Wilmette Baseball Association
Roemer Park
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THE HISTORY OF ROEMER PARK
Researched and Written by Dr. Cory Franklin
Autumn, 1951. Baseball fans know it as the Golden Age of Baseball, highlighted by the most famous home run in baseball history, Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard Round the World” a three-run homer over a 279-foot fence in the Polo Grounds that won the 1951 National League pennant. For local baseball fans in Wilmette, the autumn of 1951 was no less significant. Wilmette resident and Kirkland and Ellis attorney, John Bordes, a former professional baseball player who nearly made it to the Major Leagues with the Chicago White Sox, led the newly organized Wilmette Baseball Association in obtaining a charter from the Little League parent organization headquartered in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Using his relationship with the White Sox, Mr. Bordes got the team to donate uniforms and equipment for four teams with local sponsors: Wilmette Sport Shop, Wilmette Optimists, Town House Crackers and American Legion Huerter Post. The next year, in 1952, the Wilmette Little League began play with four teams of 15 boys each, aged 8-12. The games were played at Washington Park, known today as Gillson Park. The venue was not particularly suitable for little league baseball, with games continually being held up as boys chased foul balls through the traffic of the busy neighboring street.
Following the first season, in the fall of 1952, the League Directors decided to build a park in West Wilmette. One of the models the builders studied was Thillens Stadium, on the North Side of Chicago, one of the first Little League parks built in the Midwest. Together with the other members of the Board, Mr. Bordes located a plot of approximately two and a quarter acres of land that was truck farm property on West Glenview Road.
The property was part of a larger, 100-acre farm owned by Lawrence Roemer, a DePaul professor of philosophy and his uncle, Simon. Dr. Roemer’s great-grandfather, Peter Roemer was part of the early German immigration to the area and one of the first settlers in Wilmette, twenty years before the Civil War. Dr. Roemer took over the 100 year-old family farm after his father died. He, his wife and three children lived on Greenwood Avenue but every morning at 5 A.M., before he traveled into the city to DePaul, he would go over to the farm and do the farm chores which included raising tomatoes, egg plants, pepper plants, melons and 500,000 ears of corn each year. In the spring of 1953, Simon Roemer sold a parcel to the Wilmette Baseball Association for $1900 and Lawrence Roemer sold a parcel for $1,150. The terms of the sale were considered a generous offer on behalf of the Roemer family. In return for the favorable terms of sale, the Wilmette Baseball Association agreed to name the field, “Roemer Park”. It’s hard to imagine today but except for the Roemer farmhouse, there were no houses in the area for miles around.
After the land was purchased from the Roemers, the Wilmette Baseball Association had no money to build the park. A village-wide fundraiser, including an annual dance at the Michigan Shores Club, was undertaken throughout Wilmette to raise money and the drive raised about $8000. After the money was raised, most of the work and material were donated by friends and members of the Wilmette Baseball Association. Construction was begun by moving 5000 yards of dirt off the truck farm and leveling the ground. The ballpark had to be laid out and a fence constructed according to Little League requirements. Many of the people in charge of the building of Roemer Park were fathers of boys who played in the Little League. Mothers also played a role by forming a Ladies’ Auxiliary that year. In describing the creation of Roemer Park, Mr. Bordes wrote, “It was a common sight in the spring of 1953 to see dozens of men and boys working on the field on weeknights and weekends”. Mothers and daughters would bring lemonade and sandwiches to the worksite. It was a true, early 1950’s community effort, a point of pride for the village.
Bob Ortegal, who had two sons in the League, supervised the construction and sodding of the field. Joe Gathercoal, a carpenter and his crew, constructed the refreshment stand, bleachers, fence and concrete dugouts. (His son was the leadoff batter for the Optimists in the first game at Roemer). An underground sprinkler system was installed in the outfield and drain tiles were placed in the infield. A groundskeeper for the Chicago Cubs assisted the Association in preparing the infield. (The Cubs groundskeepers were not that busy in those days – if you can believe it, the 1950’s were the worst decade in franchise history). A prizewinning ($5) photograph of Roemer Park shows a pristine field in the middle of open farmland, not unlike The Field of Dreams. Everything was set for the opening of Roemer Park.
The opening ceremony for Roemer Park on June 14, 1953 was part of the dedication ceremony that included a doubleheader, Sport Shop vs. Optimists and a second game between two Pony League teams. The ceremony was one of the major events of the year in Wilmette with a huge attendance. All the players, in their colorful caps and uniforms, gathered in the outfield on either side of the flagpole for the celebration. The national anthem was played by the American Legion Band and the Skokie Drum and Bugle Corps. The master of ceremonies was Dr. Harry T. Moore, former president of the Chamber of Commerce. His opening words,
“It is the desire of the officers and directors of the league that all contributors be present to see the results of their efforts and contributions and to get the recognition they so well deserve. Roemer Park is a fine tribute to the community of Wilmette, and its completion must certainly be recognized as a community accomplishment. Much credit for realizing Roemer Park and this year’s expanded program must go the officers and directors, for without their foresight and devotion to an objective, this achievement could not be realized.
The field is in all readiness for the opening, with the outfield fence complete, the wire backstop up, the bleachers all in place, the outfield grass ready, and the parking lot with ample space all ready. Entrance to the parking lot is only from the driveway on the east side of the area.”
Mrs. Dorothy Proudfoot presented an American flag to the Wilmette Baseball Association. The flag was the coffin banner from the casket of her son, Alfred Champlain Proudfoot Jr., a military hero who was killed in World War II. One of the celebrities in attendance was “Whispering Joe Wilson”, the first television announcer for the Chicago Cubs. (Whispering Joe got his name because he also hosted a television bowling show and made a point of whispering as bowlers approached the lane). Bill McKnight, the President of the Village of Wilmette made a speech and the first ball was thrown out by William Harridge, President of the American League and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. That ball was caught by Mr. Bordes who, along with the members of the Wilmette Baseball Association, autographed it and donated it to the Wilmette Historical Society.
In the first Little League game played at Roemer Park on June 14, 1953, the Wilmette Sport Shop recorded a 6-0 shutout over the Wilmette Optimists (see Box score). A boy named Trexler pitched a complete game for the Optimists and a boy named Brackett hit the first home run ever at Roemer and also went three for three with three runs batted in. The Umpire-in-Chief was Tony Engels who was joined in the umpiring crew by Ed Hartmann, Chuck Taylor and Russ Bartell. That summer, weeknight games at Roemer were played at 6:15 and on Saturdays doubleheaders began at 1:30. Each team had two farm teams, the “B” and “C” teams who played their weeknight games at Thornwood Park. Boys from the farm teams could be moved up to the Little League team to play at Roemer.
Playing at Roemer Park has been an indelible memory for literally thousands of boys from the North Shore. It is not uncommon for boys and parents from other communities, Lake Bluff to Chicago, Winnetka to Barrington, to regale their neighbors with stories of the beautiful park in Wilmette where they played a travel game. Like many monuments, there is always the risk it will be taken for granted by those who live near it. (Witness the many New Yorkers who casually mention they have never been to the Statue of Liberty). Any thought that might become Roemer’s fate was dispelled in 2002 when the most famous person ever to play at Roemer (although by most accounts not one of the best ball players) wrote an open letter to the Wilmette Life:
Dear Citizens, I am forever proud of the jewels of my hometown, from east to west: Gillson Park (Signed) Bill Murray, |
MY IMPRESSIONS OF ROEMER PARK
By Sam Franklin
I'll always remember Roemer Park for many reasons.
To begin with, I always enjoy riding my bike over there, meeting my friends, watching the game, and having a hot dog. As I sit on the bench watching the game and talking with my friends, I think about how lucky I am. How many other players do this on weeknights in other towns? Not only playing at Roemer is a thrill but just watching the games there is too. It's almost like going to a Major League game but my friends are the players.
Another reason I like it there is because of the tradition. Many players' dads have probably played at Roemer and many more generations will continue to play. For example, my neighbor played baseball at Roemer Park in the first year of its existence. I had no idea about that until I started this project. He was an All-Star first baseman on the Town House Crackers, one of the first four teams. Sport Shop was the best team even then.
When I play at Roemer, I feel like I'm in the Big Leagues because the park looks like a miniature Wrigley Field. It's got the big scoreboard in center field and a fence so the big hitters can jack 'em out. It's even got sprinklers that come out from the ground. The snack stand has great food. And to finish it off, there are bleacher seats in right field.
By far, the biggest thrill I've ever had playing at Roemer Park is hitting a home run out. It's every Wilmette Little Leaguer's dream. I replay the scene over and over again in my head. My travel teammate, Emmet Finnegan threw me a low and inside pitch. I was the first batter of the game. I pulled the ball down the left field line and it cleared the second fence by a hair. I hit it on Father's Day and my dad was coaching at third. He said it was one of the best Father's Day presents he ever got. I'll remember that my whole life.
I hope that one day, my kid will get a chance to play baseball at Roemer Park.
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