Doc Sykes 

Frank Jehoy Sykes 

Frank Jehoy Sykes was born on April 10, 1892 in Decatur, Alabama and grew up in the northwestern part of the city. 

Family Background 

In the 1840s Dr. Frank W. Sykes, a white physician, married Elizabeth Garth, the daughter of General Jesse W. Garth (commissioned in the War of 1812) who owned a great deal of land, plantations and slaves (about 200) throughout Morgan County in Alabama and surrounding counties. 

The newlyweds purchased the plantation of George W. Foster and Sykes retired his practice to run the plantation. Later, he was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives and Senate. 

Baltimore Afro-American 4/8/1933 

When [Dr. Frank W. Sykes] married the daughter of a wealthy slave owner, he received as a wedding present a beautiful young slave girl who became the “house girl” in the family and the mother of six children while the white wife became the mother of five. 

The father…took good care of his colored offspring and they emerged from the institution of slavery with a substantial start on farm lands near here. 

The “beautiful young slave girl” was named Laura Sykes, born circa 1822; her oldest son from Frank was Solomon Sharper Sykes who was born into slavery in August 1852 on the Garth/Sykes plantation. 

Solomon was Frank Jehoy Sykes’ father. Thus, Doc Sykes’ father was actually born a slave to his grandfather.

Parents 

Solomon Sykes put his inheritance to good use. He became a leading member of the African-American community in Decatur, striving to develop and promote opportunities within the black community to help groups and individuals thrive in their emerging roles in American society after emancipation. (His three brothers did as well, becoming a physician, a city councilman and a businessman. The family also founded the Sykes Cemetery.) In fact, the Sykes and Garth families were among the prominent in the local black community. 

Solomon was a leading member of the African American Board of Trustees for education in Decatur. As such, he helped create the first black schools in the area in the late 1800s. He was described as self-made and self-educated and owned a good bit of local real estate of which he owed not a penny in mortgage. He was also a leading community benefactor, aggressively supporting local schools, churches and businesses. It’s not overtly referred to but some of the lands bequeathed Solomon and his brothers were probably used for public schools and other community facilities. 

Available references cite his hand in various businesses, farming projects, approximately 18 rental homes and the local cemetery, Sykes Cemetery. He is listed in the U.S. Censuses as a farmer and saloonkeeper before ultimately running the leading local mortuary and funeral home. His reach and influences, and hence respect and admiration, was such that upon his death the entire community shut down for part of a day in his honor. (Solomon died on May 3, 1925) 

Doc Sykes in an interview said that his father supported the family initially through a saloon business before one of his older sons, who had founded the community’s primary undertaking business, passed away. Solomon then took over the mortuary and funeral home. 

Solomon married Ada Garth in 1880. She was born into slavery on a nearby plantation in September 1862. (She died on October 4, 1938) Doc Sykes later recalled that she was part American-Indian, but he was unsure of the tribal affiliation.

Siblings 

The Sykes, a Baptist family, had eight children, plus four that didn’t survive childhood: 

• Newman, December 1887
• Leo, May 1891
• Frank
• Mamie Estelle, September 1894
• Carl, June 1899
• Melvin, circa 1901
• Eunice, circa 1907 

Frank later told a chronicler that he was the seventh of 12 children. The rest were not identified.

Education 

At age 14, Frank began working in the family undertaking business, transporting bodies and assisting with other duties. He grew up playing sandlot baseball in Decatur with his brothers and friends. In an interview with John Holway, Sykes said he admired the skills of his oldest brother the most and used him as a role model. Sykes later recounted playing briefly in Chicago. He said he went to the city circa 1909 to take a class on embalming. No game accounts were found but the city had hundreds of clubs during this time with games being played daily throughout the town. Sykes describe his participation here as part of a “Sunday school league.” 

Sykes went to high school in Memphis, Tennessee. It’s been reported that he attended the LeMoyne Institute which may lead to the conclusion that he attended a high school afflicited with this institution.

Solomon and Ada were strong proponents of education and, consequently, all of their children attended college. Frank ultimately followed his brother Leo to Howard University in Washington, D.C. Frank studied dentistry.

First, Frank attended Atlanta Baptist College (ABC), today known as Morehouse College, for two years from 1910 to 1912.  

At Atlanta Baptist Frank played baseball for the school in 1911 and 1912. The school played in an intercollegiate league with Morris Brown College, Atlanta University and Clark University. ABC won the championship in 1911 and finished second in 1912 to AU. In the latter year, Sykes lost the pennant-deciding contest 3-1 on May 11, 1912. 

Atlanta Constitution 4/23/1911

Sykes entered Howard University in the fall of 1912 and remained until receiving his DDS degree in 1918. 

At Howard, he played baseball for four years, from 1913 to 1916. 

New York Age 4/20/1916

Baseball teammates at Howard include: 

• George Brice
• George Gilmore
• Hudson “Hutty” Oliver
• Bullet Slaughter
• Wabishaw “Doc” Wiley 

Researching sports at Howard during this time is a bit confusing because his brother Leo was also there. It appears that Leo played center field for the champion Howard club in 1912. Whether he played in subsequent seasons is undetermined. Frank played for Atlanta Baptist in 1912 and game accounts show a Sykes playing for both colleges within days of each other. Hence, the Howard University Sykes must be Leo at that time. No box scores were found at Howard listing two Sykes on the field at the same time. 

Frank told interviewer John Holway that he also played varsity basketball for 4 years at Howard. However, Leo also played and appears to have been the stronger player. A Sykes playing left forward for Howard is listed every winter from 1911 into1917.  

Baltimore Afro-American 6/12/1926

(Leo’s grave marker at Sykes Cemetery notes a birth date of May 7, 1890 and death on July 18, 1943. He was a Sergeant in the military during WWI.)

Furthermore, this article shows that Leo was a star basketball player:

New York Age 3/29/1917

At Howard Frank joined the Omega Psi Fraternity. 

Frank Sykes later boasted to Holway that he never lost a college game but that doesn’t pan out with found game accounts. Even if limited to Howard University, it’s not correct.

Type of Ballplayer 

Doc Sykes was a righthanded pitcher, a side-armer, whose later career was defined by the spitball, a pitch he threw with one of three velocities – slow, slower, slowest. In the Chester Times on 14 August 1914, he is “known as the black Walter Johnson.” Being early in his career, this suggests that he may have started with a decent fastball; however, no references were found to support a legitimate comparison to the heat Johnson threw.

Sykes told Holway that indeed he did have decent speed in his youth, “I was a strikeout pitcher until I learned better.” He found that he could take the stress off his arm by relying on the spitter which was thrown at a greatly-reduced speed. The stress it could be said was transferred to the batter.  His slow spitter broke away from righthanded batters and he mixed it with a rising fastball.

A righthanded batter, Sykes also played first base throughout his career. His strong arm also allowed him time in the outfield on rare occasions. He is listed as 6’2” and 185 pounds by James A. Riley and that’s mimicked by the Negro League Database. However, he appears to be taller than that. Louis Santop, who was a mountain of a man, was said to stand as tall as 6’4” by some. In the accompanying photo, Sykes appears to be taller than him. Similarly, Doc stands out in the 1917 Hilldale photo below. (In other photos Sykes appears just shorter than Santop)

Sykes was most-familiarly nicknamed “Doc,” obviously because of his dental degree. The Negro League Database also shows a moniker of “Sally.” 

Sykes played exclusively for eastern clubs swinging from Baltimore up into New York, professionally that is. He in fact hopped between clubs at times almost at a whim. It seems this had a lot to do with his studies and emerging dental practice; he needed to remain close to home, especially during the school year. 

Teams (all confirmed via contemporary accounts, except ?) 

• 1911 Atlanta Baptist College
• 1912 Atlanta Baptist College
• 1913 Howard University, Philadelphia Giants
• 1914 Howard University, New York Lincoln Giants, Brooklyn Royal Giants
• 1915 Howard University?, New York Lincoln Stars, Philadelphia Stars, Cuban Giants, Lincoln Stars, Brooklyn Royal Giants
• 1916 Howard University, Philadelphia Giants, Lincoln Stars, Brooklyn Royal Giants
• 1917 Hilldale Daisies, Lincoln Giants, Philadelphia All-Stars
• 1918 Hilldale Daisies
• 1919 Norfolk All-Stars
• 1920 Baltimore Black Sox
• 1921 Baltimore Black Sox, Harrisburg Giants
• 1922 Baltimore Black Sox, Hilldale Daisies, Harrisburg Giants
• 1923 Baltimore Black Sox, Hilldale Daisies
• 1924 Baltimore Black Sox 

 

Melvin Elijah Sykes

Some reports claim that Frank Sykes played for the Lincoln Giants and Hilldale Daisies in 1926 but it was not Frank; in fact, he relocated to Decatur before the season began. It was his younger brother Melvin. In fact, James A. Riley in his biographical encyclopedia even identified Frank as nicknamed Melvin. However, the 1926 accounts are all Melvin: 

• The above article from the Baltimore Afro-American dated 6/12/1926
• Baltimore Afro-American 6/19/1926 with Hilldale
• New York Age 8/7/1926 at second base for Lincoln Giants
• Baltimore Afro-American 8/7/1926 Hilldale recently releasing infielder Sykes 

Franks said that Melvin couldn’t hit a curve ball and thus didn’t stick with the top clubs.

Melvin was born on January 10, 1901 in Decatur and died in March 1984. He was a graduate of Morehouse College and also played baseball and basketball there. He became a physican, graduating from Meharry Medical College. 

1913-1914 

In a 1933 interview with Bill Gibson of the Baltimore Afro-American (5 August), Sykes proclaimed, “It was back in 1913 with the old Lincoln Giants [that I got my start]. I had done a little playing around Decatur (his home town) and in Chicago. I also played on the Howard University nine for four years, pitching and sometimes playing in the outfield.” 

Unfortunately, only one game account was found in 1913 and that was with the Philadelphia Giants, a 4-2 loss to the Brooklyn Royal Giants on September 14 with Sykes playing first base. 

New York Age 9/18/1913

The indication here is that after returning to Howard from summer break he got the opportunity for some cash playing ball. Note his teammate Oliver at shortstop, which is Howard teammate Hutty Oliver. Moreover, the third baseman that day was Frank Forbes, also a Howard man. 

Sykes’s first steady professional work indeed came with the New York Lincoln Giants of Harlem in 1914. Riley says that he obtained the job through his catcher at Howard, Wabishaw “Doc” Wiley, another dental student, who was five years older and had already been playing with the professionals. 

Sykes joined the club on May 31 after the college season ended. At the beginning of August, he moved to the Brooklyn Royal Giants. 

First Game for Lincoln on May 31, note Wiley (listed as “Wabisha”) catching: 

New York Age 6/4/1914

A 16-0 shutout soon followed on June 14: 

Brooklyn Eagle 6/15/1914

While playing ball in New York, Sykes also worked as a red cap at Penn and Grand Central Stations.

1915-1916 

In interviews Sykes intimated that he played baseball for Howard in 1915. If he did, he left the club by May and joined the professional squads. The Amateur Athletic Union was rather relaxed in its enforced of the mixing of amateurism and professionalism until the Jim Thorpe affair. Moreover, it’s not clear if they were much concerned with black institutions anyway. 

Sykes appeared with three professional clubs in May, probably in an effort to remain close to home to maintain his academic responsibilities. On May 1 he appeared with the Lincoln Stars. Throughout the rest of the month and into early June, he played for the Philadelphia Giants. On May 17, Doc appeared for a club called the Cuban Giants which bore no relation to the famed squad of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. In fact, it appears to be a second-tier club with ballplayers named Fells, Randolph, Green, Cooper, Falkenberg, Wade, Kelly and Smith. 

By June 12, Sykes rejoined the Lincoln Stars and played with them into September. On September 20, he appears in the Brooklyn Royal Giants lineup. 

Likewise, he moved around a bit in 1916: 

• March to May, Howard University
• Late May to mid-June, Philadelphia Giants
• At Least June 20 to September 19, Lincoln Stars
• Early September and At least September 23 to October 12, Brooklyn Royal Giants 

Sykes and catcher Louis Santop together jumped the Stars for the Royal Giants in early September but seemed to vacillate between the clubs. 

New York Age 9/23/1916

1917 

In 1917, Sykes’ academic career was winding down and he seems to have played ball somewhat sparingly. 

In mid-May he signed with Ed Bolden of the Hilldale Daisies. His first two starts for the club were shutout victories. He continued with the club at least into July. In August, Doc pitched for the Lincoln Giants in the “World Series” versus the western Chicago American Giants. Chicago won the 7-game contest 4-3. Sykes registered all the loss but also had a save. In the August-13 game, he battled Frank Wickware for 12 innings, finally suffering the 1-0 loss. Sykes also appeared in a game for a hastily assembled club called the Philadelphia All-Stars, which also included Spots Poles, Bill Pettus, Bunny Downs and others. 

(James Riley lists Sykes with the Brooklyn Royal Giants in 1917 but no such game accounts were found) 

1917 Hilldale Daisies

Ed Bolden in suit, Sykes top right 

(Hilldale was in the process of converting its squad to a top-rate professional one. The photo shows the early group. Numerous star players would soon start flooding in. Note: this photo appears to be reversed) 

1918-1919 

When Sykes was drafted and called for his physical in 1917 during World War I, he asked for a deferment to finish his studies. He did graduate in 1918 but U.S. Army records show that he was active from December 18, 1917 until April 21, 1919. (His brother Leo, a sergeant, also served in the Army) 

He was stationed stateside and found time to finish his studies and graduate in 1918. He also played a few games for Hilldale in May. 

The Baltimore Sun on 16 April 1920 lists Sykes as playing for the Norfolk All-Stars in 1919. This suggests that he was stationed in the Virginia area. 

According to James A. Riley, Sykes set up his first dental practice in Anniston, Alabama. By the end of 1919 however, he moved to Baltimore and established himself there. (He’s listed in the society pages by October) 

1920-1921 

Sykes joined the Baltimore Black Sox in 1920 and would play with the club through 1924. He played the entire 1920 and ’21 seasons with the club, into November each year. 

On August 29, 1920, he took a no-hitter into the 9^th inning but lost, 2-1. Two errors by infielders and the inability to field two bunts himself accounted for the loss. The Sox only run came off a Sykes homer. 

On September 22, 1921, he also pitched for the Harrisburg Giants. 

1922 

Doc pitched the entire 1922 season for the Black Sox, into November. Indications are that he had his finest season at age 30, as did the Sox. At home, the club was 52-19-2 plus a forfeit – thus, claiming the title “Champions of the South.” In 27 starts, Sykes posted a 22-4 mark with 6 shutouts. Overall, he was said to register over 30 victories. 

Baltimore Afro-American 12/8/1922

On September 11 (not the 16^th as so often reported), he posted a no-hitter against the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants; though, he lost a perfect game in the ninth. According to historian John Holway, the first batter in that inning hit a ball to third that was booted. The opposing pitcher, Sam Skeeter, cede only 4 hits, 2 to Sykes. 

Baltimore Sun 9/12/1922

On October 15, Sykes shut out a mixed major league nine: 

Baltimore American 10/16/1922

 

In 1922, he also played for: 

• Hilldale, at least 2 games, one on September 4
• Harrisburg Giants, September 28 

1923-1924 

The Black Sox joined the Eastern Colored League in 1923, the first successful top-ranked league in the East. Sykes continued with the club but according to Riley his playing time was reduced. Less than a year after his spectacular 1922 season, he was released for ineffectiveness in mid-August – after several rough outings: 

• Knocked out of the box in third inning on July 19
• The August 3 Baltimore Afro-American headlined: “Sykes is Hammered”
• The August 10 issue headlined: Sykes Spitballist is Chased” 

As the Baltimore Afro-American (17 August) declared, he was “unable to pitch winning ball.” He then pitched at least one game for Hilldale on August 19. 

In a sign of the split with the Black Sox, Sykes placed a classified ad in a local paper: 

Baltimore Afro-American 9/7/1923

The Black Sox completely revamped for the 1924 season. For one, Sykes was brought back but there was friction with field manager Pete Hill. Sykes balked at traveling with the club, citing the demands of his practice, and was released on July 27. His final game was on the 20^th, an ineffective relief appearance. 

Baltimore Afro-American 7/25/1924 

Doc Sykes relieved Force in the fifth, but the onslaught was too great and the visitors continued to hammer the old pill to all corners of the lot at will. 

From the Baltimore Afro-American on 5 August 1933: 

Outside of Baseball 

Sykes’ baseball career was over in July 1924, but this just gave him more time to devote to his more lucrative dental career

 located at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Lanvale Street. 

Over the years, he also occupied his time: 

• Watching boxing matches, especially enjoying Joe Louis
• Loved to hit the race track, Pimlico, daily for stretches at a time
• Competitive bowling
• Competitive billiards
• Officiating local basketball contests
• Traveling to California and Alabama to visit relatives
• Member of the Elks
• Member of the Masons
• Member of the National Dental Association
• Officer of the Maryland Dental Society 

In mid-1926 he married Alice West, a Baltimore elementary school teacher who was a 1924 graduate of Temple University. A Media, Pennsylvania native born circa 1903, she ran track and played basketball in college. (She died on August 4, 1992) The couple had four children, Alice, Charles, Frank and Lawrence. 

In 1925, Doc’s father passed away and, consequently, moved back to Decatur in March 1926 to oversee the family finances, including the funeral home, tend to his mother and to see to the education of his youngest sister. 

In March 1931, nine young males between the ages of 13 and 19 were arrested for the alleged rape of two white females on a train and remitted to Jackson County Jail in Scottsboro, Alabama. Thus, they became famously known as the Scottsboro Boys. 

Within two weeks, they were tried, convicted and sentenced to death by an all-white jury. The ensuing uproar led to numerous retrials through 1937 and changes to the Southern trial system. 

During the retrial of one of the boys on March 30, 1933, Sykes testifies to the inherent unfairness of the Southern justice system – specifically that it systematically excluded African-Americans from sitting on juries. He presented the court with a list of over 200 names of African-Americans he deemed qualified to sit on a jury. His testimony was dismissed at the time by the white legal system in Alabama but it highlighted the need for integrated juries. 

Sykes also contributed behind the scenes. He helped house northern reporters and ferry them from house to house as they became a target of the KKK and other agitators. At least one of the car trips became harried as they came upon some KKK backers. 

He also drove a couple of the accused home upon their release. Naturally, he came under fire for his participation. He received hate mail, death threats and a cross was burned on the property outside his dental office building on Bank Street – which also housed the family’s funeral home. 

In late 1937, the Sykeses returned to Baltimore and Doc re-established his practice at the corner of Monument and Caroline Streets. 

On November 10, 1986, Frank Jehoy Sykes passed away in a Baltimore hospital from complications of pulmonary pneumonia at age 94. His ashes were scattered on the campus of Morehouse College. 

SOURCE LIST 

• Ancestry.com
• Atlanta Constitution, 1911-1912, 1916
• Baltimore Afro-American, 1914-1928, 6 April 1935, 8 January 1938, 2 December 1972, 15 January 1977
• Baltimore American, 16 October 1922
• Baltimore City, “The First Colored Professional, Clerical and Business Directory of Baltimore City, 9^th Annual Edition, 1921-1922
• Baltimore City, “The First Colored Professional, Clerical and Business Directory of Baltimore City, 13th Annual Edition, 1925-1926
• Baltimore Sun, 1920-1924, 18 November 1986, 8 August 1992
• Baseballhistoryblog.com
• Brooklyn Daily Star, 29 May 1916, 21 June 1916
• Brooklyn Eagle, 1913-1916
• California Eagle, Los Angeles, 1 February 1945, 8 January 1948
• Chester Times, Pennsylvania, 14 August 1914
• Chicago Defender, 1918, 8 December 1934
• Familysearch.com
• Findagrave.com
• Greensboro Daily News, North Carolina, 27 April 1912
• Harrisburg Patriot, Pennsylvania, 23 September 1921
• Holway, John. The Complete Book of Baseball’s Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History. Fern Park, Florida: Hastings House Publishers, 2001.
• Holway, John. Blackball Tales: Rollicking, all new, true Adventures of the Negro Leagues by the Men who lived and loved them. Springfield, Virginia: Scorpio Books, 2008.
• Indianapolis Freeman, 1909, 1914-1915
• Lanctot, Neil. Fair Dealing and Clean Playing: The Hilldale Club and the Development of Black Professional Baseball, 1910-1932. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 1994.
• McClean, Tony, “Former Negro League Pitcher Doc Sykes Remembered for Off-field Stand against Racism, Lasentinel.com, 20 May 2010
• McDaniel, Deangelo, “Local Historians nominate Center of Scottsboro Boys Trial for Sports Hall of Fame,” Decaturdaily.com, 15 September 1909
• Miller, Sammy J., “The Negro Leagues Courier: The Newsletter of SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee,” April 2000
• Negro League Database at Seamheads.com
• New York Age, 1911-1924, 4 September 1937, 8 February 1941
• Philadelphia Inquirer, 1917, 1922
• Richardson, Clement, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” Decaturcvb.org
• Richmond Times-Dispatch, 18 March 1915
• Riley, James A. The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. New York: Carroll and Graf Publishers, 1994.
• Saunders, James Edmonds. Early Settlers of Alabama, Part 1. L. Graham and Sons, Ltd., Printer, 1899 via Google Books
• Sykes, Alice M., “July 2004 in Alabama – A Genealogy Road Trip,” October 2004
• Washington Bee, 28 February 1914
• Wikipedia.org 

Plus numerous other contemporary references to verify movement between teams

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