By Timothy Kays
The afternoon of May 10 was warm and sunny across northwest Ohio…perfect weather for baseball and softball, and Hilltop played host to both. On the softball diamond, the #2 seeded Lady Cadets welcomed in the #6 seed Edon Lady Bombers for a BBC flavored D-IV Sectional softball tilt. On the other side of the complex, the Cadet cadre welcomed in rival Pettisville for a BBC baseball throwdown.
Before the start of either match though, there was a special ceremony honoring the memory of a man whose influence and guidance of the baseball and softball programs in West Unity and throughout the area over five decades helped make both games possible on this evening…Mr. Dewey VanArsdalen. Hilltop Athletic Director, Mr. Tony Gerig, took to the PA microphone to welcome all, and begin the special ceremony.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a very special day here at Hilltop High School,” Gerig began. “Today we will be dedicating our baseball and softball complex in honor of a very special person in our community. From this day forward, our baseball and softball complex will be known as the Dewey VanArsdalen Athletic Complex.”
“Dewey VanArsdalen graduated from Alvordton High School in 1949,” Gerig continued, “…where he was a member of the baseball and basketball teams. He served in the Air Force, and was involved in the Korean War. Upon returning, he settled back into West Unity where he became a major contributor to our community and athletics. In 1970, he with several others spearheaded the effort to form our community Little League Association at the park, which still exists today. He remained on the Little League board for numerous years after, making it possible for countless kids within West Unity to have the chance to learn and play softball and baseball. Dewey coached baseball for both the summer and spring seasons through the late 1980s.
Dewey was elected by the Alvordton-West Unity communities to serve as a member on the Millcreek-West Unity Board of Education. He also was a member of the Hilltop Athletic Boosters and served as President, starting the initial 300 Club that raised the funds necessary to put in the football stands that were used for many years at our facility.
These are just a few of many things that Dewey VanArsdalen provided to our community. You would be hard pressed to find any baseball player who played in our community over the past 45 years who wasn’t directly impacted by his character, dedication, compassion, and integrity. Dewey is a man that is sorely missed, but will never be forgotten.”
These were just some of Dewey’s achievements over five decades of dedicated service to the community, the county and the area. He also coached in Bryan and Fayette. He was instrumental in getting the Alvordton Summer Leagues up and running. If there was an organized game involving the use of a big stick for the purpose of hitting of a small, leather-covered sphere, soft or hard, the chances were good that somewhere, Dewey VanArsdalen had his fingerprints on the organization.
Mr. Gerig went on to note that the landscaping work around the flag pole was installed and in Dewey’s honor by Farrell’s Lawn and Garden in Bryan. The sign that will hang during the spring and summer seasons was made by Mike Worthington with Signs 24-7 in Bryan. Contributions to the project were covered by the Hilltop Athletic Boosters, the Hilltop Little League, The Dewey VanArsdalen Memorial Fund, and The Hilltop Athletic Department.
Mr. Gerig then thanked District Superintendent Jim Wyse, Principal Steve Riley, and the entire Millcreek-West Unity Local Board of Education for their approval of the project, along with Paul Heisey of Handyman Hardware, and the maintenance staff at Hilltop for their help with the installation of the sign.
In a true testament to the trans-generational impact that Dewey VanArsdalen had upon the community, Christian McKinney, a senior member of the Cadet squad, removed his Hilltop baseball cap and turned it upside down to show Dewey’s widow, Myrtle VanArsdalen, what was written inside the bill of the cap. A simple yet profound inscription read, “There is nothing better to do today than play baseball. ~ Dewey”
America loves its baseball. It is immortalized in the artwork of Norman Rockwell. It is immediately recognizable in simple phrases such as, “If you build it…they will come,” and “Play ball!” It is hailed every year when sandlots across the country are abuzz with the activity that heralds the advent of warm weather, good times and great memories that will last a lifetime. It is probably the only game where one can watch little kids either swinging a bat, or having that bat swing them, while having parents in the stands seeing huge potential in the effort. In a society where the generation gaps have existed for decades, baseball was an ideal bridge made of horsehide, leather and wood…all bound together by red stitching. Dewey VanArsdalen constructed that bridge in West Unity and maintained it for fifty years, bringing generation after generation together through the Great American Pastime.
Play Ball!
Timothy can be reached at tim@thevillagereporter.com