This photograph shows Topekan Ed Wilson when he was a pitcher for the Paris Lakers, a minor league team in Paris, Illinois, which competed in the Class D Mississippi-Ohio Valley League. Wilson played for the Lakers in 1950 and part of 1951. His minor league career spanned the period 1948-1953 and, besides the Lakers, included teams in Miami (OK), Topeka, Fulton (KY), Iola, and Hannibal (MO). In the 150 minor league games for which his pitching statistics are available, Wilson compiled a 56-32 record, with a 3.62 ERA. In 1954, Wilson joined the staff of the Kansas Department of Revenue in Topeka and remained with the department for a 33-year career. Ed Wilson died in 2002 at the age of 73. Digital reproduction of the photograph was accomplished through a joint project sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society and the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame.
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