In October 1934, Charlie Dressen held a three-week baseball camp at Fans Field in Decatur, his home town. He was the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. The idea was to make a buck or two to carry him through the winter, because he was far from rich. And he might discover a prospect or two.

From the Herald & Review archives: "The price was $50 for instructions, room and board. Part of the package was a guaranteed tryout in the spring. Needless to say, area boys of all ages jumped at the opportunity if they could afford it, much to Dressen's joy and profit."

Vance Kidwell of Donnellson was one of the boys. Junior Thompson of Decatur was another.

After reading of Thompson's death in August in Scottsdale, Ariz., Kidwell sent a photo of the 1934 group. Thompson and Kidwell were in the third row. Major leaguers in the photo included Cincinnati pitcher Paul Derringer; Emil Verban, Cubs and Cardinals second baseman; George Kelly, first baseman who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973; and Rupert "Tommy" Thompson, a native of Elkhart and an outfielder with the Boston Braves.

"Because of that camp I was able to go to Tallahassee, Fla., the next spring for a tryout with the Nashville Vols," Kidwell remembers. "I didn't make it, but the next season I went to Mobile, Ala., with the Memphis Chicks, and after that I played with the Greenville Bucks in the old Cotton States League and with the Lexington Giants in the old Kitty League. I was a good fielder but couldn't hit."

At Greenville, Kidwell played in a spring exhibition game against the New York Yankees. "All these years, I've wondered if I played against Joe DiMaggio, who hadn't made a name for himself at that time," Kidwell said.

In later years, Kidwell was unable to find a box score of the game, although he discovered a newspaper article that quoted the Greenville manager as comparing Kidwell's fielding to Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby.

"I was making $75 a month in the Cotton States League and $65 in the Kitty League." Kidwell remembers.

"Seems like we were allowed $1 a day meal money on the road, and there was no such thing as a fast food place.

So after a night game, we would go to the hotel dining room at 11 p.m. and sit there until they changed their menu. We thought we were having a lot of fun. We were sure playing for the fun of it and not the money.

"Down in Florida that spring I batted against Johnny Vander Meer once, or I should say I faced him, for I was 18 years old and since he was so fast and wild and I was so scared, I don't remember swinging at a ball." Vander Meer pitched two consecutive no-hitters for Cincinnati in 1938, the only major league pitcher to accomplish the feat.

Thompson advanced to the Cincinnati Reds and pitched in the 1939 and 1940 World Series. Charlie Dressen also managed the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Washington Senators and the Milwaukee Braves and was managing the Detroit Tigers when he died in 1966. He won two National League pennants at Brooklyn.

Thompson and Dressen. Memories, memories.

Bob Fallstrom can be reached at bfallstrom@herald-review.com or 421-7981.