HWS News
1 July 2026 • Alums • Athletics Preserving the History and Stories Behind the Game
Stephen Wong ’89 helps bring Dodgers' history to life.
For baseball fans, a uniform, glove, baseball card or ticket stub may seem like a simple keepsake. For Trustee Stephen Wong ’89, those artifacts are pieces of a larger story; one that connects generations of fans to the people, moments and cultural milestones that have shaped America’s pastime.
That passion for preserving baseball history was on display when the Los Angeles Dodgers unveiled a major memorabilia exhibition at Dodger Stadium on June 4, 2026, featuring artifacts from Wong’s collection and the club's archives. Wong, a nationally recognized baseball historian, author and collector whose work has helped bring the sport's rich history to audiences around the world, worked closely with the Dodgers’ project team for over four months to curate the exhibition which spans the franchise's history, from its roots in Brooklyn to its evolution into one of baseball's most iconic organizations. The three-year exhibition features national treasures such as game-worn uniforms and game-used bats of Brooklyn Dodgers legends Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider and Gil Hodges, as well as uniforms and gloves of Cy Young Award recipients Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Fernando Valenzuela, Oral Hershiser and Clayton Kershaw.
The exhibition also commemorates the memorabilia timeline of Jackie Robinson’s Dodgers career from 1947 to 1956 and post-baseball activities from an Opening Day 1947 program from his MLB debut; a “1947 Rookie of the Year” pin-back button; and a 1950 Jackie Robinson All-Stars barnstorming program. The 1957 “Time to Score for Civil Rights, Give-Join NAACP” poster on display was originally owned by Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s widow who championed her husband’s legacy after his passing at age 53 in 1972.
Wong has spent decades building one of the most respected collections of baseball memorabilia in the country. His expertise extends far beyond collecting. He has organized and supported exhibitions at museums and cultural institutions across the United States, helping transform artifacts into educational experiences that reveal the deeper significance of the game.
For Wong, that work has been a calling. Reflecting on his involvement with the Baseball: America’s Home Run exhibition which was at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington D.C. from April 2022 to January 2025, he described it as "one of the most important projects of my entire life," a statement that illustrates the depth of his commitment to preserving the historical context and stories behind the artifacts.
“I’ve been attending MLB baseball games since my childhood. It’s an endearing pastime I have cherished for my entire life. But I’ve always felt something was missing amongst the home runs, diving catches, shutouts, seventh inning stretches, hot dogs, peanuts, Cracker Jacks and beer. The rich and extensive history behind the teams we were watching on the field were missing from the ballpark experience. In fact, other than the remarkable collection at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, the history of baseball through memorabilia was virtually non-existent in public venues. I wanted to do something about that.”
Preserving the History and Stories Behind the Game
The Dodgers exhibit reflects Wong’s observations and philosophy. Throughout his career, Wong has emphasized that memorabilia serves as a gateway to history. A game-worn uniform can tell the story of a championship season. A bat can illuminate an athlete's journey. Even the smallest artifact can reveal something about the era in which it was used. His acclaimed books, including Smithsonian Baseball: Inside the World’s Finest Private Collections and Game Worn: Baseball Treasures from the Game’s Greatest Heroes and Moments, explore baseball history through the objects that witnessed it firsthand.
Wong’s approach is rooted in a belief that baseball history mirrors American history. Through artifacts connected to Jackie Robinson's barrier-breaking career and generations of players who followed, exhibitions provide opportunities to explore themes of perseverance, social change, and cultural identity.
From museum galleries in Washington, D.C., to exhibits celebrating one of baseball's most storied franchises, Wong continues to connect fans with the game's enduring legacy. His work ensures that baseball's past remains accessible to future generations and demonstrates how a passion for history can become a vehicle for education, storytelling and preservation.
For Wong, baseball's past is about more than just collecting. It is about safeguarding and promoting the history and stories that define the game and sharing them with the generations still to come so that fans will have a much more profound and deeper appreciation of our national pastime.
