YALLALY BALL FIELD SUGGESTED

Four men went before the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Board Monday in an effort to have a portion of Capaha Park named after John Yallaly.

Southeast Missouri State University president Dr. Bill Atchley, Walter Ford, Calvin Chapman and J. Ronald Fischer asked the board to name the baseball field at Capaha Park after Yallaly, who has devoted 40 years and thousands of dollars to the field and the young men who have played on it. Yallaly coached the American Legion baseball team.

"In most communities we honor presidents of universities, people who get accolades here and there for things they do as part of their jobs," Atchley said. "Very seldom do we find ourselves reaching back and taking just an average person that has contributed a lot, and honoring those people."

Yallaly, who did not attend the meeting, said regardless of whether the field is named after him the honor has already been bestowed.

"It certainly is quite an honor," Yallaly, who still serves on the Capaha Field Committee, said of the request. "If that's what they really think, that means more than if it actually happens."

Yallaly said the request took him by surprise, and he wants to be certain that everyone is comfortable with the idea before any action is taken.

"This whole thing has just come out of a clear blue sky," he said. "If that's what they think it ought to be, I say let's get on with it. But I certainly would want everyone to feel comfortable with it."

Atchley, Fischer, Ford and Chapman told the board they grew up with Yallaly and think honoring him would be an honor to the community.

"We've got to come up with a way to give something to people who do something for people," Atchley said. "That's a different criteria, who did the most for them -- not baseball -- the individual. And whether they won or lost doesn't mean anything; it's the city that wins, it's the youth that wins, it's we that win. I don't even know what his record is, but I'm sure he's a winner. I know he's a winner among us."

Board member Jay Knudtson said the most the board can do is turn Atchley's request over to the Capaha Field Committee and City Council since the Parks and Recreation Board is an advisory panel only. But singling out one man for an honor like this, Knudtson said, regardless of how worthy Yallaly is, means the city would be neglecting all the other worthy individuals who had worked on maintaining the field and baseball program in Cape Girardeau.

"What you're asking us to do is to not worry about what's politically correct and make a decision to honor a good man," Knudtson said. "But what you've got to realize is what a highly sensitive subject this is. The last thing we would want is for "Doc" Yallaly to misconstrue a denial of this request as a slight of him or the work he's done out there."

The primary holdup, according to Knudtson, is the procedure in which something like this could take place. There is no city precedent or criteria for naming a ballpark. Plus, the only sentiment the board has heard on the matter has come from the four men who made the request.

"There was no big public outcry for this to be done," Knudtson said.

Board member Mike Kohlfeld said it might be more appropriate if Yallaly, and others who have contributed to the community, were honored in a hall of fame.

"There are a lot of people who have been so instrumental (in developing the ballpark), and the one thing we didn't want to do is offend anybody," Kohlfeld said. "We wanted to honor them. A hall of fame seemed to be a very good way to tastefully get around the issue and then not get into the situation where you get into the naming game."

Atchley said he believes Yallaly deserves more than just a spot in a hall of fame and it would be a positive reflection of the city if an average citizen, instead of an elected official or business leader, were honored in this way.

Atchley said: "It was told to me one time at the university, 'You can't expect anyone to have respect for you, or to know you, if you don't have respect for yourself.' Well, if this city doesn't respect its own people it can't expect other people to respect the city. I believe that strongly. I think you've got to stand tall and say, 'We think this is important to let the people of this city know that we respect somebody who goes out and puts that kind of time and effort into the youth of our city.'"

Yallaly said the suggestion is quite an honor, but a monument like this is a little frightening.

"When they name something after you, doesn't that mean you're dead or not too far from it?" he said. "That's the only scary part."