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Allen Stare - Baseball
Allen Stare started a career in radio while still a student at Taylorville High School and began his own DJ service then as well. Following college, he continued in the radio business for a few years, then got into the advertising business, while continuing to DJ on the side. Shortly after he and his wife moved to Jacksonville, he was approached in 2005 to be the umpire for the Jacksonville Orphans vintage base ball team. He later became the umpire for the Springfield Long Nine, and over the years, also became an expert on the early history of the game, especially pre-American Civil War base ball.
Interview Links
Feature Excerpt
Theatrics In Umpiring
Abstract
Interview Session 01 (Audio)
Stare’s early years, and careers in broadcasting and advertising
Interview Session 02 (Audio)
The history of baseball from its beginning through 1869
Interview Session 03 (Audio)
Stare’s experiences with vintage base ball since 2005
Photos
Caption
Allen served as DJ for Taylorville High School’s after-prom events, called “Afterglow,” for several years. The theme in 1986 was ‘Beach Party,’ with an assist from his fiancé Donna. Note the SL-1200MK2 turntable he used for many years.
Where:
Taylorville, IL
When:
1986
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
Donna and Allen Stare’s wedding day picture, June 20th, 1987. The couple were married at the First Presbyterian Church in Murphysboro, Illinois.
Where:
Murphysboro, IL
When:
1987
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
Allen’s father, who served on occupation duty in Austria following WW II and during the Korean War, is buried the Camp Butler National Cemetery just outside of Riverton.
Where:
Camp Butler National Cemetery
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
Allen wrote the dinner theater play “An Honor to Die For” a murder-mystery-comedy, and produced (and starred in) the play twice as a Jacksonville fundraiser, in 2007 and again in 2012. Each time, they raised $3,000.
Where:
Jacksonville, IL
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
Allen Stare is in his vintage baseball garb, ready to call a game at the Ohio Cup (Columbus, OH) in 2012. The Cup is an annual event that takes place over Labor Day weekend. Allen went 5 years as a guest umpire.
Where:
Columbus, OH
When:
2012
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
Allen Stare at the Ohio Cup in Columbus, Ohio in 2012. The Cup is an annual event that takes place over Labor Day weekend, and one of the highlights of Allen’s vintage baseball seasons.
Where:
Columbus, OH
When:
2012
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
Allen Stare with several vintage baseball players at the Ohio Cup in Columbus, Ohio in 2012.
Where:
Columbus, OH
When:
2012
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
Allen grew up in this Taylorville, Illinois house. It happened to be on the market in 2015, which allowed Allen and his brother Russell to get a tour of their boyhood home. Allen and his brother Russell sit on the front steps after the tour.
Where:
Taylorville, IL
When:
2015
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
Hannibal, Missouri holds an annual baseball tournament over the Labor Day weekend. They added an actual match for the first time in 2016, with Allen calling the plays. The game was played on the town’s Mark Twain field.
Where:
Hannibal, MO
When:
2016
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
This photo of the Springfield Long Nine was taken during a road trip to Topeka, Kansas in August, 2016. The team played the “Westerns” of Topeka. Allen is in the back row, center.
Where:
Topeka, KS
When:
2016
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
The hurler for the Springfield Long Nine during a game at Bishop Hill, Illinois in 2016 was Todd “Pig” Daniels.
Where:
Bishop Hill, IL
When:
2016
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
The hurler is Todd “Pig” Daniels, with Quinn “Ice Wagon” Naugle standing next to second base. The match was played at the Long Nine home field at Center Park near the Vachel Lindsay bridge on Lake Springfield, circa 2016.
Where:
Center Park, IL
When:
2016
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
This is from the first match of the 2017 season. Allen joined “Rooster,” one of the Belleville “Stags” players, during the first match of the season on a field near Alton, Illinois.
Where:
Alton, IL
When:
2017
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
Donna and Allen with Allen’s roommate from college and his wife, Mat and Diana Feigl. The couples were on a show trip to St. Louis on April 1, 2017.
Where:
St. Louis, MO
When:
2017
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo
Caption
Donna, Allen, and Jennie Stare at Jennie’s college graduation from Fontbonne University in May, 2017.
Where:
Fontbonne University, MO
When:
2017
Ownership:
Narrator's Photo