Thanks to volunteers at Girls Softball fields
Dear editor,
I drove by the Girls Softball Complex the other day and a thought crossed my mind.
How many girls have played softball on this complex since it was built?
I would like to give a little of the history of how the Rockdale Girls Softball Complex came into being.
The first couple of years the girls played on vacant lots and old fields scattered around town.
The girls needed a home and the association had a vision. All the hard working members pulled together to make it happen.
Listed below are the people and their families that made this vision a reality.
Rita Hughes worked for Bill Avrett and she did not take no for an answer. Mayor Avrett and the City Council gave permission to make use of the property for the complex.
Benny Woods convinced IGC to let us use their mine equipment to shape up the property.
Andy Kirk, James Bradford, Jay Philippus and John Hughes, with the assistance of Jerry Kirk, operated the equipment to get the property ready.
Curley Arledge donated all of the topsoil for the fields.
Jim and Clyde Robbins hauled all the topsoil to the fields.
Dick Prater of Rockdale Ready Mix donated all the concrete.
M.C. White and the H.H. Coffield Estate donated all of the pipe and chain link fence for the fields.
Ralph Roe got the paint and Jerry Kirk, John Hughes, Donald Schraeder and Charles Gifford laid out the fields.
Johnny Yates furnished the tractor and post hole digger.
We were on the way to a goal being reached and then all of these hard working people pulled together to build the fields.
These generous people made it happen when we started building. Jerry Kirk, Charles Gifford, Louis Gifford, Johnny Praesel, Pevine Hicks, Bill Fenter, Lee Johnson, Donald Schraeder, James Bradford, Raymond Lawson, John Hughes and Qyn Hughes.
Back to the question of how many girls have played softball at this complex? We think 5,000 to 6,000 is a fair estimate of the girls that have played at this complex.
All of you hard working volunteers are to be commended on keeping a great organization successful.
Keep up the good work for the girls.
John C. Hughes
P.O. Box 129
Chappel Hill, TX 77426
Editor’s note: Mr. Hughes is absolutely correct in his recollections. All those he named are most worthy of recognition. It should be noted that none of this would have happened if not for thousands of hours of work by Mr. Hughes himself. He was the prime mover, the inspiration and on-the-ground worker for the project.—M.B.
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