As it returns home, East Butler Baseball Association celebrates by honoring its past during ceremony
SUMMIT TWP — Nearly 75 years ago, a barren hillside sat atop 10th Street in East Butler.
A legacy is sitting there now.
The East Butler Baseball Association celebrated returning to its home complex after an 18-month hiatus with a ceremony Sunday afternoon, adding three names to its memorial monument. Marc Nagle, John Les Houston and Bob Williamson were posthumously added to the Memorial Honor Roll portion of the monument.
The monument also features names of the 15 founders of the East Butler Sports Complex.
“That’s our history right there,” Dess Schnur, master of ceremonies and a longtime East Butler coach and EBBA president, said of the monument.
There are now 30 names on that honor roll. A family member spoke on behalf of Nagle, Houston and Williamson.
The sports complex debuted in 1952 and consists of numerous baseball fields, concession stands, scoreboards and plenty of seating. The honor roll consists of people who devoted numerous volunteer hours to the development of the complex and coaching teams over many years.
“This means a lot to me and my family,” Grant Nagle said of his father’s recognition. “I remember starting out in T-ball here and playing on up through Pony League. We were the first Little League field to have lights around here.
“Members of my family grew up here. This is a special place to us.”
Jessica Houston Callahan, the youngest of Houston’s three daughters, spoke on her father’s behalf.
“My father loved serving, supporting and improving the lives of others,” Callahan said. “He was a part of many organizations that way. A big part of Dad’s life was athletics, and we held many practices on this beautiful field.
“This complex was built by winners, and we’ve all benefited from that.”
She said Houston served as an assistant coach for Schnur and the Legion baseball team, seeded the fields, kept scorebooks and “worked so hard to elevate and upgrade the East Butler Sports Complex.”
Schnur referred to Houston and Williamson as “two of my closest friends.”
“They both called me shortly before they died, concerned about what was happening with East Butler baseball and this complex. They still wanted to help, right up to the end. ... That’s how much they loved this place.
Former East Butler baseball player Colin Williamson spoke for his father.
“This is something my dad would have never expected,” Williamson said of the ceremony. “But I know he would have appreciated it. Sports always played a key role in his life.
“People don’t realize or fully understand what these fields mean to this community. My dad certainly did.”
East Butler baseball played the last season and a half in Prospect after a dispute with Butler Borough Council. EBBA returned to its home complex this season when a agreement was struck between it and the council.
“Everyone is supporting each other here now, and that’s great,” EBBA president Drew Mooney said.
Despite getting a late start on sign-ups, 100 kids registered with EBBA for this season. Among them were three T-ball teams (ages 3-4), two Shetland teams (5-6) and two Pinto teams (7-8).
Some older kids who signed up were “loaned off” to neighboring associations as there weren’t enough numbers there for East Butler to field teams in those upper age groups. Mooney hopes that changes next year.
“We figured we might get 30 to 35 kids this year, and we got 100,” Mooney said. “There were 300 kids playing ball up here in past years. Our goal is to get that number to 200 next year.”
Sunday marked the 10th Memorial Monument tribute to East Butler baseball. Schnur also recognized the late Wesley Zablocki, a young East Butler player who died of cancer, and the late Jeff Potter, a traveling baseball coach from out of town “who taught kids the basics of life, more important than baseball,” he said.
Mooney insisted East Butler baseball will continue to blossom.
“This isn’t just a program, it’s a family” Mooney said. “Baseball promotes healthy habits for children. It teaches discipline and focus. We provide a wholesome alternative to social media.”
After mentioning East Butler baseball has served more than 5,000 kids through the years, Schnur pointed to a banner honoring Zablocki and Potter, reading the words next to their picture.
“Far from being done,” he said.
