Alston, Walter Emmons
- David Quentin Voigt
Extract
Alston, Walter Emmons (01 December 1911–01 October 1984), baseball manager, was born on a farm near Venice, Ohio, the son of William Emmons Alston and Lenora Neanover. After losing his farm in bankruptcy in 1923, the elder Alston took a job at a Ford Motor Company plant, moving the family to Darrtown, Ohio. Alston’s interest in sports was encouraged by his father, with whom he played semipro baseball. Nicknamed “Smokey,” Alston enrolled at Miami University in Ohio in 1929, but he dropped out the following year to marry his high school sweetheart, Lela Vaughn Alexander. A daughter was born of this union. Returning to Miami University in 1932, Alston worked his way through college, starring in baseball and basketball, and graduated in 1935 with a degree in education....
