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Foundation to present "How Iowa Met Baseball"

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John Liepa of West Des Moines will present "How Iowa Met Baseball" on Thursday, June 15, at 7 p.m. at the Guttenberg Municipal Building. (Photo submitted)

By Caroline Rosacker

The Guttenberg Library Foundation will host "How Iowa Met Baseball: The Myths, The History, The Players” on Thursday, June 15, at 7 p.m. The event will be held in the auditorium of the Guttenberg Municipal Building located at 502 South First Street. 

The free program is made possible by Humanities Iowa, a private, non-profit, state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and a cultural resource for Iowans since 1971. 

How Iowa Met Baseball

Program presenter John Liepa of West Des Moines has been a collector of baseball memorabilia since his youth. He will share his extensive knowledge about the myths regarding the invention of baseball; the origins and evolution of the early game in the United States; how the Civil War played a role in accelerating the spread of the game; the very first mention of the game’s coming to Iowa in 1858, and how it caught on.

Liepa brings to life some of the first players from Iowa who played a critical role in the development of the game, such as Cal McVey of Montrose, who played for the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings.

Baseball memorabilia 

On display will be a portion of Liepa's extensive collection of baseball memorabilia and cards representing Iowa’s 225 Major Leaguers, featuring Iowa’s seven Hall-of-Famers, for attendees to view before or after his presentation. 

Professional highlights

Liepa is Professor Emeritus of History and Political Science at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC). He has taught courses in Political Science and U.S. and Iowa History from 1972-2010.  

The baseball enthusiast has a B.S in History and an M.A. in Political Science from Iowa State University. He received an “Excellence in Education” award in 2001 and was honored as DMACC’s “Educator of the Year” in 2004.

In addition to serving on numerous Iowa historical boards and foundations, and teaching Iowa history in several prestigious educational institutions, Liepa is also a charter member of Iowa’s "Field of Dreams" Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and has had numerous published articles on Iowa baseball history. 

Over the past 13 years, he has given over 185 presentations on baseball history throughout Iowa.  

Major League Baseball honored Liepa by asking him to write an article on early Davenport and Cedar Rapids baseball history for the official 2022 “Field of Dreams” program.  

For additional program information call the Guttenberg Public Library at 252-3108.

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