Press Conference - Whitey Ford

Veteran New York Yankee pitcher Whitey Ford bids farewell at New York's Yankee Stadium May 30, 1967.  Whitey's teammate, Mickey Mantle, is seated atop dugout steps at right.

Mayor John V. Lindsay presents Whitey Ford with the medallion of the city of New York. Mickey Mantle receives the bronze medal of the city of New York. 1967 is the year Mantel hit 500 home runs. Ralph Houk, Lee MacPhail, Mickey Mantle, and Whitey Ford all speak briefly.

After the baseball awards, Lindsay makes a general statement about the New York Youth games. Groups representing 12 cities are in New York to compete in various sports like baseball and track and field.

Reporters ask questions for Lindsay, including questions about the resignation of Mitchell Sviridoff as the city's antipoverty administrator, who left for the Ford Foundation. There are some questions about Mitch Ginsberg, who is replacing Sviridoff.

Teacher's contract dispute. Impossible to predict if schools will open on time.

There are a lot of questions about the Kerner Commission, or the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, of which Lindsay was a member.

There are some questions about Newark's financial problems.

Police Department reform, police commissioner Howard Leary's idea of precinct houses as "a service center for the people." The removal of high desks at the precinct houses to make the precinct houses more welcoming.

The original tape ends with a spliced on, distorted, poor quality, WNYC outro. There is some rather odd outro music at the end, as well as some print through. It sounds like the press conference had taped over another show. The last few seconds of audio are: "From the House of the America's, we bring you Pan American Melodies."


Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection


WNYC archives id: 150360
Municipal archives id: T2536