Babe Ruth’s Vintage 1922 Pierce-Arrow Limousine is Truly "One of a Kind."

35 years ago, the 13-year-old Babe Ruth Baseball World Series made its way to Jamestown for the very first time.

To celebrate, the city hosted a large parade, during which fans, community members and baseball enthusiasts alike gathered to witness a show that was not soon to be forgotten.

Hundreds of people flooded the streets, each trying to secure a better view, as Babe Ruth’s vintage 1922 Pierce-Arrow Limousine paraded down Second Street to commemorate a seemingly unprecedented event. From that day forth, a tradition had been started in Jamestown - whether the city knew it or not.

The Pierce-Arrow, then owned by longtime Jamestown resident Les Ostrander, was truly a sight to behold. Equally impressive was Ostrander’s overwhelming desire to give back to his community. Throughout the course of his career, Ostrander made a conscious effort to showcase Ruth’s car, a vehicle who’s luxury could only be experienced by the likes of the President of the United States and the Sultan of Saudi Arabia, to anyone who wanted to see it. When Ostrander passed away in 2004 at age 80, the car went into his estate, only to be inherited by his nephew, Stanley Carr.

Carr, a former Randolph Central School graduate and Steamburg native who currently resides on the west coast, has since made it his mission to carry out his late uncle’s legacy.

“I took possession of the car back in 2008 or 2009,” said Carr, as he reflected on the unusual chain of events that landed him here in Jamestown. “My original intention was to go to every 13-year-old World Series, wherever it was in the country… I made it to the first one in 2009, which was in Salt Lake City. It was well received and it was awesome.”

With his late uncle’s aspirations in mind, Carr planned to make the ~2100 mile trip back home when he found out this year would be the 35^th anniversary of Jamestown’s first ever 13-year-old Babe Ruth World Series.

“I keep it (the car) in my garage in Queen Creek, Arizona,” said Carr, as he handed out a Babe Ruth Candy bar to a fan. “It needs to be here at the baseball World Series, so we brought it back.”

Needless to say, he did just that.

Carr found himself behind the wheel of the historic Pierce-Arrow once more, as he carefully maneuvered through the streets of Jamestown in the Babe Ruth World Series Parade, which took place last Saturday. With the event being a success, he’s now parked outside of Russell E. Diethrick Jr. Stadium, ready to drop some knowledge on anyone who’s willing to listen.

“The Ostranders love baseball and they loved old cars,” said Carr, as he tried to communicate the impact his late uncle had on his life. He briefly paused for a moment. “I don’t know if many people have an appreciation for what we’re really looking at… They say ‘Oh yeah, that’s a nice old car --- and yeah, it is. But wait 20 minutes and there’s going to be another nice old car right here. In total, they made 4000 Pierce-Arrows. This is the only one of its kind left.”

Although Carr’s motives have more to do with Les than baseball, he would love to take the vehicle to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, located in Cooperstown, New York. “I’d like people to start using it,” said Carr. “It runs and drives beautifully; it has no value just sitting in my garage… My perspective is hopefully carried over from Leslie’s attitude: It’s got to be used by people or it doesn’t have much value.”

On a humid summers’ day, Carr made his way over towards the vehicle for one last time. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. A family, who had just exited from the ballpark, was posing in front of the limousine for a picture. The owner of Babe Ruth’s 1922 Pierce-Arrow immediately grinned from ear to ear; for him, that’s what its all about.