Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 6-28-18

Feature
Belmont Heights Little League To Celebrate 50th Anniversary
ARTIS GAMBRELL, JR. President of Belmont Heights Little League
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
In 1968, in the wake of riots in Belmont Heights and after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mr. Benjamin “Skin” Rouse, Coach Billy Reed, George Sullivan, and James Hargrett, Sr., began the discussion of creat- ing a safe haven for the youth in the surrounding neighbor- hoods.
The result of that conver- sation was the formation of the Belmont Heights Little League Baseball organization.
Artis Gambrell, Jr.,
President of the Belmont Heights Little League and his staff are making final prepa- rations for its 50th Anniver- sary.
The celebration will cover a 3-day period, beginning on Friday, July 6th and culminat- ing on Sunday, July 8th.
On Friday and Saturday, the celebration will take place at the Robert W. Saunders, Sr., Public Library, 1505 N. Nebraska Avenue, beginning at 3 p.m.
On Friday, a documentary entitled, “The Heights 50” will be shown. It focuses on the in- ception of the organization after the riots. It will be fol- lowed by a question and an-
COACH BILLY REED One of the founding members of the Belmont Heights Little League
swer session.
Beginning at 5 p.m., on
Saturday, the celebration con- tinues at the library. Gam- brell appreciates the assistance provided by the staff at the library for extend- ing their hours of operation to accommodate the event. He is requesting volunteers to help at the end of the event on Sat- urday.
On Sunday, the celebra- tion ends. It will feature a softball game at the Belmont Heights Little League Park, corner of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd., and N. 22nd Street.
Highlights of the Belmont Heights Little League
Since its inception, the Lit- tle League has produced World Champions in baseball and 4-time Little League World Series participants. It has also produced athletes who have gone on to become world famous.
Two years after its incep- tion, in 1970, the team broke the color barrier when they integrated Little League Base- ball in the South. They be- came the first Negro team to win and place in the Little League Baseball Southern Re- gional competition.
In 1973, the team placed 3rd in the Little League World Series. Belmont Heights Little League team, front row kneeling, C. Blythe Andrews, III, Lemuel James, Michael Welch, Marlon ‘Mo’ James, Stewart Gaines and Cleo Stinyard. Second row standing, left to right, Darwin ‘Barry’ McNish, George Crum, Quinton Kincy, Darryl Mitchell, Bobby Graham, Anthony Girvin, Harold ‘Pete’ Murphy. Last row, Di- rector Ben Rouse, Coach Robert Allen, Manager Ezekiel Thomas and Bryce Mattox.
The Belmont Heights Lit- tle League went on to become one of the most successful franchises in World Little League Baseball history.
Some members of the 1970 All-Stars were: Nino Austin, Herbert Green, Al “Hurly” Richardson, Charlie Davis, James Walker, and Ronnie Har- vey. Other members of the team who are not available to attend, but who will be recog-
nized are: Dolphus Perry, Andra Fesser, and Thomas Everett.
Deceased members of the team includes: Bruce Williams, Steve Hall, Davis Coley, Robert Mott, Herman Green, Coach Wallace Dexter, Manager Robert Dawson, and Pres- ident Benjamin F. Rouse.
In 1973, the team placed third in the World Series.
Some of those who went
on to play professional base- ball include: Dwight “Doc” Gooden, Gary Sheffield, Derek Bell, Carl Everett, Vance Lovelace, and Floyd Youmans.
The organization has also been the subject of a docu- mentary highlighting its achievements through the years.
In honor of its 50th An- niversary, the organizers have also created a souvenir book.
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