STARKVILLE — Starkville’s multi-million dollar Cornerstone Park, finally, has its centerpiece.
At the entrance to the park sits a bronze statue of the late Baseball Hall of Famer James “Cool Papa” Bell, dedicated on Friday with representatives from city government, Starkville Parks and members of Bell’s extended family.
“This is later than we originally intended,” Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill said of the ceremony. “We wanted to do this when we first cut the ribbon, but the good news is we can do this as a special dedication.”
The statue, created by Montana-based sculptor Gareth Curtiss, was commissioned by the city of Starkville in 2021. The work was delayed and the statue didn’t arrive until after the park’s grand opening in October 2023, but it arrived earlier this year and now sits at the entrance of the park.
The dedication was set for August to line up with the 50th anniversary of Bell’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
“We have an incredible history with baseball,” Spruill said, “including our College World Series in 2021 and the big recreational programs that we have as a huge part of our athletics programs that we obviously intend to keep on doing. Cool Papa Bell, however, … is our celebrity baseball player and is our only (native) Baseball Hall of Famer. So this is a real opportunity for us to talk about him and to dedicate this statue.”
Bell’s family was represented on the day by Allen Marie Landfair and her husband, Joseph Landfair. They were both educators and coaches for several years in area public schools, notably B.L. Moor High School where they both taught one young Jerry Rice. Both still live in Oktibbeha County.
“We’re very thankful to the city of Starkville for this third time recognizing Cool Papa Bell,” Allen Marie Landfair said. “First at McKee Park, second at Mississippi State (where a mural stands at Cool Papa Bell Plaza in Dudy Noble Stadium), and now here. To have him at the entrance to such an outstanding park is a compliment to the family. When you honor him you honor all of his relatives, and there are many here in Starkville.”
An illustrious career
Bell was born in Starkville in 1903, where he grew up and worked at the university’s creamery until he moved to St. Louis at 17 years old.
There he joined a club team as a pitcher before the St. Louis Stars of the Negro League picked him up at 19 years old.
Bell spent 10 years of his 28-year professional career with the Stars, the first of 11 teams he would play for in the United States and Mexico.
He won two Negro World Series titles in his time with the Homestead Grays and was an eight-time All-Star. He was one of the most feared baserunners in the game, with fellow baseball legend Satchel Paige once saying Bell could flip a light switch and make it into bed before the room went dark.
Bell finished his career as a player-manager for Negro League farm teams, ending his career in 1950. He never played in the Major Leagues, which were segregated until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947.
Bell moved back to St. Louis after retiring from the game, living there until his death in 1991 at age 87. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, becoming the fifth Negro League player enshrined in Cooperstown. There is a statue of him outside of Busch Stadium, where he is enshrined alongside every St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer.
The Landfairs recounted the network of extended family who can trace their lineage to Bell, as well as the time spent hearing about their connection to the man known as “The Fastest Man Alive.”
Allen Marie marked the occasion with a custom button-down shirt featuring several images of Bell.
The family expressed gratitude for the love shown through tributes in recent years and their pride in the family’s legacy in the community.
“We feel like we’re on the shoulders of Cool Papa Bell and therefore we feel complimented when you recognize him,” Allen Marie Landfair said. “Everything brings us together as one big family from the city of Starkville, so he’s a good representative of the family as well as Starkville and we thank you for all that you’ve done recognizing him.”
A word from the sculptor
Curtiss couldn’t make it to Mississippi for the ceremony but sent a letter for the dedication, which Spruill read aloud. He thanked the “fellow admirers” of Bell and shared some of his favorite moments from working on the project.
“I deeply enjoyed my time with Mr. Bell and strove to create a work that would capture his spirit and excellence,” Curtiss wrote. “I hope that you will find that I was successful in this. May this bronze statue long stand to keep alive the memory and stories of Cool Papa Bell, the fastest man alive.”
Dear fellow admirers of Cool Papa Bell,
I thank you for having allowed me to create the statue of this great and humble man. Over the course of creating the sculpture, I immersed myself in reading about him, hearing about what others had to say about him, and pondering his life. Since completing the statue I’ve had numerous people share stories with me about Mr. Bell. One stood out in particular.
A man came into my studio and told me of his college days and an award ceremony that James Bell, long retired, had attended. They had a special place of honor for him to sit. Instead, he went and sat with the young athletes and said “I want to be here with the players.”
I am sure others at this dedication can share other stories about this fine man’s life. It has been a great honor to be involved in this project. I spend countless hours working on all of my statues. It has been my life’s work for more than 40 years. I deeply enjoyed my time with Mr. Bell and strove to create a work that would capture his spirit and excellence. I hope that you will find that I was successful in this. May this bronze statue long stand to keep alive the memory and stories of Cool Papa Bell, the fastest man alive. Thank you.
Most sincerely,
Gareth Curtiss
Sculptor for James “Cool Papa” Bell statue at Cornerstone Park
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