The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1948-07-15
AROGSAD TOWN
WIFI THE EDITOR

baseball game last week between
the Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs teams
in the Junior Baseball League, held
at the Municipal Stadium through
the courtesy of Oren E. Sterling,
president of the Owls, at which some
200 Rotarians, Kiwanians and their
guests were present.
AS everyone who reads this col
umn knows, my life's work, out
side my newspaper and my home,
is doing whatever l can to help
boys to become better citizens. And
1 never saw finer example of cit
itzenship building than that game
at the stadium, in which the young
sters not only played their hearts
out in good, clean, competitive,
health-building sport, but were also
plainly enthused and happy over
having so many adult people pres
ent to boost them on.
l hope that other sponsoring or
CARNATIONS in the Junior League
will follow the example of the Ro-
tarians and Kiwanians, and instead
of just putting up little money to
get the teams going, will back the
youngsters up with their moral sup
port at the games themselves.
And while I'm on this subject, let
me also extend my heartiest con-
CALCULATIONS to Jack Stonebraker
for the fine work he is doing with
the Hagerstown Boys Club Baseball
Team
When the Boys Club team, un-
fortunately, was denied admission to
the Junior Baseball League, Jack
Stonebraker took it upon himself to
not only find diamond where the
Boys Club kids could play baseball,
but he also made complete arrange
ments to have the field leveled off,
and at his own expense built the
back-stop and made the ground
ready for the kids to use.
The Board of Directors of the
Boys Club then voted sufficient
money to buy the necessary equip
ment, and Jack, who is the coach,
soon had team in action and is
booking games for them whenever
he can.
And surely no comment on recrea-
ton for the kids would be complete
without mention of the swell job
being done by police officer Donald
Smith, ably assisted by VIM. E. Lee
Fevre.
Officer Smith bought lot near
his home in the North End and con-
ceived the idea of converting it in
to a playground for the neighbor-
hood youngsters. At first he pro-
ceeded with the plan in small way,
just making the lot suitable for the
kids to play ball in and generally
have good time But then the Of
ficer had a real idea-why not pro-
vide free movies for the kids-and
with officer Smith, the idea was just
prelude to action.
He talked the plan over with Bill"
Lefevre, one of Hagerstown's tel
evision dealers, and they agreed to
go into it together-and what's
more important, they dug down into
their own pockets to put the plan
over. Officer Smith built and erected
the frame for the big movie screen
and also seats for the youngsters to
sit on, while Lefevre provides the
protector and movies. Result-not
only the kids of the neighborhood,
but their parents as well, enjoy a
swell, free, movie program on the
lot, every Friday evening.
My hat is off to two more men, who
instead of talking about helping the
kids, got busy and did something
about 1t.
And then, last but far from least,
! there is the Hagerstown Lodge of
Elks, which is providing fifteen boys
from the Hagerstown Boys Club
with a week of glorious camping,
with members of the Lodge footing
the entire bill-even to providing
the necessary medical examinations
and NEGOTIATIONS.
A lot of people talk about helping
youngsters, particularly the under
privileged ones, but what we need is:
more Rotarians; more Kiwanians;
! more Elks; and more Jack Stone
brakers, Donald Smiths and Bill Le-
Fevres; who put their talking into
action.
Personally the greatest thrill get
as ! walk along the street is to have
some youngster holler out at me Hi,