From the Mound to the Hill: Jim Bunning

From the Mound to the Hill: Jim Bunning

NKY History Hour – 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 6, 2021

COVINGTON, KY — Southgate native Jim Bunning was the only major league baseball player to be elected to both the U.S. Senate and the National Baseball Hall of Fame. His versatile and celebrated career will be the topic of the next NKY History Hour this Wednesday.

Longtime Bunning friend and fan Rex Morgan will discuss Bunning’s legacy and Morgan’s extensive collection of Bunning memorabilia, which is currently on display at Behringer-Crawford Museum in an exhibit titled From the Mound to the Hill.

His virtual presentation, From the Mound to the Hill – Jim Bunning.  Remembering and Honoring a Local Hero, will take place via Zoom at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday October 6. To register and participate in the free event, go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvdOmgrDMsH9SYv3dyNu_uqf66lqLP4soi.  Information on how to connect to the session will be sent after registration. The event will also be streamed live on BCM’s Facebook page.

Jim Bunning pitched from 1955 to 1971 for the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburg Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1964, he pitched the seventh perfect game in major league history at Shea Stadium, against the New York Mets. After retiring from baseball, he was elected to the Fort Thomas City Council, the Kentucky State Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, where he served until 2010. Bunning died in 2017 at age 85.

BCM’s Bunning exhibit includes photos, jerseys, baseballs, programs, media coverage and even the jacket he wore for his Baseball Hall of Fame induction in 1996. These items and more will be included in a BCM video documentary to be released later this year.

After retiring from a 20-year Navy career, Rex Morgan became interested in local politics, which is when he formed a close friendship with Jim Bunning and his wife Mary. He served two terms each as city counselor and mayor of Campbellsburg, KY, as well as regional representative on the Kentucky River Authority and a member of the Republican Party of Kentucky Executive Committee. He currently resides in Eminence, KY and is employed with the Veterans Benefits Administration.

 NKY History Hour’s virtual presentations take place every other Wednesday evening. The sessions are currently free to the public but may become a BCM members-only benefit in the future. To support NKY History Hour and access many other entertaining and thought-provoking programs for free, join BCM today: http://bcmuseum.org/support-us/join/become-a-member.

Behringer-Crawford Museum is supported in part by our members, the City of Covington. Kenton County Fiscal Court, ArtsWave, Kentucky Arts Council, Kentucky Humanities, the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation.