Almond Honored For 25 Years Of Service To Babe Ruth

Matt Saville unfurls a flag in honor of Bill Almond and his 25 years of service to the Babe Ruth program.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – On Wednesday night, long time Babe Ruth volunteer Bill Almond was honored for his 25 years of service to the program.

The surprise recognition was hosted by Babe Ruth coach Matt Saville. “He’s had 25 years of being invested in the community. He doesn’t have a son or daughter that will be playing Babe Ruth, playing at this level.”

Saville said that Almond has given, at a minimum, 17,000 hours of volunteer time to the program. “That’s incredible,” said Saville.

Saville then acknowledged Charlie Kentfield. The Babe Ruth fields at the Lacey Complex are named in honor of Kentfield. Saville also recognized Joe Crookham for his contributions in making the fields a reality.

In May of 2011, the new Babe Ruth fields were dedicated, and Kentfield’s widow, Ellen, was on hand for the dedication. The keynote speaker that day was Joe Crookham, who stated, “This field is particularly poignant because it’s a continuation of a program that started over 50 years ago, close to 60 years ago. I played on the first team Charlie Kentfield had, when they first organized Babe Ruth Baseball.”

Charlie Kentfield passed away in January of 2009, leaving behind his wife Ellen, and the huge legacy of Babe Ruth Baseball. Kentfield had devoted 65 years of service to the youth of Oskaloosa, and to the community itself.

With Wednesday’s ceremony, the pride and dedication from Almond towards the program was honored by many of his friends and family, along with Babe Ruth alumni.

Almond, who was surprised by the ceremony, said that he has had a desire to give back to his community. “What you have is what you have. That is your community; your friends and your family.”

“Charlie set an example for me. I dunno, I guess I’m just continuing on with it,” said Almond.