Lon Warneke - Early Years

Early Years

Lonnie Warneke, which was his baptismal name, was born March 28, 1909, the fourth of five children to Louis W. ("Luke") Warneke and Martha Belle Scott Warneke in Owley, Arkansas, six miles south of Mount Ida, the county seat of Montgomery County. Mount Ida had a population of 298 in 1920 and 512 in 1930. Luke Warneke (who stood 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)) had homesteaded 160 acres and was a successful farmer in the farming community of Owley, which consisted of fifteen families. Montgomery County was one of the most rural and sparsely populated counties of Arkansas; by 1910 its population had peaked at 12,455. At the time of Lon Warneke's birth the county had no paved roads, no electricity, and no running water. Luke Warneke, from 1907 to 1913, was in charge of improving the county roads and, using the newly acquired road graders drawn by eight mules, he made major improvements to the roads throughout the county, transforming them from dirt trails often overgrown by brush, pocketed by mud holes, and punctured by tree stumps, to passable, graded two-lane (wagon) roads—although still unpaved. Electricity and running water would not come to most of the county until the 1930s.

Young Lonnie Warneke attended grade school in the one-room schoolhouse in Owley. He soon grew to be among the tallest students in the tiny school. He helped his father on the farm and did chores for his mother. In his free time, he enjoyed the outdoors, hunted and fished; he also played the guitar and fiddle—pursuits that would occupy him his entire life. "Lonnie Warneke is a country boy. He loves hunting dogs and good guns, the trails and loneliness of the wilderness in the rugged mountains surrounding his old home." Even after he became a professional ballplayer, he would return to the country and enjoy the outdoors—as well as play in ballgames with the locals. Because the school in Owley went only through "middle school" years, Warneke attended the nearest high school, that in Mount Ida. Because of his 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) stature, Warneke played first base for the high school team. In his final year he was pressed into service as a relief pitcher: Warneke faced a semi-professional team and struck out five of six batters he faced. Warneke also played for the Mount Ida Athletics, a squad that played Montgomery County area teams.