PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The baseball field at Clapp Park is being named after former coach George "Buddy" Pellerin.
The Parks Commission approved the naming on Tuesday after being overwhelmed by support from former players, family and friends of Pellerin. A large crowd filled the meeting room as Ken Ferris gave a presentation on not just why Pellerin deserved the recognition but also plans to upgrade the field.
"Buddy Pellerin was much more than a coach. You did well on the field but he was much more interested in what you did off the field," Ferris said.
Pellerin was head coach of the Pittsfield High baseball team for 19 years, leading the team to the state title in 1966 and taking the team to the 1974 title game. He also served as athletic director, and head softball coach during his time at PHS.
He handed over the reins of the baseball team in 1982 but remained active in the sport. He went on to coach softball at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and St. Joseph's High as well as the city's Babe Ruth league all-star team. He was inducted into the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1988.
"The program itself just turned out successful people and that is the measure of the man," Ferris said.
Ferris said there are "hundreds of stories" of Pellerin inspiring and keeping players on track in their lives.
But Ferris said coach would be "disappointed" in those pushing for the change, and with those who penned the large stack of letters of support submitted to the commission, if the project stopped at just naming the field.
Ferris said so far the committee heading the effort has raised $15,000 and is looking to raise more for a number of improvements to the park. That includes a score board, fencing, signage, and ultimately dugouts, lighting, bleachers, and monuments.
"The vision and the goal maybe lofty by our coach always taught us to, in a controlled way, swing for the fences," Ferris said.
The effort has only just begun, and with a groundswell of support. The plan was hatched at the 50th anniversary reunion of the 1966 championship team. In just a few months since then, a small committee crafted the plan and began to raise money.
"The amount of people he knows is incredible," Ferris said. "It's been very easy."
The Parks Commission was unanimous in its support and opted to forego a public hearing to name the field, an option the commission reserved in its policies. The naming is only of the baseball field — Clapp Park as a whole will retain its name.
The commission also voted to have Ferris and others begin working with city staff on the improvement plans, but the commission still wants to vote on each project.
"We certainly want to make sure we get this done right," Parks and Open Space Manager James McGrath said of the individual improvement projects.
Ferris said the priorities would be to install a score board and fencing. From there, future projects will depend on the fundraising effort — one of which could include sponsorship of signs on the outfield fence.
"It's not just because he's a great coach. It's because he is a great person," he said.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Trump Elected 47th US President
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
On Wednesday morning, some woke up with a sense of victory and others with a sense of fear.
Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Tuesday after a tight race with Democrat Kamala Harris. According to the Associated Press, Trump has secured 51 percent of the vote to Harris' 47.5 percent.
Trump has 292 of the required 270 electoral votes, with Harris garnering 224.
The former president delivered his victory speech in West Palm Beach Wednesday morning while the crowd chanted "USA, USA, USA." He called this the "greatest political movement of all time" and promised to deliver the "golden age of America."
"We're going to help our country heal. Help our country heal. We have a country that needs help and it needs help very badly. We're going to fix our borders. We're going to fix everything about our country," Trump said.
"We've made history for a reason tonight and the reason is going to be just that we overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible and it is now clear that we've achieved the most incredible political thing."
Harris was to deliver a concession speech at 4 p.m. at Howard University in Washington.
AP called this an "extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts."
The Select Board will discuss at it's next meeting whether to reconsider its preferred option for the preliminary designs of Dalton Division Road. click for more
Of the town's 5,000 registered voters, about 1,600 voted by mail, about 500 voted early in person, and so far about 1,500 had voted on Tuesday.
click for more
He explained that the city provides potential buyers with a vacant buildings list but, unfortunately, people usually walk away because of their condition.
click for more
Those who oppose the removal of MCAS as a graduation requirement fear it will stunt accountability while supporters feel it bogs students down. click for more