The Legacy of Joltin Joe

by Joel Bahr M.F.A. ’13 | February 29, 2016

On a chilly January day in 1954, a newlywed couple climbed aboard a sleek Chris Craft pleasure cruiser and took to the San Francisco Bay to taste the salt water in the air and get some alone time. The groom, tall and handsome, was born in Martinez and knew the waters. His father had been a fisherman, and though the groom served in the Army during World War II, most everyone knew him as a ballplayer, a damned good one at that. In fact, for one magic summer in the Bronx 1941, he would collect a hit in 56 straight games as a member of the New York Yankees, a record that stands to this day. He, of course, was Joe DiMaggio; the buxom bride who had taken his hand and come aboard with him was Marilyn Monroe, and together they were sailing through a biting breeze on the 22-foot Joltin’ Joe, perhaps, just to get away from it all for a bit.

It’s stories like this that Ken Weseloh ’77 is working to preserve as the president of the Joe DiMaggio Hometown Hero Project. Weseloh, also a native son of Martinez, and the Hometown Hero Project have big plans to honor the Yankee Clipper in his hometown that include commissioning a mural, erecting a statue, creating a permanent museum, conducting interviews about DiMaggio for an oral history compilation, and finding a home for the Joltin’ Joe, which, after years of deterioration in the Martinez Marina, has been restored to its original glory.

To help re-establish DiMaggio’s legacy in the Bay Area, Weseloh is currently fundraising and promoting awareness for the project, and he’s brought on some big names to help him thus far—including another Bay Area Hall of Famer, Tony La Russa, who is serving as an honorary member of the board of directors.