Kabul, 1946

In a message to the State Department from the U.S. mission in Kabul, Minister Engert wrote that J. Robert Fluker, a teacher at Habibia College, had introduced baseball to his students. Team uniforms were donated by the local American community and the King’s uncle, Shah Mahmood, threw the first pitch at the opening game. Time Magazine, reporting on this historic event, wrote,
“Afghan bagpipers on the sidelines tootled furiously and folk dancers
whooped and whirled.”

Courtesy of the J. Robert Fluker Collection.