Phil S. Dixon, in partnership with the Kansas Humanities Council, will give the presentation “The Kansas City Monarchs in Your Hometown” on Tuesday at the TCHS campus.

Traditionally, the historical society offers guest speakers and presentations several months of the year, but the COVID-19 pandemic halted that routine. The October program will be the first monthly presentation since the pandemic began in early 2020.

This fall also marks the 40th anniversary of the Tonganoxie Community Historical Society.

Tuesday’s presentation will start at 7 p.m. in the Reno Church sanctuary and then refreshments will follow next door in the barn on the TCHS campus, 201 W. Washington St.

Dixon’s presentation focuses on the Kansas City Monarchs, a club formed in the 1920s that revolutionized baseball.

Not only were the Monarchs charter members of the Negro National League and the first professional team to use outdoor lighting, the Monarchs also sent more players to the major leagues than any other Negro League franchise. This presentation explores the exciting early barnstorming days of the Monarchs, highlights great players such as Wilbur “Bullet” Rogan, Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson who wore the uniform, and connects the spirit of the Monarchs to the many Kansas communities in which they played.

Where possible, specific games and players from your community will be discussed.

According to Dixon’s website, nlbalive.com, he’s a road warrior, a veracious interviewer, a tireless researcher and writer who’s interviewed more than 500 players, wives and their offspring for a unique perspective of the American and Negro League baseball experience, works for which he won a SABR MacMillan Award (Society of American Baseball Researchers) for his excellence in historical research. He’s best known for seven non-fiction books, including “The Negro Baseball Leagues A Photographs History, 1867-1955,” a Casey Award winner as the best baseball book of the year in 1992.

He is a proud member of SABR, the Missouri Writers Guild, the IBWAA (Internet Baseball Writers Association of America) and serves on the National Advisory Board for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. His work has been praised by a range of luminaries from Fay Vincent “Baseball Commissioner” to Stephen Jay Gould the famous “American Paleontologist.” Dixon is a Humanities Kansas presenter and a past Missouri Humanities speaker. His most resent adventure was presenting in more than 200 American cities and internationally into Canada with a presentation titled the “Kansas City Monarchs In Our Hometown,” in an effort to improve race relations. In true barnstorming fashion, he drove the entire route that covered 17 states and more than 75,000 miles. His presentations and books are a fluid mix for those who enjoy professional journalism that is both humorous and insightful.

According to his website, Dixon’s motto is “why bore your audiences and readers with sabermetrics when a touch of humor and non-sports history will suffice.”

Baseball’s quintessential barnstormer is a designation he embraces.

His latest release, “The Dizzy and Daffy Dean Barnstorming Tour; Race, Media and America’s National Pastime,” continues that tradition. His writings are illustrated with stories and photographs which familiarize readers with baseball’s forgotten Negro stars through primary source research obtained during his many years of dedication to this topic. In addition to books, he owns copyrights for poems and a movie script.

He left home at 17 to pursue a musical career. He traveled the midwest and Southern Chitlin’ Circuit and journaled his experiences. He returned to Kansas City where he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. His freelance writing for the African American owned Kansas City Call led to a Major League press pass, which eventually landed him a job with the American League Kansas City Royals where he worked in public relations.

In 1990, he co-founded the Negro Leagus Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo.