Some stories are clearly going nowhere.
First, let me preface this by saying that I love getting tips from readers. Some, however, are petty and frivolous. Like this man today who identified himself as William Jones of Lexington. He had a beef about the city of High Point naming a playing field after Thurman Marley.
Strings must have been pulled with someone on city council or someone at parks and rec for Marley to get his name on a playing field, Jones suggested. The reader-informant made some unflattering comments about Marley’s work history and suggested that a family member was some kind of scoundrel. He suggested that I get in touch with Archie, the city street sweeper, and another man, who was also allegedly considered as a namesake for the field.
Maybe I’m biased, but I almost laughed. When I was a kid, my parents successfully lobbied the town of Monterey, Ky. (Pop. 167) to honor the town drunk, Hatton Curry. It was partly a joke, but partly serious. Curry was a beloved figure who always had a friendly word. And in our family, we like to lift up the most common of people. So now, if you visit the Monterey Park you’ll find the “Hatton Curry Memorial Swing Set.”
There are some basic steps to reporting a story that features a whiff of scandal. Here are two of them:
1. Call the High Point Parks and Recreation Department to confirm that there is in fact a playing field named after Thurman Marley.
Allen Oliver, parks and recreation director, told me that in fact there is such a playing field. He added that all honorary naming decisions are made by the city council.
2. Run a Google search.
Topping the list is this blog post by former News & Record reporter Eric Swensen, dated July 12, 2005. Here’s the relevant passage: “Thurman Marley is seeking the Ward 2 seat now held by Ron Wilkins. Marley unsuccessfully challenged Wilkins for the seat in the 2003 elections.”
Another significant find is a 2001 News & Record story by former reporter Molly McGinn (who now sings and plays guitar with the rockin’ Thacker Dairy Road. The article is entitled, “Doing it for the children: Coaching earns Thurman Marley an award nomination.”
Another illuminating Google find is a PDF version of a report called “Improving local communities,” which features a two-page profile of Marley. Here’s an excerpt which might cast some light on why Marley is worthy of having a ball field named after him:
“‘You need to have a hope and a heart for kids,’ says Marley, who received an award for outstanding volunteer service from North Carolina Governor Mike Easley in 2001. ‘Not only do you have to love them, but [you have to] reach out and help them with their problems. If we don’t do that, we’re in trouble. Kids have so much to go through nowadays. We just have to… show them there is another way. Over the long haul, that’s what’s going to pay off.’
“Marley has done his best to fulfill this objective even in the face of financial difficulties. In 1998, when those difficulties forced the Macedonia Youth Baseball League to close down, Marley did not walk away from the baseball diamond. Instead, he stepped up to bat for his players.
“Unwilling to let even one summer pass without organized baseball in Macedonia, Marley set out to convince High Point’s mayor, local business owners, and friends to help finance another league. They complied, as did the [community outreach partnership center, or] COPC at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), which provided planning support and funds to purchase baseball equipment. Marley was no stranger to COPC staff: he had been involved with the COPC from its beginning, having helped to write the original COPC application.
“The first pitch of the new Macedonia youth baseball league was thrown out in spring 1999. Since that first season, the baseball league has continued to expand. (In 2003, more than 300 young people participated in the league compared to 50 in 1999.) The increase was due to the addition of teams for older players and to the construction of a new baseball field. Citing the poor playing quality of the old field, Marley convinced the city to build a new field in 2002, despite some local opposition. “People didn’t want to hear it,” says Marley. “Some people just don’t want progress. I petitioned city hall myself for this field.” Marley again achieved his objective by gaining the support of then mayor Becky Somers and other members of the community.”
Sounds like the city of High Point could do a lot worse.
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