By Joe D’Amodio | damodio@siadvance.com
A Vietnam veteran, Dan Ingellis knows all about finishing tasks and completing the mission. That’s why when Ingellis’ good friend, Andy Mele, the Advance’s Staten Island Memories columnist and Island author, unexpectedly passed away last week, Ingellis had one thing on his mind: finishing the job for Mele.
Ingellis, 73, had done research on some of Mele’s published books for the past 12 years, and Mele once again summoned Ingellis, a former New York City Police Detective, to do some research on three Staten Islanders — Julie Bowers, Fred “Sonny” Logan and Glen Mosley — who played in baseball’s Negro Leagues. The three Islanders, in fact, played together on the New York Black Yankees.
Mele had wanted to write two stories — one on Bowers and another on Logan and Mosley — for his Advance Memories’ column and then author another book on the Negro Leagues, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
“I have been doing a research project on the Negro Baseball League for Andy,” said Ingellis, who resides in New Springville. “He was a great friend of mine and I have done previous work (photography and research) on his four baseball books he authored. Andy was planning on authoring a book on the Negro League and I was doing the research for him.”
Since March, during the pandemic, Ingellis had read nine books about the Negro Leagues to try to find out more information about Bowers, Logan and Mosley, all of whom have passed. The latter two are members of the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame.
“The nine books came at a good time because I had nothing to do — like everyone else — during the pandemic,” said Ingellis with a laugh. “But I learned a lot about the history of the Negro Leagues.”
Ingellis had compiled most of the information he needed to give Mele a couple of weeks ago, but got sidetracked when Mele fell ill and died.
As recently as this week, Ingellis was putting the final touches on his research.
But instead of presenting his findings to Mele, he handed over his research to the Advance sports department with the hope the newspaper could use the information and write about Bowers, Logan and Mosley.
In recognizing the great players who competed in the Negro Leagues — including three of our own — the Advance is more than happy to use Ingellis’ research to write a story on each player beginning in September to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the loop.
“I know Andy would be very happy about that,” said Ingellis, who knew Mele for 15 years but said it felt more like a lifetime because that’s the way Andy made you feel. “I’m also trying to get someone to write that book about the Negro Baseball League that Andy was hoping to write.
“It’s the least I can do for all that Andy has done.”
