You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who disagrees with the notion that Humboldt’s own Walter Johnson was one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history.
But a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday dedicating a new billboard that notes Johnson’s Allen County roots, was as much a celebration of the partners who brought the billboard project to life.
A crowd of more than 50 gathered in front of the billboard just south of Humboldt on U.S. 169. Organizing the event was former Iolan Allie Utley, whose love of baseball came from her grandfather, the late Dick Davis.
It was Davis — described by Utley as “a keeper of knowledge of all things baseball” — who put forth several projects decades ago to honor both Johnson and George Sweatt, another Humboldt native who starred in the Negro Leagues in the 1920s.
Her grandfather’s life “was a tapestry of dedication, passion and an unwavering love for the game of baseball, especially for one of its greatest legends, Walter Johnson,” Utley said.
“For my grandfather, Walter was more than just a baseball icon,” she continued. “He was a source of inspiration, a hero whose achievements on the field connected deeply with his own love for the game.”
Just as importantly, it was Davis who stitched a love of baseball into his granddaughter’s heart when she was a toddler, a passion that continues still today. Dick Davis died in 2011.
Utley was joined by Walter Wulf Jr., CEO and chairman of the board of Monarch Cement, who spoke of working in league with Davis to spearhead several baseball-related projects.
Wulf noted that Davis moved to Iola with his family as a child in 1962, and overcame a reading disorder by poring through the sports pages of the Kansas City Times.
Davis also helped develop a board game marketed to help illiterate men and women pursuing a career in trucking study for tests and earn commercial driver’s licenses.
Davis coordinated efforts to build George Sweatt Park in the south part of town for youth league games, and then a few years later to add lights.
In 2005, Davis organized a celebration of both Walter Johnson and George Sweatt’s respective World Series titles in 1924 — more on that later — an event that drew dignitaries such as Hall of Famer Buck O’Neil and Henry Thomas, Johnson’s grandson and biographer.
It was also Davis who spearheaded efforts to erect a billboard along 169 to celebrate Humboldt’s connection to Johnson. He even handled the designs and painting.
“I’d like to commend Allie for her carrying on the spirit of her grandfather, and promoting Humboldt and its rich baseball history,” Wulf said.
THE JOHNSON billboard stood prominently for more than 20 years, but the harsh Kansas weather began to take its toll as the lettering faded and wood began to crack.
