Watch the video of the treatment below, and read about the process in the caption.
Then, scroll down for a personal account from our client and Guest Contributor, Tom Livergood.
The booklet exhibited vertical creasing throughout the sheets. The paper showed age related discoloration and yellowing. The lower edge of the booklet had small tears with additional tears at the lower edge of the spine. The booklet was bound at the spine by staples. Areas along the edge of the spine were cracking from handling and opening the booklet. The paper had a light layer of surface grime. The inside of the booklet had graphite notations made in areas on the game's score page.
The booklet was photographed for in-house documentation before and after treatment. The paper was surface cleaned with eraser crumb and a soft brush to reduce surface soiling. Tears were repaired with Japanese tissue and wheat paste, and thin tissue was added to stabilize the spine. The booklet was retouched to integrate areas of loss at the spine. The tissue repairs at the spine and the areas of loss were compensated with colored pencils. A custom cream-colored half linen clamshell box with a paper label was fabricated to house the booklet. We recommend clamshell boxes for items like this because the robust protection offers a sturdy, rigid structure that shields the booklet from moisture, dust, and physical handling damage. The design ensures easy access while preventing bending or creasing, thereby preserving the booklet’s integrity, and enhancing its longevity.
Grandchildren Wonder: How did Grandpa get such a hot ticket?
Preserving not just a program, but the story of a family’s business.
Written by Guest Contributor Tom Livergood
How in the world did a 39-year-old small town entrepreneur in downstate Illinois, in the depths of the Great Depression no less, get a ticket to what turned out to be one of the most famous games in all of sport? Known as the Babe Ruth “Called Shot” World Series game, it featured the Chicago Cubs vs. the New York Yankees at Wrigley Field in Chicago on October 1, 1932. In the 5th inning, Babe Ruth pointed to the outfield bleachers with his bat, then promptly hit a home run.
It was my grandfather, Ober W. Livergood, Sr., who was the holder of that prized ticket and in the stands for that game. He was an up-and-coming grain elevator entrepreneur, later starting with his brother, Ross Livergood – both near Decatur, Illinois – Livergood Grain. They were an active trader in the grain futures markets on the Chicago Board of Trade, so the Livergood grandchildren speculate their grandfather was likely the benefactor of the Board of Trade treating one of its best customers. While not confirmed, he was likely joined by this brother and soon-to-be business partner, Ross.
OW and Ross Livergood, circa mid-1950s.
Fortunately, “OW” as he was known, accurately scored the entire game’s 9 innings in his 25-cent souvenir program, as he penciled-in with an “H” Ruth’s home run. He saved it and before he died in 1962, passed it onto his son (who was my father), Ober Livergood, Jr., who carried on the family business with his brothers, Jack and Bob.
In an interesting twist of Chicago sport, Livergood Grain was acquired in the mid-1970s by A.E. Staley Manf., headquartered in Decatur, Illinois and at the time a Fortune 1000 company and rival to ADM. This is the same A.E. Staley who in 1920 bankrolled Papa George Halas to form the Staley Bears, before Halas decided to move the team to Chicago and it became the NFL-founding Chicago Bears.
A painting of Livergood Grain Co., circa mid-1960s.
Years later and before OW’s son, Ober, Jr. died in 1994, he passed this proud heirloom of the family onto me, his youngest son. I have known Heather Becker, CEO of the Chicago Conversation Center for almost 20 years since I founded my own company, The Family Wealth Alliance. Since our company’s private family connections benefit from the specialized services of the Center, I had the confidence to ask Heather if she would look into restoring this special 92-year-old program and determine the best way to display it.
The memorabilia prior to treatment.
The verso of the memorabilia prior to treatment.
Most recently, an heirloom of far greater monetary value from that same eventful day was successfully auctioned. The jersey worn by Babe Ruth in that World Series game was purchased by a collector for a cool $24 Million (see Babe Ruth’s ‘called shot’ jersey sells at auction for over $24 million, Chicago Tribune, August 25, 2024).
Myself and my extended family are content knowing that their own heirloom is now properly and safely restored, plus it is digitalized so that everyone can view it anytime. Even more special is restoring and passing on the memory Grandpa OW & Great Uncle Ross Livergood’s success in the family business – and carried on by their sons and three of their grandsons – that is also tied to two proud Chicago sports franchises: the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears.
The booklet after treatment.
The interior of the booklet after treatment.
The custom clamshell box.
