Thanks to the hard work of SABR members James Buysse and Tony Medina, a resolution was passed in the Michigan State Senate in conjunction with the celebration of Charlie Gehringer’s 100 birthday.

Mrs. Josephine Gehringer, the widow of Hall of Famer Charlie Gehringer, was awarded a framed signed copy of Michigan Senate Resolution No. 81 by Senator Valde Garcia. The Resolution was passed in recognition of the 100th anniversary of Gehringer’s birthday on May 11. The ceremony occurred prior to the Detroit Tiger vs Minnesota Twins’ game at Comerica Park and representing the Detroit Tigers was Hall of Famer, Al Kaline.

According to Jordan Field, Field Project and Strategic Planning Coordinator for the Detroit Tigers, without Buysee and Medina’s diligent research and enthusiastic appeal for both the offering of the Resolution and the presentation of the Resolution to the Gehringer family, the anniversary may not have been celebrated.

Charlie Gehringer, a native of Fowlerville, Michigan, led a distinguished 19-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. He compiled a lifetime batting average of .321, hit 84 home runs, stole 182 bases, and hit 2839 base hits. Gehringer’s remarkable consistency on the baseball field earned him the nickname "The Mechanical Man".

Gehringer batted over .300 for 13 seasons, collected 200 hits seven times, and played in three World Series. He was the starting second baseman for the American League in the first six All-Star Games and was voted the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1937.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on June 18, 1949. Gehringer died on January 21, 1993.