Jack Teagarden’s wife Fran, and his children Kerry Juhl and Kevin Teagarden, have donated memorial funds to purchase professional grade leather baseball bases, a pitcher’s mound rubber, and a home plate for the Walt Anderson Field of the Rippey ball park. Rippey’s baseball commissioner, Mel Murken, (pictured,right) placed the order and he and Fran (pictured, left) are pictured here with the home plate.
Fran is holding the plaque that will be placed on the newly painted grandstand. It reads, “In honor of Jack Teagarden, an outstanding catcher who played many games on this field, the home plate, bases and the pitcher’s mound rubber have been donated in his memory”.
Fran read in a news article that the Friends of Rippey had requested funding for upgrading the baseball field from the Greene County Community Foundation. She immediately knew this would be something Jack would have approved of and voluntarily donated memorial funds to purchase these items.
Jack began his baseball career in Little League at Grand Junction with coach Bill Sapp and continued throughout his East Greene HS years, catching for pitchers including Dale Robson, Dave Chase, Harve Rice and others, and spent many games in his catcher’s stance behind home plate at the Rippey ball field.
In 1967, after his family moved to Boone, Jack caught for the Boone Toreadors, also coached by Bill Sapp, when they won the state summer high school baseball championship. He was selected as All League catcher, hitting over.400 in league play and won the 1967 batting crown. He then caught and played for the Boone Junior College team and the Rippey Demons semi pro team.
Fran or another Teagarden family member will be throwing the first pitch at the upcoming sesquicentennial game to be held in the summer of 2021.
The Friends of Rippey along with the City of Rippey very much appreciate the donation from the Teagarden family in honor of Jack.
