“In the death of Silk O’Loughlin the country has lost a worthwhile citizen, baseball has lost a remarkable character, and I have lost one of my dearest friends,” said umpire Billy Evans, a 1973 Baseball Hall of Fame electee who worked games with O’Loughlin. “If there ever was an umpire who gave the plays as he saw them, O’Loughlin was that individual. He had a heart of oak, a keen intellect, and the courage to do what he believed was right, regardless of the opinion of others. Through 17 years of service as a member of the American League staff of umpires he gave the best he had. He never shirked. He never grumbled over an assignment, always accepting them as they came as part of the game.”

The Rochester, N.Y., native got involved with professional baseball with the help of relative Stump Weidman, a big league pitcher from 1880 to 1888. Soon he was umpiring in the Atlantic League, then the Eastern League, before making his Junior Circuit debut in 1902 at the age of 29.

A pair of veteran baseman men, Connie Mack and Clark Griffith, had kind words for their fallen comrade.

“O’Loughlin was original and always a hard worker,” said Mack, Philadelphia Athletics owner and manager, “and his death will be mourned by all baseball fans.”

“His death is a real loss to baseball,” said Griffith, manager and part-owner of the Washington Senators. “No squarer or more honest official ever made decisions in a ballpark. He had the courage of his convictions always, and was admired and respected by players and fans alike.”

Called “the little indicator holder with the megaphone voice,” O’Loughlin, who, when a played disagreed over a call would tell him that he had made over a million decisions in his day and had never missed one, shared his umpiring philosophy in the September 1911 issue of Baseball Magazine:“Be boss of the diamond. An umpire, like a player, must think in advance. He must know each man’s peculiarities, his strength and weakness,” O’Loughlin wrote. “He must so plan that he is in the most advantageous position to render instant decision upon every play and at the same time must not interfere with the play.