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Those Who Died That Others Might Be Free

 

Art Keller

Date and Place of Birth: July 28, 1916 Octavia, Nebraska
Date and Place of Death: September 29, 1944 Vosges, France
Baseball Experience: Minor League
Position: Catcher
Rank: Corporal
Military Unit: 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division
Area Served: European Theater of Operations

Art Keller was a semi-pro All-American and with the St Louis Browns for Spring Training in 1943. Then military service beckoned and the young catcher was off to serve his nation in Europe.

Ardys B "Art" Keller was born on a farm near Octavia, Nebraska on July 28, 1916. After graduating from high school in 1934 he played baseball for two years in the Elkhorn Valley League. In 1936 and 1937, Keller was behind the plate for the Nebraska Powers, the semi-pro team of the Iowa-Nebraska Light and Power Company of Lincoln. The Powers were Nebraska State champions in 1937 and Keller was an All-State selection. That same year the Powers traveled to Wichita, Kansas for the national semi-pro tournament where Keller was named All-American for his outstanding play. ¹

In 1938 the 6-foot 190 pound catcher was invited to join the House of David - a barnstorming team with a religious background renowned for their long hair and beards. "Will give you one sixty (£160.00) per month," wrote the House of David manager, John R Tucker, to Keller in January 1938. "You to pay your meals and laundry, and we will take care of hotels and transportation." ² Keller, 24, traveled through 44 states and parts of Canada with the House of David.

Keller signed a professional contract with the St Louis Browns' organization in 1939 and was assigned to the Springfield Browns of the Three-I League where he batted .266. At the end of the season he married Ruth Peters from his hometown of Octavia. ³

1940 was Keller's second season with Springfield and he raised his average to .280, taking it up even further to .293 in 1941. He joined the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association in 1942, batted .269 and was one of five catchers on the Browns' Spring Training roster for 1943. ⁴

Keller returned to Toledo for more seasoning for 1943 and entered military service at the end of the year. He was assigned to an infantry training unit at Camp Blanding, Florida where he attained the rank of corporal and served as an instructor. ⁵

In July 1944, Keller was sent to Italy with the 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. For six weeks in Italy he was stationed with his brother, Dale, before his division was transferred to France. ⁶

The 36th Infantry Division fought the enemy in the Vosges region of France. They met with bitter resistance in the thick wilderness and their were constant fierce clashes with German units. ⁷ Corporal Art Keller, the 28-year-old former catcher, was killed in action on September 29, 1944.

"Mrs Ruth E Keller," stated the local paper upon learning of his death, "received a telegram from the War Department Saturday forenoon stating that her husband, Cpl Ardys B Keller, was killed in action in France on September 29." ⁸


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Notes

1 unidentified press clipping
2 letter to Keller from John R Tucker, manager of the House of David baseball team dated January 24, 1938
3 unidentified press clipping
4 The Sporting News, November 2, 1944
5 ibid
6 ibid
7 36th Infantry Division (Desfosses-Neogravure 1945)
8 unidentified press clipping

 

Added July 15, 2006. Updated January 23, 2008.

 

Copyright © 2008 Gary Bedingfield (Baseball in Wartime). All Rights Reserved.