The 6th Ward Booster Club Playground was recognized over the weekend with a proclamation presented by Assemblyman John Salka.
Organized by Bill Shue (former Alderman), founding members, families and neighbors, there was a gathering at the 6th Ward Booster Club Playground Pavilion on Scramling Avenue in Oneonta.
“We are recognizing the 75 years of commitment to the community of Oneonta,” Mr. Salka said. “We present this proclamation to Frank Russo, President of the 6th Ward Booster Club Playground.
Players who are League-age 10, 11, or 12 must register no later than March 15, as do players League-age 9 who wish to try out for the Major division. The registration fee for the Major, Minor, and Bantam divisions is $50 plus a processing fee; registration for the Tee Ball division is $25 plus a processing fee. In its effort to make Oneonta Little League programs available to all eligible children, financial aid is available.
FILM SOCIETY – 7 – 11 p.m. Cooperstown film society presents Noir double feature ‘The Big Clock’ (1948) & ‘An Act of Violence’ (1949) with special guest Libby Cudmore, author ‘The Big Rewind’ & journalist, joining us for dark discussion of black & white crime. Cooperstown Village Library, 22 Main St., Cooperstown. Visit www.facebook.com/FilmSocCoop/
TRYOUTS – 6 p.m. Children aged 9-12 are invited to try out for Oneonta Little League, Major League. Ages 10-12 are required to try out. First come-first serve, pre-registration required. Alumni Field House, SUNY Oneonta. Visit oneontalittleleague.sportngin.com
ONEONTA – Oren C. “Doc” Knapp, 90, a central player in the development of Oneonta’s Little League, passed away on May 10, 2017, at Fox Hospital after a brief illness.
Doc was born on Aug. 10, 1926, to Raymond and Millie Knapp and raised with his 10 brothers and sisters on the family farm on Ouleout Creek in North Franklin.
Doc lettered in baseball and basketball at the Franklin Literary Institute under the mentorship of coach and friend Wendell Cook. Like his three brothers, Doc served in the Navy during World War II in the South Pacific. He served aboard LST 699 as a cook.
The legendary “Doc” Knapp waves to wellwishers lining Oneonta’s River Street during the 2013 Opening Day Parade. He was riding in Graig Eichler’s red convertible, with Eichler’s daughter Ava in the back seat. (AllOTSEGO.com file photos)
Editor’s Note: It is with sadness we learned that “Doc” Knapp, 90, one of a kind, a civic leader and hero of generations of Oneonta Little Leaguers, passed away today at Fox Hospital. His official obituary is being prepared by the Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono Funeral Home – and, when ready, will be printed here – but this profile from 2010 captures Doc, the man, and his enduring legacy to the community.
By JIM KEVLIN • Reprinted from Hometown Oneonta, May 7, 2010
This photo was taken on Opening Day, 2010, at “Doc” Knapp Field, when this article was written. Doc was 83 at the time.
ONEONTA – The history of Oneonta Little League resides in one man, Oren “Doc” Knapp, (who’s also a pretty good golfer.)
So he knew of what he spoke when, after opening ceremonies Saturday, May 1, at, yes, Doc Knapp Field, at the end of Park Avenue, he said: “Oneonta has been very supportive of Little League. I’m very grateful to Oneonta for that.”
Yes, he ought to know.
When New York Telephone transferred him here from Stamford in 1952, he brought two young sons, Gary and John, with him, and was immediately absorbed into the fledgling Little League organization.
Bob Dwyer had been local League president since it was founding in 1948 at a meeting in the old Oneonta Hotel (Dick Fowler and Ken Chase were among those attending) and he was tired.
Doc, a baseball enthusiast since his boyhood on a Franklin farm, had looked forward to managing a team, but soon found himself drafted as Dwyer’s successor instead.
