Ty Cobb’s strategic approach to giving contradicts everything we know of him. His journey to assess the needs of a community, perform due diligence, and set specific and personal giving criteria preceded many other philanthropists in his time. Today, we recall Ty Cobb as a fierce player and man, but his compassion and dedication to give back to his Georgian community is perhaps a more fitting legacy … and lesson for us all.
This picture of Eddie Collins, Zack Wheat, and Ty Cobb belonged to Senior Philanthropic Advisor, Kristin Nelson’s Great Grandmother (Granny Bess) who dated Zack after they had both “retired” to the Lakes of the Ozarks. There is a lot of family lore around the origins of the picture, but it is believed to have been taken by another friend and passed to Zack to procure the treasured autographs.