Robert Grove Logan

Robert Grove Logan, born October 11, 1931, died January 5, 2006. Bob Logan was born in Philadelphia, PA, the day Lefty Grove, a pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics, won a World Series Game and so he was named and so he became a lifetime lover of the Athletics and Baseball. He attended Northeast High School in Philadelphia where he was an active member of the Dramatic Club and participated in many productions confounding his family and friends with an unknown ability to sing and dance. He graduated in 1949 and soon after enlisted in the U.S. Army and served during what was the Korean conflict. He was sent to Germany as an instructor, and he participated in USO activities where he picked up his prowess for punning, a questionable talent that, albeit for his satisfaction, produced more groans than laughs. His first stint after leaving the service was to hitchhike to Florida to attend tryouts for major league baseball. His years practicing pitching in the basement of his home in Philadelphia with a ''How To'' Bob Feller book propped up by his side evidently allowed him a brief minor league furry in Florida, but soon he was sent home to seek other areas of employment. His thought was if he couldn't play baseball, he could write about it and other sports. So with the help of the GI Bill of Rights and some family offerings, he attended college and graduated from Temple with a degree in Journalism. His first job was with the Philadelphia Inquirer, then with the Levittown, NJ Times and followed by the Illinois State Journal in Springfield. He then had a 28 year stint at the Chicago Tribune covering professional and college basketball, football and baseball and had his own column. His ''retirement'' was followed by 13 years of sports writing at the Arlington Daily Herald. He has authored eight sports books and particpated in the writing of a ninth, and he has provided an annual basketball summary for the Encyclopedia Britannica for the past 25 years. One may say he found his Professional Niche. Survived by his son Robert Logan; sister Ethel (Eric) Andersen. Preceded by parents, wife, son Clayton Logan and brother Stanley Logan. Memorial Services will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at The Farrand Funeral Home, 300 N. Kalamazoo St., White Pigeon, MI. Burial of Cremains will take place in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Cheltenham, PA, at a later date.