Pascagoula has always been known as a “baseball town”. The tremendous success of our youth league programs and our multiple high school state championships (five in baseball, one in softball) attest to that.
On February 29, the City of Pascagoula held a dedication ceremony for the newly minted Ring of Honor, a group comprised of early leaders in youth baseball and softball locally, who now have commemorative plaques prominently displayed around the entrance to the sparkling new Pascagoula Sports Complex on Tucker Street. The ceremony was appropriately moving, and brought back memories for many who have participated in youth baseball and softball over the years.
“So many of us grew up playing baseball or softball in Pascagoula,” said Mayor Jay Willis during his keynote remarks. “We played sandlot ball, but then we got to come to fields like Flanagan, Gibson, Engel, Davenport, and JC May to play in the organized leagues. Today, we honor a sampling of the individuals who helped make all our participation possible.”
Here is a list of the Ring of Honor members, in alphabetical order:
- Peggy Buckley
- Calvin Michael Davenport, Sr.
- Linwood Ellis
- John Engel
- Elvy Flanagan
- Donald Gibson
- JC May
- Mike McElhaney
- Rayford Ryals
- George Sims
- Merrell Alvin Webb, Sr.
I knew or knew of all these individuals, and they form a very apropos contingent to be so honored. Because of personal connections/memories, I’ll mention a couple of the honorees here.
Donald Gibson was my wife Mary Jon’s uncle. He was head football coach at Pascagoula High School from 1954-57, and was both successful and beloved. He was also very involved in youth sports, baseball in particular. Coach Gibson tragically died in 1960 at age 33. The second Little League field was named after him, and opened in 1962.
When we called Donald’s widow Catherine and his son Donnie (who played on these very fields) to tell them of the honor, they were so pleased and somewhat overcome with emotion. These two (and other Gibson descendants) now live in Illinois, but stay very connected to Pascagoula. They look forward to one day making it back to the old hometown to visit the Ring of Honor display.
Elvy Flanagan literally helped build Pascagoula’s first Little League field, opened in 1953, which was subsequently named for him. I remember Mr. Flanagan as the Head Umpire for both leagues when I played. He was always fair, firm, and kind. He would ride up on his bicycle to the ballpark every evening from his job at the Post Office and go right back to work.
Mike McElhaney and I go back to city league softball and rec department basketball together. Also, he and I were teammates in USTA tennis for years. We always took pride in the fact that when we were paired together in doubles, we went something like 14-0 over the seasons. Mike has been an integral part of the Pascagoula Recreation Commission for over 35 years, and had a big role in the creation of the Pascagoula Sports Complex.
Kudos to the City of Pascagoula, Mayor Willis, and the City Council for making the Ring of Honor happen. The on-the-ground project, originally conceived by the Pascagoula Strategic Plan Steering Committee, was spearheaded by Mike West, Director of Parks and Recreation, with able assistance from Antoinette Johnson, Assistant Parks & Rec Director, and others.
“We wanted to have a venue for this at the Pascagoula Sports Complex that all could be proud of,” said West. “Clearly, this facility and our excellent youth baseball and softball programs would not be possible without the work that these individuals we have honored today did over these many years.”
To be perfectly honest, many folks, including myself, were somewhat hesitant about taking down the old facilities and starting anew when the Sports Complex planning began. Hey, you’re talking about a lot of memories there for a ton of people. I spent some of the most joyous times of my youth (my life, really) patrolling the outfield greensward and the red clay infield of Flanagan Field.
As is often the case with such situations, however, when it came to youth baseball/softball infrastructure in our town, “it was time” for a refurbishing. Accordingly, we have the state-of-the-art Pascagoula Sports Complex, which gives our kids the best of the best to play on and attracts teams from all over the South to come here for tournaments all spring and summer.
Now, with the creation and dedication of the Ring of Honor, we have honored a select group of those who, over the years, have done so much of the heavy lifting to give Pascagoula one of the finest youth baseball/ softball programs anywhere. Oh, and I can guarantee you this: Coach Gibson, Mr. Flanagan, and several of the others are up there, looking down on us, and smiling.
Richard Lucas may be contacted at rblucas17@gmail.com.
