, which is its own unique hook for the story if they're just finding out about his baseball career).

 

Someone who was 10 when he died would be about 86 now, so its not even that out of the question. That's old, but not ancient, although time - and coronavirus - is working against his ability to make that kind of connection.

The other thing that comes to mind - There have been plenty of books written about Negro League baseball, and given the length of his career, the books or the authors might be a good resource for you. For something like this, any author that took that assignment was likely doing it for non-monetary reasons, and thus would strike me as more willing to help you out. (It's not like you're contacting Stephen King to ask about Maine.)

 

Maybe also check out sites like Ancestry.com to see if there are any family members.

 

That's really good advice from Batman.

How does any historian or biographer write about anyone from the past?

Immerse yourself in as much primary material as you can find. Newspapers, newsreels, etc. There are plenty of black newspapers from that period. Find those archives and he'll likely turn up on the sports pages.

Museums and libraries and local historical societies are a good place to start.

Do your best to chase down a surviving relative and ask to see the scrapbooks and photos or diaries if they exist.

Drop Joe Posnanski a tweet or an email and ask for his ideas on the matter. Track down Larry Lester, the negro leagues historian, and ask him.

Good luck!

 

He's got a Baseball Reference page. Looks like he was a bit of a drunk, which led to his early death. There are some references cited here that might be a good starting point and provide some names to look up. Stories like this are often about working the chain -- you call one person who leads you to the next one, who leads you to someone else, which takes you down a rabbit hole, etc.

Ted Trent - BR Bullpen

 

I'd be sure to connect the reader of today with a "common bond" that they can relate to. A local landmark he maybe passed by on the way to class that still exists, throw in some references to living through a pandemic or long war "He grew up in a time when tens of thousands died from a bug while half the world was at war, then the market crashed and people railed about income inequality, immigration and racial injustice."
Gary Smith was the master at getting into someone's head and making the reader feel like they were experiencing the things his story subject was dealing with.

 

Update:

I had an incredible one hour conversation with Larry Lester, who I hope one day will come to Daytona Beach so we can take in Jackie Robinson Ballpark together. He also got a kick out of the Earl Battey piece.

Joe responded to my tweet within an hour. That's kinda cool.

The President of the Negro League museum saw that tweet and we've had a nice exchange.

Funny. Last week I was bummed because I didn't get a Hank Aaron interview -- Hank's foundation made a donation, but now I'm on a Ray Kinsella like journey with this Ted Trent story. I may end up having a catch with Ted if this keeps up....

 

great news !

go get 'em

 

Also, the baseball coach is having the players send me their insights from their perspective as players ... We're turning this into a teaching moment!

 

Care to plug the Negro League Museum with a link?

 

Call the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City. They may have some info for you.