III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 696 

Honoring the life and legacy of Carl Daniel Erskine. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 16, 2024 

Mr. BRAUN (for himself and Mr. YOUNG) submitted the following resolution; 

which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and legacy of Carl Daniel Erskine. 

Whereas Carl Daniel Erskine was born on December 13, 

1926; 

Whereas Mr. Erskine first showed signs of athletic greatness 

at Anderson High School in Anderson, Indiana, where he 

was a 4-year letter winner in both baseball and basketball; 

Whereas Mr. Erskine continued his baseball career at Anderson College in Anderson, Indiana, before signing with the 

Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946; 

Whereas Mr. Erskine joined the United States Navy in 1945; 

Whereas Mr. Erskine played his entire career from 1948 to 

1959 with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, helping the franchise win 5 National League pennants and 

the 1955 World Series; 


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•SRES 696 ATS 

Whereas, in 1953, Mr. Erskine won 20 games and set a thenWorld Series record with 14 strikeouts in game 3 of the 

1953 Fall Classic; 

Whereas, in his career, Mr. Erskine pitched 2 no-hitter 

games (in 1952 and 1956) and was selected as a National League All-Star in 1954; 

Whereas Mr. Erskine pitched the first nationally televised nohitter game in 1956 against the Giants; 

Whereas, after he retired from Major League Baseball, Mr. 

Erskine became the head coach at his alma mater, Anderson University, for over 12 seasons; 

Whereas, while Mr. Erskine was the head coach, the Anderson College baseball team won 4 Hoosier Conference 

championships and reached the National Association of 

Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) World Series in 1965 

after a season of 20 wins and 5 losses; 

Whereas, in 1979, Mr. Erskine was inducted into the inaugural class of the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame; 

Whereas Mr. Erskine also enjoyed a successful corporate career as an executive and board member of a bank and 

an advisor and trustee for organizations such as the Special Olympics, Babe Ruth Baseball, Anderson College, 

and the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT), a nonprofit organization that assists former Major League Baseball, 

Minor League Baseball, and Negro League Baseball players with financial and medical difficulties; 

Whereas Mr. Erskine conducted numerous summer baseball 

camps and was an active member of the First Baptist 

Church of Anderson; 


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Whereas the Carl D. Erskine Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Center in Anderson, Indiana, was named in his 

honor and has a statue of him at its facility; 

Whereas, in the early 2000s, the Erskine family sold 30 acres 

of land at a discounted price for the construction of Anderson Community Schools; 

Whereas Erskine Elementary School in Anderson, Indiana, 

was named in honor of Mr. Erskine and his family; 

Whereas Mr. Erskine’s son Jimmy competed in the Special 

Olympics for over 50 years, leading Mr. Erskine and his 

wife, Betty, to become active volunteers with the organization; 

Whereas, to recognize Mr. Erskine’s legacy, the Special 

Olympics of Indiana named its planned giving society, 

which helps the Special Olympics of Indiana expand its 

reach and promote its vision of a more inclusive world for 

people with intellectual disabilities, ‘‘The Carl and Betty 

Erskine Society’’; 

Whereas, after more than 4 decades as a volunteer, Mr. Erskine was awarded the Special Olympics’ highest honor, 

the Spirit of the Special Olympics Award; 

Whereas the Erskine Green Training Center in Muncie, Indiana, is a postsecondary vocational training program for 

those with special needs, which was partially named in 

his honor; 

Whereas Mr. Erskine was a charter member of both the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Baseball Assistance 

Team; 

Whereas Mr. Erskine was added to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Hall of Champions in 2002; 


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•SRES 696 ATS 

Whereas, in 2010, Governor Mitch Daniels presented Mr. Erskine with the Sachem Award, the State of Indiana’s 

highest honor, which recognizes a lifetime of excellence 

and moral virtue that has brought credit and honor to 

Indiana; 

Whereas, in 2022, a documentary about his life, ‘‘The Best 

We Got: The Carl Erskine Story’’, by Ted Green, was released; 

Whereas, known as the ‘‘Last of the Boys of Summer’’, Mr. 

Erskine received the John Jordan ‘‘Buck’’ O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Baseball Hall 

of Fame in 2023; 

Whereas the Hall of Fame presents the John Jordan ‘‘Buck’’ 

O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award every 3 years to an 

individual whose character, integrity, and dignity has had 

a positive impact on society; and 

Whereas Carl Erskine passed away on April 16, 2024: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the life and legacy of Carl Daniel 

3 Erskine, including the dedication of Mr. Erskine— 

4 (A) in particular, to the game of baseball 

5 and fans in the Hoosier State; 

6 (B) to his work on and off the field in the 

7 State of Indiana; and 

8 (C) to the various lives he improved 

9 through his kindness and compassion in his 

10 various philanthropic endeavors; 


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1 (2) recognizes the success of Mr. Erskine as a 

2 source of continuing pride for the entire State of In3 diana; 

4 (3) gives a heartfelt thank you to Mr. Erskine 

5 for all of the memories and will continue to remem6 ber his legacy; and 

7 (4) respectfully requests that the Secretary of 

8 the Senate transmit an enrolled copy of this resolu9 tion to the family of Mr. Erskine. 

Æ 


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