A half century of Mets history was on display at Hofstra University from April 26-28.
The Long Island university located just 20 miles from Citi Field played host to a three-day conference called “50th Anniversary of the New York Mets”, which examined all aspects of the history and culture of the Amazins. Former Met players who made appearances at Hofstra included Rusty Staub, Bud Harrelson, Ed Kranepool, Art Shamsky and Ed Charles.
The three-day celebration of Mets history was also filled with cultural and baseball historians, sportswriters, statisticians, bloggers, biographers and some of the team’s many passionate fans.
The academic conference was dedicated in memory of Dr. Dana Brand, a Hofstra English professor who was a lifelong Mets fan. Brand, who was planning the conference when he died suddenly of a heart attack at age 56 last spring, authored Mets Fan in 2007 and The Last Days of Shea in 2009.
A Mets history exhibit created for the conference featuring a collection of photos, books and memorabilia will remain displayed on the 10th floor of the Axinn Library at Hofstra until May 31. The north side of Hofstra’s campus also features a statue of Casey Stengel wearing a Mets cap.
This piece was written and submitted by Andrew Coen. For more information on the New York Mets, check out the Daily Stache here. Also, follow the Daily Stache on Twitter by clicking this link.
