Joseph Black Jr. (1924 - 2002)

Born 8 Feb 1924 in Plainfield, Union, New Jersey

Husband of Gary Ann Giovanni — married 28 Nov 1964 (to about 1967) in Lockland, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States

Died 17 May 2002 at age 78 in Scottsdale, Maricopa, Arizona

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Biography

Joseph Black Jr. is Notable.

Joseph Black Jr. is a part of US Black heritage.

Joseph Black Jr. is best known as a major-league pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, and Washington Senators. He pitched for the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro Leagues, winning two championships.

Joseph was born in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1924. Joe was the son of Martha Watkins and Joseph Black. He served as a corporal in the Army during World War II.

Mr. Black is best known as a major-league pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, and Washington Senators. He pitched for the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro Leagues, winning two championships. After playing a year in the Dodger organization in the minor leagues, he made his debut with the Dodgers on May 1, 1952. He roomed with his former teammate, Jackie Robinson. Joe Black won the 1952 National League Rookie of the Year award, leading the Dodger pitching staff with 15 victories and 15 saves, mostly pitching in relief. He had a 2.15 ERA, but was 8 innings short of qualifying for the ERA title. In the 1952 World Series, the Dodgers were short on pitching and Joe was pressed into service in a starting role three times in seven days. He won Game One 4-2 over Allie Reynolds of the Yankees to become the first African-American pitcher to win a World Series game. Joe pitch well in Games Four and Seven, despite being over-worked, by scores of 2-0 and 4-2.

In the following five seasons, he added only an additional 15 wins and finished his career with a 30-12 record.

After his playing days, Joe was a scout for the Senators for two years and taught school at Hubbard Junior High School in his hometown of Plainfield, NY. In the 1970s, Mr. Black joined the Greyhound Corporation in Phoenix, AZ and became a Vice President. He was a member of the board of directors for the Baseball Assistance Team and worked for the newly-formed Arizona Diamondbacks team, beginning in 1998.^[1]

Joe's biography Joe Black: More Than a Dodger, co-written by his daughter, says that he was married and divorced seven times.^[2] Known marriages include:

• Doris Saunders, married 22 Oct 1947;^[3]and later divorced; Joe had one son and a step-daughter from this marriage.^[4]
• Gary Giovanni, married on 28 Nov 1964 in Lockland, Hamilton County, Ohio;^[5] Gary filed for divorce in 1967.^[6] Gary's obituary said they had a son together,^[7] though he is not mentioned in Joe's obituary.^[8]
• Mae Nell Miles, married 17 Feb 1968 in Schererville, Lake, Indiana^[9] and divorced in 1974; Joe had one daughter from this marriage and was awarded custody of her after the divorce.^[10]

Joe Black died of prostate cancer in 2002.

Sources

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Black
2. ↑ Martha Jo Black and Chuck Schoffner, Joe Black: More Than a Dodger (Chicago, Illinois: Academy Chicago Publishers, 2015), page 281.
3. ↑ "Joe Black," The Cincinnati Post [Ohio], 17 Apr 1956, page 20; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-post/135661712/ : accessed 23 Nov 2023).
4. ↑ Black and Schoffner, Joe Black: More Than a Dodger see index for pages related to "Black, Doris Saunders (wife)".
5. ↑ Ohio, Hamilton County, Marriage Records, Volume 703, page 482, Joseph Black and Gary Giovanni, 28 Nov 1964, Lockland, Ohio; image copy, Hamilton County Probate Court, Marriage Record Archives, (https://www.probatect.org : accessed 23 Nov 2023).
6. ↑ "Suits Filed, Common Pleas Court," The Cincinnati Enquirer [Ohio], 2 Feb 1967, page 12, column 4; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer/135659400/ : accessed 23 Nov 2023).
7. ↑ Gary Ann Giovanni obituary, The Cincinnati Enquirer [Ohio], 12 Aug 2005, page B4, column 4; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer-gary-ann-giovann/135658878/ : accessed 23 Nov 2023).
8. ↑ "Arizona, Payson, Obituaries, 1948-2008", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2W7-LJXF : 18 March 2018), Joseph Black Jr, 2002.
9. ↑ "Indiana, U.S., Marriage Certificates, 1960-2012," database, (Ancestry Record 61009 #1329970 : accessed 23 November 2023), Joseph Black and Mae Nell Miles, 17 Feb 1968 in Schererville, Lake, Indiana, citing certificate #68 003991; citing Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, IN, USA, Records of Marriage 1961-2005, Roll Number 02, Volume Number NA, Certificate Number 68 003991.
10. ↑ Black and Schoffner, Joe Black: More Than a Dodger, see index for pages related to "Black, Mae Nell (wife...)".

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4N3-DDF : accessed 27 July 2019), Joseph Black in household of Joseph Black, Plainfield, Union, New Jersey, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 110, sheet 4B, line 85, family 110, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1388; FHL microfilm 2,341,123.

• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4YC-XG1 : 15 March 2018), Joseph Black in household of Joseph Black, Ward 2, Plainfield, Plainfield City, Union, New Jersey, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 20-76, sheet 4B, line 62, family 118, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 2387.

• "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KMXF-SBV : 5 December 2014), Joseph Black, enlisted 27 Jul 1943, Newark, New Jersey, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.

30 Sept 1950 - Reentry into United States after playing baseball in Venesuela

• "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24TT-FGJ : 15 March 2018), Joseph Black, 1950; citing Immigration, New York City, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JPCZ-6NL : 20 May 2014), Joseph Black, 17 May 2002; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

• Find-grave memorial 6427531, Hillside Cemetery, Scotch Plaines, Union County, New Jersey. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6427531