Dale Petroskey, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, addressed the prestigious National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Wednesday.

His remarks focused on baseball in America and how the game reflects values important to American society. Petroskey is an invited guest of the Board of Governors of the National Press Club as part of its distinguished Luncheon Speaker Series.

Petroskey's speech featured three parts: what the Hall of Fame is; some untold stories of the Hall of Fame; and where the Hall of Fame is headed.

Petroskey said that just one percent of all players who make the major leagues are ever inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"We like to think that by honoring excellence we also inspire it," Petroskey said.

Petroskey also said that his passion for baseball is at the core of who he is as a person.

"The Hall of Fame is one of the few places that can connect generations," he said. "Hearing a father talk to a son, or a grandmother tell her grandchildren about listening to a game on the radio while they were growing up is what the Hall of Fame is all about."

Petroskey, a former assistant White House secretary during the Reagan administration, said that baseball and Washington have always had a fascination for each other. He said that when he and other Hall of Fame officials, as well as 46 of the 61 living Hall of Famers, visited the White House March 30, was an experience which he will never forget.

Petroskey also talked about the extensive research project, funded by major league baseball, which is currently being completed by the Hall on the Negro Leagues.

"There may be things that were accomplished in the Negro Leagues before they were accomplished in Major League Baseball, and if so we want to know," Petroskey said.

Petroskey said the Hall of Fame has an annual operating budget of about $12 million, and a key initiative of the future is their membership program.

Petroskey came to the Hall of Fame in June of 1999 from National Geographic.

He grew up in Michigan a die-hard Detroit Tigers fan, working as an usher during his high school days.

The National Press Club Luncheon Speaker Series began in 1932 with a speech by President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. The National Press Club hosts an average of 70 such luncheons a year as an opportunity for world leaders, newsmakers and prominent figures in the realms of finance and culture to share their knowledge and experiences.

Over the years, Nikita Khrushchev. Winston Churchill, Madame Chiang Kai Shek, Golda Meir, Indira Gandhi, Charles deGaulle, Boris Yeltsin, Nelson Mandela and Yasir Arafat have all made appearances at the National Press Club.

This year alone, visits have been made by Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, Janet Reno, Tom Clancy, Gerald Ford and Buzz Aldrin.

Other featured speakers in April 2001 have included King Abdullah of Jordan and Tommy Thompson, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

On television, C-SPAN will re-broadcast the luncheon at times to be determined locally, and National Public Radio (NPR) will re-broadcast the luncheon, also at times to be determined locally.