Pee Wee Reese

The Little Colonel who stood by Jackie Robinson.

Harold Peter Henry "Pee Wee" Reese (July 23, 1918 – August 14, 1999) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1940 to 1958. A ten-time All-Star, Reese contributed to seven National League championships for the Dodgers and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Quick Facts

Position: Shortstop
Bats: Right
Born: 23 July 1918
Birthplace: Ekron, Kentucky, U.S.
Died: 14 August 1999
Place of death: Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Debut league: MLB
Debut date: April 23

Facts from the source article.

Background

Reese is well known for his support of his teammate Jackie Robinson, the first Black player in the major leagues' modern era, who faced widespread racist backlash upon being promoted from the Negro leagues to the major leagues. This support is commonly exemplified with a story of Reese's response to escalating harassment of Robinson that had been taking place during a pre-game warmup in 1947. In this story, Reese walked from his standard position on the field to Robinson's position in the infield and put his arm around Robinson's shoulder. While the details of the incident are possibly apocryphal, it is considered representative of Reese's pattern of public acts of camaraderie towards Robinson, which gestured inclusion and acceptance of his teammate within a prejudiced societal context.

Did You Know?

Reese's rookie season in 1940 was curtailed by a broken heel bone that limited him to 84 games.
He hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the New York Giants in 1940.
Reese enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943 and shipped out to fight in the Pacific theater of World War II.
He played on the Aiea Naval Hospital baseball team while stationed in Hawaii.
The gesture of Reese putting his arm around Robinson is depicted in a bronze sculpture at MCU Park in Brooklyn, unveiled on November 1, 2005.