John Elias has spent a life around baseball. Now, he wants to ensure future generations of kids in Cote-St-Luc can enjoy the memories he’s collected.

As a young man, Elias pitched in the minor leagues. He earned the nickname “Borneo,” due to his habit of throwing a little wild.

As his career progressed, he ended up a warm-up pitcher for the Montreal Expos. He made friends with legends like future Hall of Famer Tim Raines, Andre Dawson, Bill “Spaceman” Lee and the late Gary Carter.

After his playing days, Elias ran a baseball school for 33 years. Throughout his career, he and his wife Marlene collected little bits of baseball history.

While part of his collection was taken in a break-in, now he’s decided to pass on what’s left to his city.

“People for years after I’m gone will be able to enjoy what we’ve collected,” he said.

Cote-St-Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein said he is honoured and pleased to receive the collection.

“All of this memorabilia will be a permanent testament to some of the people he’s known, but also to him,” he said. “We’re very excited about that.”

Elias admitted it would be hard to part with a lifetime’s worth of memories but baseball is a way of life he wants to see survive.

As for Marlene, the donation means she and her husband will have room for more memories – and a bit more space at home.

“I’ve been dying to make an office because you can see all the papers around here with filing cabinets and things like that,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll put a hide-a-bed if anybody wants to stay over.”