Professional Baseball Player. Born in the Mississippi Delta, raised in St. Louis, Luke grew into a striking physical specimen who stood at 6-feet-4 and weighed in at 240 pounds. A baseball natural, he became the first baseman for the Cleveland Indians from 1937 to 1941. His size and strength gave him many home run titles including the home run into the centerfield bleachers in New York's Polo Grounds, his most famous hit was in 1950 when he smacked the ball 477 feet in Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. His legs destroyed and his age cut his major league career short, after 114 home runs and 353 RBI in three full seasons and parts of three others. Finally in the late 1970's he returned to Cleveland and took a job with TRW Inc., a supplier of parts to the auto industry. He was soon elected a union steward, which led to his trip to the Cleveland Trust Co. branch in suburban Euclid. He went to the bank on payday which was every other Thursday to cash checks for union members. Victor Pritchett, 32, and Roderick Thomas, 31, both of Cleveland would rob not only the money that Luke carried but, his life as well. Luke refused to hand over the Union funds, he was shot in the chest with a shotgun blast and died immediately. Roderick Thomas had previously worked for the company and knew Luke would have the money, they fled the scene and were caught after a high speed chase and shootout with police. They faced aggravated murder and aggravated robbery charges. Thomas was convicted and the judge gave him a life sentence, Pritchett pleaded guilty and got 15 years to life. He died in prison in 1995. More than 4,000 people paid their final respects to Luke, baseball fans remembering him as a great first baseman and a power house of a hitter when it came to the longest home runs in the game's history. Those who remembered him that knew him, knew him as kind with an easy smile and would make time for anyone who needed it. The loyalty and integrity that he gave to baseball his entire life had always shined through with every aspect of his life.