By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat
No one knows for sure how many sultry summer evenings Seymore Parrish spent supervising the baseball and softball games playing out on fields one through four at Deer Run Park.
No one would know how many times he donned his umpire’s gear, brushed off a dusty home plate and bellowed, “Batter Up” to get a game started on those same fields.
Nobody knows exactly, but the number would be staggering.
Generations of local residents and out-of-towners alike remember Seymore as the man who kept the youth baseball and softball programs and adult softball program alive and thriving here in Brown County.
Seymore’s time with the program and hard work for the generations of players on those fields will be honored in a ceremony this weekend on Saturday, June 4, at 1 p.m. at Deer Run Park. Seymore died in December of 2020 at the age of 80.
Fields one through four — the original baseball and softball fields at the Brown County Parks and Recreation complex — will be named after Seymore who was an umpire and supervisor of the baseball and softball programs.
“This was a very easy decision. This had been in discussion for a few years to dedicate fields one through four to Seymore while he was still living and an active part of youth sports,” said Andy Rudd, program specialist with the parks and recreation department.
”His unfortunate passing in 2020 did not allow that to happen. His dedication to youth sports and the kids of the community made this a very easy decision.”
Brown County Parks and Recreation Director Mark Shields said Seymore held a “special place in his heart for the parks and rec department.”
“We (office staff) discussed naming these fields in his honor for all the time and commitment he devoted to the parks and recreation programs,” Shields continued.
Renaming the fields after Seymore was ultimately approved by the parks and recreation board.
For more than 50 years, Seymore was involved with youth sports in Brown County through his work with parks and recreation. In addition to supervising and umpiring at Deer Run Park, he also officiated parks and rec basketball games, worked concessions and led fundraising efforts.
“I had a long amateur sports career in Brown County. I played in the youth programs as well as the adult basketball leagues from 1985 to 2014, and I really can’t think of a single contest that Seymore wasn’t either umpiring or refereeing,” Rudd said.
While the contributions Seymore made to the parks and recreation programs at Deer Run Park are numerous, one that stands out to Rudd occurred just three summers ago.
“In 2019, I can remember he was the supervisor for both youth softball and youth baseball. We ended up not having any umpires that year and Seymore ended up umpiring around 50 games on top of supervising. He literally carried the program on his back that year,” Rudd said.
Seymore’s wife Laurelyn said she believes the upcoming dedication is fitting.
“The dedication shows they cared as much about him as he did for parks and rec and the kids in our community,” she said.
Laurelyn said that Seymore felt a connection to all the kids who participated in the programs at Deer Run Park.
“We would travel, and he would talk to people and they would ask, ‘How many kids do you have?’ He would say 400 and explain that he worked for parks and rec. He really felt like these were all his kids, and he was proud of what they did, especially after they left the ball field,” Laurelyn said of her husband.
Seymore and Laurelyn celebrated 50 years of marriage in October 2020 — less than two months before his passing. The couple was married in 1970.
Seymore’s daughter Teresa Parrish said her dad’s commitment to his responsibilities often involved personal sacrifice.
“Dad was tired and sore a lot of the time, but he knew the kids needed an umpire or referee, so not showing up wasn’t an option. Vacations were planned around ball seasons,” Teresa said.
Parrish said her father was well-known in the community and in other communities as well.
“Everyone knew and loved him. It was like knowing a celebrity — ‘Oh, you’re Seymore’s daughter,’” she said.
It was the same when you went to other ball fields too; they all knew him.”
Shields echoed her comments.
“Many times, the parents of our baseball and softball players would comment to their children on how Seymore had been at Deer Run Park when they were young and involved in our youth programs. Even some of the parents and coaches coming to play from other areas would recognize Seymore from years past,” he said.
A typical night for Seymore on the ball fields at Deer Run Park varied depending on the role he was taking on that evening.
“If he was the umpire, he’d be sweating his butt off and we’d run and get him Gatorades. If he was a supervisor, he’d be walking around from field to field watching games, talking to people, playing with the little kids and babies,” Parrish said.
”Before leaving the diamonds, he’d always make sure each kid had a ride home. Then he would come home to a steaming hot bath to relieve the leg cramps each night.”
In addition to overseeing contests, calling balls and strikes, Seymore was an advocate for sportsmanship.
“Seymore really felt like he could make a difference in these kids’ lives. He thought ball games taught sportsmanship and respect, which carried through into adulthood,” said Laurelyn.
She recalled a time when Seymore coached a girls softball team that finished the season without a win. The team, however, received a Sportsmanship Award.
“He was proud of that above all the other awards,” Laurelyn said.
When asked what Seymore would have thought about this honor if he were here to celebrate it, Laurelyn said, “He would have been proud, but more, he would have liked to see everyone, as he was a very social person and never met a stranger.”
Parrish said her dad would be proud.
“He’d be overwhelmed. He’d say ’They love this old man’ with his impish grin and a twinkling eye. Then he’d say, ‘Now that my name is on it, you think if I gripe, they’ll put our lights up?’” she said.
Seymore was concerned that many ball games had to be suspended because only two of the four fields had working lights, Parrish added.
One light that never quit working was in Seymore himself. For decades, the warm light of a generous man who loved kids, who loved baseball and softball and who loved his community shone brightly on multiple generations of participants who found some summer pleasures on fields one through four.
“My husband was a special person who loved life, his family, God and his country,” Laurelyn said.
“We have been in 48 states in our travels, and he would say he didn’t want to live anywhere else than here in Brown County.”
