SPOKANE, Wash. – Ron Brooks dedicated 37 years to leading the Shadle Park Highlanders baseball program, and today, received the ultimate honor for his work in the community in and around the school.
“Ron Brooks Field at Al K. Jackson” is the new name for the Shadle Park home field, and he told us the honor is overwhelming.
“It’s very humbling, it’s very humbling, it’s very special,” Brooks said. “I was a very lucky guy to be in a situation at Shadle Park and the northside in this community, and around good kids, a good community, and it was a job that I just looked forward to every day. I was really fortunate to be in that position.”
Former ballplayer Mick Barber spearheaded the effort to get the park renamed, collecting over a hundred signatures from the community in a successful petition letter to the Spokane Public Schools Board.
“It’s always a pleasure, and it’s an honor to be a part of this,” Barber said. “And what brought us to this is all these years that he’s been around, and having a huge influence on the kids and the baseball players in our community.”
Brooks’ career earned him spots in the Washington State Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame. He led over 60 athletes to collegiate baseball and six MLB draft picks.
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