Another hard day’s work, family dinner
served, dishes dried and put away.
Then off went the apron, and on went the
softball glove.
This was the story of the Pioneers of
Softball, some mighty fun and fierce women who lit up the Westside neighborhood
for over three decades with the sounds of bats cracking, fans cheering and
children laughing and playing.
“These were hard-working women who made
the time to provide recreation, laughter, inspiration and discipline to the
youth in the community through softball,” said City of Mount Pleasant
Councilmember Jerry Walker, who was one of those children. “There would be long evening games, and
exciting summer weekends with 300 to 400 people coming from all over for the
softball tournaments.”
These Pioneers were Maurine Field,
Dorothy Howard, Elizabeth “Cat” Johnson, Eunice “Sudie” Hill, Betty Smith,
Imogene Garrett, Betty Jewel Finley, Jo Ella Thornton, Martha Raye Brown and
Veoria Darden.
“Even when they grew too old to run,
they’d go to bat and let the children run for them,” said Councilmember Walker.
“They taught and inspired all of the children in the community.”
Also rallying the community around
softball and baseball for nearly 40 years were Wright Patman Johnson, Sr., who
coached girl’s/women’s softball, and Joe Traylor who coached young men’s
softball and baseball.
“These gentlemen did far more for the
youth than just coach a sport,” said Councilmember Walker, explaining how
Johnson would go from house to house to pick up his players in his truck for
practices and games. “They instilled important life values and led by example.”
So it’s only fitting that on Juneteenth
2020, the City of Mount Pleasant honor these community legends with an Oaklawn
Park Dedication Ceremony that will begin at 6 p.m. Members of City Council will
participate in the program along with Minister Lonnie Charles Bell, Donna
Cannon Smith and Senor Mangon, and a special plaque honoring these community
legends will be unveiled.
“Everyone is invited to the
celebration,” said Councilmember Walker. “We hope to have a big crowd while
abiding by COVID guidelines.”
That means please join the festivities,
wear your mask, plan to social distance and get ready to hear some amazing
stories that will bring special meaning to Juneteenth 2020.
No comments:
Post a Comment