Paris in Edgar County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Tom Sunkel

Photographed by Jason Voigt, December 15, 2021

1. Tom Sunkel Marker

Inscription. Tom Sunkel was born on a farm just a few miles west of Paris. With the help of his uncle Paul McFall and his wife to be Ivadean he embarked on a 20 year journey in professional baseball. He distinguished himself as a pitcher with an amazing fastball. After several years in the minors he was summoned to the St. Louis Cardinals for the final month of the 1937 season. In 1938 he was sent to the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association then a farm team of the Cardinals. He won the Southern Association Triple Crown going 21-5 with an ERA of 2.33 and 178 strikeouts. All of this was accomplished while adjusting to the effects of a developing cataract. Despite this he was called up again to the Cardinals in 1939 where he won with a 2 hitter against the Giants. He stayed with the Cardinals organization until 1941. By this time he had lost all sight in his left eye. He pitched for the New York Giants for portions of the 1941-43 seasons and the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944. His final moment of glory came on September 12, 1946 when he pitched a no hit - no run playoff game for the St. Paul Saints of the American Association against

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the Louisville Colonels. On completion of his playing days in 1948 he returned to Paris and managed the Paris Lakers of the Class D Mississippi - Ohio Valley League from 1951-1954 in a park just a few hundred feet to the west of this site. Tom and Dean were devoted to baseball and each other for over 65 years.

May they rest in peace.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Sports. A significant historical date for this entry is September 12, 1946.

Location. 39° 38.007′ N, 87° 41.696′ W. Marker is in Paris, Illinois, in Edgar County. It can be reached from West Steidl Road west of North Main Street (Illinois Route 1). Marker is on the back of Sunkel's gravestone, which is located at Saint Mary's Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 108 W Steidl Rd, Paris IL 61944, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Illinois

and in the Wabash Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the

Photographed by Jason Voigt, December 15, 2021

2. Tom Sunkel Marker

Saint Mary's Cemetery (by the east entrance)

territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Paris Illinois (approx. 0.3 miles away); Korean War Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Edgar County World Wars I and II Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Vietnam War Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Operation Iraqi Freedom (approx. 0.3 miles away); Abraham Lincoln - Eighth Judicial District (approx. 1½ miles away); American Revolution War Memorial - Edgar County Illinois (approx. 1½ miles away); Millstones Long in the Service of Pioneers (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Paris.

Also see . . .
1. Tom Sunkel on Wikipedia. (Submitted on December 16, 2021, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)
2. Tom Sunkel (MLB.com). (Submitted on December 16, 2021, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)
3. Tom Sunkel (Baseball-reference.com). A complete listing of his MLB statistics (Submitted on December 16, 2021, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)

Photographed by Unknown

3. Tom Sunkel

undated photo; public domain image cropped

Photographed by Jason Voigt, December 15, 2021

4. Tom Sunkel Marker

Marker is on the back of this gravestone

Credits. This page was last revised on December 16, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 16, 2021, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 446 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 16, 2021, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.