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I will never forget the look on the face of Claudia Williams when she said those words to me through eyes brimming with tears. Could an artist receive any greater tribute? “Franc has captured something nobody else ever has”.

It was a magical day. I was writing a story for the local paper the Venice Gondolier so I was afforded all the perks and privileges of all the big shots from the Boston papers and I made the most of it.  I spoke with Dom DiMaggio, Rico Petrocelli and spent a good deal of time with Luis Tiant.

L to R Rico Petrocelli, Luis Tiant and Dom Dimaggio applaud Franc, standing in the back. 

Present on the stage that day was this man.

His name is Hank, Hank Evanish. Hank is a very successful business man from Taylor Pennsylvania. He has designed golf courses and he owns a chain of health clubs throughout Pennsylvania. Franc’s hometown is Scranton Pennsylvania and he sculpted a statue to honor the coal miners of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania and that is how Hank became aware of his work.

It just so happens that Hank was also a veteran of the Korean War. In fact he was a US Marine flyer and when he went to flight school, one of his instructors was a guy named Ted Williams. When Ted Passed away in July of 2002, Hank wanted to do something to honor his memory. It was his initial vision and generosity which energized the entire project and ultimately brought he and Franc together. And on this day in Hernando Florida, he saw it all come to fruition.

For me the day was as great as any Christmas I ever enjoyed as a kid. I talked with Rico Petrocelli about the magic of the 1967 Red Sox. Luis Tiant regaled me with stories of the 1975 World Series. I got to tell Dom DiMaggio that he was the best defensive outfielder my Dad ever saw and that he was his favorite player. The specifics of those conversations have faded from my memory. However what will forever be etched there will be the face of Claudia Williams and the sound in her voice when she said, “Franc has captured something that nobody else ever has, when I look into the face of his statue, I see my dad.”

Claudia Williams acknowledges the crowd on the day of the dedication of her Dad’s statue in Hernando Florida. In front of her is Hall of Famer Monte Irvin. 

Franc Talarico had come to know Ted Williams. He came to know the heart of the man who sat by the bedside of kids dying with cancer. He came to know the heart of a father, the heart he shared with his little girl.

And this glorious ride had one more stop. Boston, and Fenway Park.

to be continued…..

              And so it was, at this time in Fenway Park history, autumn 2003. 

Tis the season to interject a little Santa at Fenway! Santa? Is that you? I know, I know, you’re thinking what does Santa have to do with Fenway Park?

 Well, believe it or not, it’s not Santa! It’s Franc, Franc Talarico and though few people have heard of him, he has a lot to do with Fenway Park!

This story begins in the Gulf Coast town of Venice Florida, 1500 miles southwest of Fenway Park and 90 miles north of the Red Sox spring training home in Ft. Myers Florida. It was the fall of 2002 when Franc Talarico knocked upon my back door. I had known Franc for a number of years however, I never knew what he did. I answered the door, welcomed Franc in and after a little small talk Franc got to the point. “Ray” he said, “I know you’re a big baseball fan, I know you grew up in Boston and I need your help…..I need you to help me come to know Ted Williams.” A bit taken aback and not quite understanding I asked Franc to explain. ” I’m a sculptor Ray and I have been asked to sculpt a statue of Ted Williams for his museum in Lecanto so I need you to help me get to know him.”

The magnitude of that question never really hit me. In fact it has only been recently that I have come to understand it. Of course I said yes, and after “introducing” Franc to Ted I made arrangements to meet Franc at his studio which was in his home a few blocks away. And there Franc and I began to educate each other, I educated him about Ted Williams, Fenway Park, the Red Sox  and he educated me about the art of sculpting.

So, I brought several books with scores of photographs of Ted. I told Franc everything I could think of about Ted Williams. I told Franc all the things my dad had told me about Ted Williams.

Of course I started with what a great hitter he was!

I told him how he loved to fish!

I told him how he served in both WW II and Korea losing five seasons to wars. I told him that while serving in Korea he flew 39 combat missions. And I told him if that if he played those five seasons, he might have passed Babe Ruth in career home runs.

I told him how a cantankerous relationship developed between him and the Boston media, whom he referred to as “the knights of the keyboard.” I told him how this, at times, led to frustration and caused a block of fans to get on Ted, to ride Ted and sometimes Ted responded by doing things that he wished he had not done. The worst of which were throwing a bat up into the air which struck a fan in the first row and once spitting towards booing fans on his way off the field! I told him how this caused him to stop tipping his cap! And how once making that decision he never tipped his cap again until 1991, 31 years after he retired.

And then I told him about the “Jimmy Fund” and how much it meant to Ted Williams!

to be continued….. 

             And so it was at this time in Fenway Park history, the fall of 2002.