Celebrating a Deserving Pioneer in OKC

You might recognize the name Kent Meyers.

He’s a longtime Oklahoma resident, an attorney at Crowe & Dunlevy and one of the hosts the local TV show “The Verdict”.

But 60 years ago, he was a batboy for the Oklahoma City Indians.

This factoid came up because former Indian pitcher Bill Greason is back in town this week. He will be honored Thursday night prior to the RedHawks game. He will be celebrated for being the first black player in Oklahoma City’s pro baseball history.

It happened in the summer of 1952.

A teenaged Kent Meyers was there to see it.

Truth be told, he might’ve witnessed what Greason went through like few others did. He was the batboy for the visiting teams, so he’d sit in their dugout during the games. That meant he heard much of the verbal abuse that visitors would lob at Greason.

Remember, 1952 was still a time of deep division and segregation in this country. Integration was happening but slowly.

So, there’s no doubt that most of what Meyers heard shouldn’t be repeated. But really, that’s not what he most remembers. His most vivid memories are of how Greason handled the whole thing. He managed it with dignity and grace and class.