Launched in 2008, North Bridge Magazine is a twice-yearly publication tailored to Acton, Carlisle, Concord, Lincoln, Sudbury & Wayland residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in six of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
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baseball has played such a large role in American history is that it really connects families over time." In her memoir, she lovingly recounts how she and her father bonded over the Dodgers and how she and her sons continued the baseball tradition with the Red Sox. Both the origins of the Concord exhibit and of the Gladstones' devotion to baseball are rooted in family as well. Shortly after their daughter, Sue, took up her post as develop- ment director at the Concord Museum three years ago, she learned that the staff was considering a baseball-themed exhibit. Although a little wary of treading on another department's turf, she mentioned that her parents may have some items that would be of interest. After touring the Gladstones' collection-filled condo, Wood decided that he needed look no further to compile the Concord exhibit. Then came the painful decision of selecting the items that would fit into the two rooms, totaling 1,000 square feet of space, set aside for the show. Bill became part of the game himself when he was named to the board of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1991. He had come to the attention of the board's chairman through a mutual friend who owned an art gallery. Bill, who is still on the board, arranged for the Hall to loan out historic Red Sox gear for the Concord exhibit, including a Ted Williams glove, a Carl Yastrzemski cap, and the bat Jim Rice used to whack his 301st home run. In 1992, the Gladstones added a real-life team to their collec- tion. They bought the minor league club in Pittsfield. Now called the Tri-City ValleyCats, the team has since moved to Troy, New York, where it is a single A affiliate of the Houston Astros. ★ ★ ★ It would make a better story to report that the Gladstones first met through baseball. Sorry, no; they met on a blind date. But they did go to Ebbets Field on their second date, accompanied by Bill's par- ents. He doesn't remember whether the Dodgers won or whom they played. "I was focused on other things," Bill says, still per- plexed that he brought along Mom and Dad. "Who in the world goes out with their parents, particular with someone they've met once in their life?" The story probably wouldn't surprise Goodwin. "I think the magic of baseball," she says in the video, "is that it is so much a family sport." ★ " T H E A R T O F B A S E B A L L" runs from April 17 through Sept. 20. Members' preview and reception, April 16, 6-8 p.m. For additional information, go to www.concordmuseum.org/ or call 978.369.9763. 20 ★ north bridge magazine ★ S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 Red Sox Hall of Famer Jim Rice's bat used to hit his 301st home run. P H O T O B Y M I L O S T E W A R T J R . , N A T I O N A L B A S E B A L L H A L L O F F A M E