Bob Neighbors
Encyclopedia
Robert Otis Neighbors was a professional baseball player who appeared briefly with Major League Baseball
's St. Louis Browns
in 1939. He later served as a pilot in the Korean War
and was shot down in 1952, making him the most recent major leaguer to be killed in battle.
in 1917, Bob Neighbors had never played baseball –- only fast-pitch softball -- when he signed with the Siloam Springs, Arkansas
Travelers of the Arkansas-Missouri League in 1936. However, he made the conversion easily, batting .279 in 118 games with 16 home runs and 86 RBIs.
Neighbors produced similar numbers with the Travelers in 1937, and was called up by the Browns in September, but didn't get into a major league game. In 1938, he joined Palestine, Texas
of the East Texas League and hit .301 in 139 games. The shortstop moved up to Springfield, Illinois
of the Class B
Three-I League in 1939, and his 14 home runs and 80 RBIs in 119 games earned him a second late-season call-up to the big club. The 21-year-old made his major league debut on September 16, 1939, and appeared in seven games, getting two hits (including a home run in Fenway Park
off future Browns star Denny Galehouse
) in eleven at-bats.
Neighbors returned to the minors in 1940, batting .279 for the Toledo Mud Hens
of the American Association
, one step below the majors. In January 1941, Neighbors married Winifred Wilcox, and the newly married couple moved to San Antonio, where Bob played for the Texas League
's San Antonio Missions
in 1941. That summer, tragedy struck: while Bob was on the road with the team at the time, Winifred hit by a car and killed. "It had a bad effect on Bob," his younger brother Morris said. "Bob was on the road and Winnie back home in San Antonio when it happened. He felt that if he had been there -- if he had a job where he wasn't traveling -- it wouldn't have happened." Neighbors struggled to a .216 average and quit organized baseball to join the army.
, Ray Poole of the Philadelphia Athletics, Bill Gray of the PCL Hollywood Stars
and future big-leaguer Ray Murray.
Neighbors later served at Maxwell Air Base in Montgomery, Alabama, where he met his second wife, Katherine "Kitty" Burke. He also served in California
at Fairfield-Suisan Army Air Base and Hamilton Field, where he also had the opportunity to play ball.
At war's end, Bob Neighbors decided against returning to professional baseball, remaining in the military, although he did manage and play for the Maxwell Air Force Base
team. Kitty gave birth to a son, Robert Cameron Neighbors, in 1950.
Major Neighbors saw combat duty during the Korean War
as a Douglas B-26B Invader pilot with the 13th Bomb Squadron of the 3rd Bomb Group. On August 8, 1952, during a night mission, Neighbors and his crew – First-Lieutenant William Holcom and Staff-Sergeant Grady Weeks – reported they had been hit and were bailing out. There was no further contact and the crew was reported missing in action after failing to return. All hope for Neighbors, Holcom and Weeks was lost after the fighting in Korea ended on July 27, 1953, and prisoners were repatriated.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in 1939. He later served as a pilot in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and was shot down in 1952, making him the most recent major leaguer to be killed in battle.
Baseball career
Born in Talihina, OklahomaTalihina, Oklahoma
Talihina is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States, its name originating from two Choctaw words, tully and hena, meaning iron road. Iron road is reference to the railroad that the town was built around. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in 1917, Bob Neighbors had never played baseball –- only fast-pitch softball -- when he signed with the Siloam Springs, Arkansas
Siloam Springs, Arkansas
Siloam Springs is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 13,990...
Travelers of the Arkansas-Missouri League in 1936. However, he made the conversion easily, batting .279 in 118 games with 16 home runs and 86 RBIs.
Neighbors produced similar numbers with the Travelers in 1937, and was called up by the Browns in September, but didn't get into a major league game. In 1938, he joined Palestine, Texas
Palestine, Texas
Palestine is a city in Anderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,598, and 18,458 in the 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Anderson County and is situated in East Texas...
of the East Texas League and hit .301 in 139 games. The shortstop moved up to Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
of the Class B
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
Three-I League in 1939, and his 14 home runs and 80 RBIs in 119 games earned him a second late-season call-up to the big club. The 21-year-old made his major league debut on September 16, 1939, and appeared in seven games, getting two hits (including a home run in Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
off future Browns star Denny Galehouse
Denny Galehouse
Dennis Ward Galehouse born in Marshallville, Ohio was a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians , Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns...
) in eleven at-bats.
Neighbors returned to the minors in 1940, batting .279 for the Toledo Mud Hens
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...
of the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
, one step below the majors. In January 1941, Neighbors married Winifred Wilcox, and the newly married couple moved to San Antonio, where Bob played for the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
's San Antonio Missions
San Antonio Missions
The San Antonio Missions are a minor league baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres major-league club. The Missions play in Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium, located in San Antonio...
in 1941. That summer, tragedy struck: while Bob was on the road with the team at the time, Winifred hit by a car and killed. "It had a bad effect on Bob," his younger brother Morris said. "Bob was on the road and Winnie back home in San Antonio when it happened. He felt that if he had been there -- if he had a job where he wasn't traveling -- it wouldn't have happened." Neighbors struggled to a .216 average and quit organized baseball to join the army.
Military career
Neighbors entered military service with the Army Air Force at Tulsa, Oklahoma on May 8, 1942. He served with the 22nd Air Transport Training Detachment at Sheppard Field in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he played baseball for the Sheppard Field Mechanics, a team that featured Dave Short of the Chicago White SoxChicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, Ray Poole of the Philadelphia Athletics, Bill Gray of the PCL Hollywood Stars
Hollywood Stars
The Hollywood Stars were a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early and mid 20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels.-Hollywood Stars :...
and future big-leaguer Ray Murray.
Neighbors later served at Maxwell Air Base in Montgomery, Alabama, where he met his second wife, Katherine "Kitty" Burke. He also served in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
at Fairfield-Suisan Army Air Base and Hamilton Field, where he also had the opportunity to play ball.
At war's end, Bob Neighbors decided against returning to professional baseball, remaining in the military, although he did manage and play for the Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command . The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C...
team. Kitty gave birth to a son, Robert Cameron Neighbors, in 1950.
Major Neighbors saw combat duty during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
as a Douglas B-26B Invader pilot with the 13th Bomb Squadron of the 3rd Bomb Group. On August 8, 1952, during a night mission, Neighbors and his crew – First-Lieutenant William Holcom and Staff-Sergeant Grady Weeks – reported they had been hit and were bailing out. There was no further contact and the crew was reported missing in action after failing to return. All hope for Neighbors, Holcom and Weeks was lost after the fighting in Korea ended on July 27, 1953, and prisoners were repatriated.