Massachusetts Hall of Fame
Ed Devaney// Organizer		1994
Here is a man who is one of the most deserving of recognition for the Hall of Fame. A brief history, when he was a junior in the year of 1924. By the way he is 81 years young. Eddie went to the blacksmith shop on Tyngsboro Road in North Chelmsford to acquire some horseshoes. At recess time in elementary school he played horseshoes in the schoolyard. Like everyone else, started out at about 30 feet and thru a ¾ turn shoe. A great love for the game he wanted to do better. In 1926 he moved to Lowell. About 1930 to 1951 he has organized, researched, studied hard and became very knowledgeable on how to pitch. He erected a court on the South Common and started a league. There he instructed the game to hundreds of men, including myself at a latter date. He didn't find time for him to enter many tournaments being instructor for game. His only chance was a doubles tournament, the Greater Lowell, with partner Frank Lappin, which they won. Eddie traveled to nine World tournaments where he complied records and took movies of all the great pitchers, Fernando Isais, Ted Allen and many more. At one of the World tournaments he met Ottie Reno who was compiling information for a book. Ottie had many gaps in his compiling and Eddie made it possible for Ottie to fill these gaps in for his book titled "Pitching Champion Horseshoes". Through many years of research, Eddie gathered all information in learning the right way to pitch. His devotion and his dedication and love for the game were shared with all. Eddie is still a paid up member of the NHPA and subscriber of the Newsline since 1940. Eddie sent all his findings to Ottie by mail. Books never heard of, like "The Horseshoe Compendium" by lee Rose, "Pitching Techniques" by Roy W. Smith and "Science at the Stake" plus hundreds more, films of all the greats. If this isn't devotion and dedication I don't know what is. A giving person, Eddie helped hundreds of players do quite well. He is full of knowledge about the history of the game and all the Champions and the happenings of action packed games. An extremely self taught intelligent man of unselfishness. I highly recommend this man, and so do others, that he rightfully belongs with the other deservingly Hall of Famers.