March 31, 2012

A lifelong resident of Swifton (Jackson County), George Kell was a professional baseball player, announcer, and businessman. Born in 1922, Kell began his professional baseball career in the minor leagues before being picked up by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1944. He went on to play for four other teams, appearing in six All-Star Games and leading the American League in hitting in 1949. After the 1957 season, he retired and became an announcer, eventually becoming the “Voice of the Detroit Tigers.” In 1983, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.