Two Wallaceburg sports legends were honoured recently with the unveiling of a new baseball scoreboard at Andy Johnston Field at Kinsmen Park.
The $40,000 scoreboard replaced an earlier version and was erected through a community fundraising effort.
The scoreboard was dedicated in memory of minor baseball supporter Mike Childs.
Kim Murray, a longtime official with the Wallaceburg Sports Hall of Fame, spearheaded the two-year fundraising effort which attracted donations from the Wallaceburg Kinsmen Club, Chatham-Kent Coun. Aaron Hall through the ward funding program, and the hall of fame itself.
Murray said ownership of the board was transferred to the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, which oversaw its installation.
Financial aid also came from local firms mPower, Bartech, Tom and Al’s, and PuroClean.
Andy Johnston was a star pitcher for the Wallaceburg Warriors teams in the 1980s, which earned a spot in the provincial championships for 11 straight seasons, winning titles in 1986, ’87 and ’89. He also won provincial honours for Port Lambton and Chatham and pitched for the London Majors of the Intercounty Baseball League.
Childs was a mainstay of Wallaceburg sports, following the legacy of his father, Gord. He was an organizer, volunteer, executive member and sponsor in minor baseball and operated the Oak’s Inn Slow-Pitch team for many years. The baseball field in King George Park was renamed in his honour.
Both men are members of the Wallaceburg Sports Hall of Fame.
