For almost 15 years after first publishing my biography of Louis Sockalexis, BASEBALL’S FIRST INDIAN, in 2003, I dreamed of seeing a statue to him built in my home state of Maine. And then I acted upon it. Between 2017-2018, as a non-Native American, I put together a wonderful coalition, with three well-respected Native Americans from Maine: John Bear Mitchell, Penobscot storyteller, actor and long-time faculty member for the Native American Studies Program at the University of Maine at Orono; David Slagger, Ph.D. candidate and former Maliseet tribal representative to the Maine State Legislature; and the late Theodore “Wayne” Bear Mitchell, the last Penobscot Nation representative to the Maine State Legislature.

BANGOR — Ed Rice, author of a book about Indian Island native and former major league baseball player Louis Sockalexis, is again at the forefront of an effort to recognize the groundbreaking athlete. Rice has teamed up with Theodore Bear Mitchell and John Bear Mitchell on the board of directors of the “Friends of Sockalexis,” a committee that will raise money to build a monument dedicated to Sockalexis.

He was a college baseball player so legendary in his time that he was inducted into his school’s athletic hall of fame, even though he only attended two years. Then he broke a color barrier and became the first man of his race to play professional baseball. Then he became a professional baseball star, in spite of being subjected to the vilest of racial prejudice and violations of his civil rights from fellow players, fans and the press.

Bangor native and writer Ed Rice is starting a campaign to find support and interest in building a statue in Bangor of Maine Penobscot Indian Louis Sockalexis, the first Native American to play Major League Baseball.