Published: August 12, 2008 12:05 am      

Old field returned to glory

Prior to the Zanesville Junior Pioneers’ 3-2 win over J.L. Thomas of Cleveland, a pair of treasures in Johnstown’s baseball lore were honored in a pre-game ceremony that featured dignitaries from the City of Johnstown and the Greater Johnstown School District.

Johnstown Oldtimers President George Arcurio Jr. received the John P. Murtha Education Award from Greater Johnstown School District Superintendent Barbara Parkins as Fichtner Field at Johnstown Middle School was dedicated for use, giving the school district another gem for its student-athletes.

“This is history in itself being made,” said Greater Johnstown School Board President Richard Unger. “This was something that the kids were long waiting for. A couple years ago we got the idea to build the field and we kicked around the idea. When we finally saved enough money and made some good decisions financially, the money was there to do this and we said: ‘Let’s do it. Let’s give our kids their own field.’ ”

Starting in the spring, the Johnstown varsity baseball squad will have a field in the city’s West End to call its own – a project that the school district and Arcurio Jr. teamed up to make happen.

“This is a top-of-the-states field,” said Dee Dee Osborne, Johnstown’s varsity baseball coach, who was recently inducted into the AAABA Hall of Fame. “I remember, as a kid, sitting on the hilltop (behind the backstop) with my dad and this was one of the main fields of the tournament, and this was one if the best fields.”

For Arcurio Jr., the day was doubly delightful with the dream of a new field realized and an honor from a trusted friend.

“It means an awful lot,” Arcurio Jr. said. “(Congressman Murtha) has been my dear friend for years and years. I always worked beside him and he was one of our strongest supporters for the Johnstown Oldtimers and for baseball. He never left us down, he knew it takes a lot of help to put this tournament on.”