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In honor of a veteran
New baseball field serves as a tribute to a fan who wore a different uniform

 
By Sheila Stogsdill | Published: June 24, 2008    Comment on this article Leave a comment

MIAMI, OK — Francis Morgan wasn't a Heisman Trophy winner, like this city's Steve Owens. Nor was he a legendary pro baseball player, like Mickey Mantle, who was from nearby Commerce.

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Nina Morgan holds the 1977 "Forget Me Not” poster that showed a picture of her husband, Francis. It was used to sell memorial poppies. She stands with a marker that was placed at the ballpark in honor of Francis. By gary crow, for the oklahoman "He loved NEO football. He never missed a game. We traveled from Savannah, Georgia, to California to watch NEO football.”

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Monday night, however, Morgan posthumously received a tribute fit for a sports hero, when the city of Miami held a ceremony to recognize the new Francis Morgan Baseball Field.

Rain and cloudy skies threatened the ceremony, but as it began the skies cleared and the sun came out.

About 65 people attended the ceremony, which included the unveiling of a 3 1/2 foot stone marker in honor of Morgan.

Morgan, paralyzed while serving in the Korean War, loved Miami sports. From Little League games to events at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Morgan attended them all.

"You couldn't go to a sporting event that he wasn't there,” said Tim Wilson, interim city manager.

Morgan died in 1998 of complications from his war injury. He was 67.

What about funding?
The $250,000 baseball field is adjacent to the city's swimming pool.

Its completion was made possible by a $125,000 grant from the Oklahoma Land and Water Conservation Fund Program, he said.

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Related Topics: Armed Forces, Veterans' Affairs, Cultural Institutions and Parks, Parks and Historic Sites, Government and Politics, Arts, Entertainment, and Media



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