George “Tubber” White Collection
Collection
Identifier: CHC046
Collection Description
This collection includes hockey, football, and baseball team photographs featuring George “Tubber” White during his time at Rindge Technical School and Exeter Academy dating from 1912 to the 1920s. White's athletic exploits at Rindge are also captured in 20 scrapbook pages of newspaper clippings, where he is referred to as George White and “Tubber” White interchangeably. The collection also includes eleven photo postcards featuring members of the North Cambridge semiprofessional baseball team, of which White was a member in the 1920s.
Dates
- 1912-1920s
Language of Materials
Material is in English.
Access
Collection is available for research under the CHC rules of use.
Copyright Notice
Copyright for materials resides with the creators of the items in question, unless otherwise designated.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to understand and observe copyright law and to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyright. Questions concerning copyright and permission to publish should be directed to the Cambridge Historical Commission Archives.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to understand and observe copyright law and to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyright. Questions concerning copyright and permission to publish should be directed to the Cambridge Historical Commission Archives.
Historical Note
George “Tubber” White (1895-1977) was one of eight children born to William A. White and Mrs. White of Cambridge. He was raised in Cambridge, and was a celebrated local sports star. He attended Rindge Technical School from 1911 until 1915, where he acted as captain for the baseball, football, and hockey teams, and in 1913 was a 1st team Boston American All-Scholastic Football Selection. White entered Exeter Academy in the fall of 1915, and was the captain of the hockey team there as well, while also playing on the football and baseball teams. He served in the Navy from 1916 to 1918, and enrolled in Boston College after his discharge in 1918, where he played on the varsity football team. In 1919 he began Tufts Dental School, and captained the baseball team. White participated in athletics outside of scholastics as well: in the 1920s he played on the North Cambridge semi-professional baseball team that was known for drawing huge numbers of spectators to their Russell Field games that sometimes outnumbered the crowds recorded at Fenway Park
After graduating from Tufts in 1923, White went on to practice dentistry for over 40 years in North Cambridge, and served as the dentist for the Cambridge School Department during that time as well. He and his wife Marguerite had one daughter, Alice. White served as President of the Rindge Tech Alumni in 1932, and was named Rindge Tech Man of the Year in 1971. He also was a member of both the North Cambridge Council Knights of Columbus and the American Legion Post 27 of Cambridge.
Semi-Professional Baseball
Semi-professional baseball in New England has a long history, beginning with the formation of the New England League in 1886. The NEL's minor league teams played throughout the New England region on and off up until 1949. During a period of disbandment for the NEL in 1919, “Twilight Leagues” were formed across Massachusetts to meet the demand for baseball. Twilight League games began at 6pm on weekdays and were also held on Sunday afternoons; the Sunday games were permissible by law because the players were considered amateurs.
The Boston Twilight League formed in 1922, and was comprised of eight teams, four from Boston (Dorchester, Forest Hills, Roxbury, and South Boston) and four from the surrounding suburbs (Malden, Reading, Somerville, and North Cambridge). The North Cambridge team, formerly the North Cambridge Knights of Columbus team, managed by city councillor Dan Leahy, was part of the league for the 1922, 1923, and 1924 seasons. The team drew crowds by the ten thousands to their weekly games at Russell Field, in part because the local professional teams, the Red Sox and the Braves, were prohibited by law from playing games on Sundays. A Sabbatarian group called the Lord's Day League noted these crowds however, and argued that the North Cambridge team was violating the spirit of the law that allowed amateur baseball on Sundays by taking up voluntary collections during games, as it was no secret that the proceeds of these collections often ended up in the pockets of the players. Eventually the District Attorney decreed that no further money could be taken, and despite several creative efforts by Leahy to keep the collection going inconspicuously, the North Cambridge team had to drop out of the league, as the weekday profit for games was too low to cover the revenue that was now lost on Sundays. Sunday baseball remained a hotly debated issue; it was eventually legalized in 1928 with the revitalization of the New England League, but by that time the North Cambridge team had been disbanded
After graduating from Tufts in 1923, White went on to practice dentistry for over 40 years in North Cambridge, and served as the dentist for the Cambridge School Department during that time as well. He and his wife Marguerite had one daughter, Alice. White served as President of the Rindge Tech Alumni in 1932, and was named Rindge Tech Man of the Year in 1971. He also was a member of both the North Cambridge Council Knights of Columbus and the American Legion Post 27 of Cambridge.
Semi-Professional Baseball
Semi-professional baseball in New England has a long history, beginning with the formation of the New England League in 1886. The NEL's minor league teams played throughout the New England region on and off up until 1949. During a period of disbandment for the NEL in 1919, “Twilight Leagues” were formed across Massachusetts to meet the demand for baseball. Twilight League games began at 6pm on weekdays and were also held on Sunday afternoons; the Sunday games were permissible by law because the players were considered amateurs.
The Boston Twilight League formed in 1922, and was comprised of eight teams, four from Boston (Dorchester, Forest Hills, Roxbury, and South Boston) and four from the surrounding suburbs (Malden, Reading, Somerville, and North Cambridge). The North Cambridge team, formerly the North Cambridge Knights of Columbus team, managed by city councillor Dan Leahy, was part of the league for the 1922, 1923, and 1924 seasons. The team drew crowds by the ten thousands to their weekly games at Russell Field, in part because the local professional teams, the Red Sox and the Braves, were prohibited by law from playing games on Sundays. A Sabbatarian group called the Lord's Day League noted these crowds however, and argued that the North Cambridge team was violating the spirit of the law that allowed amateur baseball on Sundays by taking up voluntary collections during games, as it was no secret that the proceeds of these collections often ended up in the pockets of the players. Eventually the District Attorney decreed that no further money could be taken, and despite several creative efforts by Leahy to keep the collection going inconspicuously, the North Cambridge team had to drop out of the league, as the weekday profit for games was too low to cover the revenue that was now lost on Sundays. Sunday baseball remained a hotly debated issue; it was eventually legalized in 1928 with the revitalization of the New England League, but by that time the North Cambridge team had been disbanded
Extent
0.5 box
Abstract
This collection includes hockey, football, and baseball team photographs featuring George “Tubber” White during his time at Rindge Technical School and Exeter Academy dating from 1912 to the 1920s. White's athletic exploits at Rindge are also captured in 20 scrapbook pages of newspaper clippings, where he is referred to as George White and “Tubber” White interchangeably. The collection also includes eleven photo postcards featuring members of the North Cambridge semiprofessional baseball team, of which White was a member in the 1920s.
Collection Arrangement
- Series I -- Photographs (1916, undated)
- Series II -- Scrapbooks (1912-1923
Physical Location
Collection is stored on-site
Provenance
The George “Tubber” White collection was donated to the Commission in October of 2007 by David Grant of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mr. Grant found the materials on Summer Street in Somerville a year prior to donation.
Processing Information
Processing and finding aid by Megan Schwenke, September 2012.
Encoded by: Brittany Fox, September 2020.
Encoded by: Brittany Fox, September 2020.
- Title
- Inventory of the George “Tubber” White Collection, 1912-1920s
- Author
- Processing and finding aid by Megan Schwenke, September 2012. Machine-readable finding aid by Brittany Fox, September 2020.
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Was Prepared Using Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Cambridge Historical Commission Archives Repository
Contact:
831 Massachusetts Avenue
2nd Floor
Cambridge Massachusetts 02139 US
617-349-4683
histcomm@cambridgema.gov
831 Massachusetts Avenue
2nd Floor
Cambridge Massachusetts 02139 US
617-349-4683
histcomm@cambridgema.gov