# Hy Turkin

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**Hyman C. Turkin**[1] (May 9, 1915 – June 24, 1955) was a sportswriter best known for co-editing the first baseball encyclopedia.

Turkin was born in [New York City](/source/New_York_City), one of seven children. He joined the staff of the *[New York Daily News](/source/New_York_Daily_News)* after graduating from [Cooper Union](/source/Cooper_Union) in 1936 with a degree in [electrical engineering](/source/Electrical_engineering). Turkin covered baseball, basketball, and track for the paper.

## Baseball Encyclopedia

A chance meeting with baseball researcher [S. C. Thompson](/source/S._C._Thompson) in 1944 led the two to collaborate on what would become the first true baseball encyclopedia. Published by [A. S. Barnes & Company](/source/Alfred_Smith_Barnes) in 1951, the book contained a complete listing of every man who had played [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball), along with the years they had played, the teams they had played for, and some basic statistics. It was a remarkable contribution to the field of baseball history.

The book earned the endorsement of Commissioner [A. B. "Happy" Chandler](/source/Happy_Chandler), and nine revised editions were published after Turkin's death (the last in 1979).

## Personal life

Turkin was one of the founders of the National Foundation for Muscular Dystrophy, which later became the National Foundation for Neuromuscular Diseases.[2] He was married to the former Florence Kerr, and the couple had a daughter named Margery.

Turkin died at the age of 40, following a six-month battle with [liver disease](/source/Liver_disease).[3][4] *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)* writer [Arthur Daley](/source/Arthur_Daley_(sportswriter)) described him as "a bustling little dynamo with an inquisitive turn of mind."

Following Turkin's death, the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association named an annual award after him; the Hy Turkin Memorial Award was given annually to professional basketball's rookie of the year. Winners included [Oscar Robertson](/source/Oscar_Robertson) in 1961,[5] and [Lew Alcindor](/source/Kareem_Abdul-Jabbar) in 1970.[6]

A [Little League Baseball](/source/Little_League_Baseball) field in [Dongan Hills, Staten Island](/source/Dongan_Hills,_Staten_Island), was named the Hy Turkin Memorial Field.[7]

## Sources

- Turkin, Hy & Thompson, S. C. (1956). *The Official Encyclopedia of Baseball*. [New York City](/source/New_York_City): [A. S. Barnes & Company](/source/Alfred_Smith_Barnes). LCCN 56-5560.
- Schwarz, Alan (2004). *The Numbers Game: Baseball's Lifelong Fascination with Statistics*. [St. Martin's Press](/source/St._Martin's_Press). pp. 52–54, 91. ISBN 0312322224.

## References

1. ["Hy Turkin Dies"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20940815/hy_turkin_dies/). *[The Miami News](/source/The_Miami_News)*. [AP](/source/Associated_Press). June 25, 1955. p. 3. Retrieved June 13, 2018. – via newspapers.com.

1. Carter, Richard (1992). [*The Gentle Legions: National Voluntary Health Organizations in America*](https://books.google.com/books?id=u9Gf9e0wpsgC&pg=PA204). Routledge. p. 204. ISBN 1560000538.

1. ["Hy Turkin Dies"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20940751/hy_turkin_dies/). *[Herald and News](/source/Herald_and_News)*. [UP](/source/United_Press_International). June 26, 1955. p. 11. Retrieved June 13, 2018. – via newspapers.com.

1. ["Hy Turkin Dies"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20940857/hy_turkin_dies/). *[Asbury Park Press](/source/Asbury_Park_Press)*. [AP](/source/Associated_Press). June 25, 1955. p. 8. Retrieved June 13, 2018. – via newspapers.com.

1. ["Robertson Named Top NBA Rookie"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20945850/robertson_named_top_nba_rookie/). *The Town Talk*. [UPI](/source/United_Press_International). March 4, 1961. p. 13. Retrieved June 13, 2018. – via newspapers.com.

1. ["NY Writers Honor Reed"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20945954/ny_writers_honor_reed/). *[The Press Democrat](/source/The_Press_Democrat)*. [UPI](/source/United_Press_International). March 22, 1970. p. 2S. Retrieved June 13, 2018. – via newspapers.com.

1. ["Little League Region Tourney At N.Y. June 14-16"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20946184/little_league_region_tourney_at_ny/). *[Tyrone Daily Herald](/source/Tyrone_Daily_Herald)*. June 19, 1958. p. 5. Retrieved June 13, 2018. – via newspapers.com.

## Further reading

- Holmes, Tommy (April 24, 1951). ["Latest Thing in Baseball Records"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20964214/latest_thing_in_baseball_records/). *[The Brooklyn Daily Eagle](/source/Brooklyn_Eagle)*. p. 16. Retrieved June 14, 2018. – via newspapers.com.

## External links

- [Photo of Babe Ruth's farewell appearance](http://dcbaseballhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/babe-ruth-day-april-27-1947-color1.jpg) – Turkin is at right, wearing glasses and a bow tie. April 27, 1947.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hy Turkin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hy_Turkin) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hy_Turkin?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.