Macon Magazine

wood and iron county-owned structure is the second oldest minor league ballpark in the U.S. Named after Luther Williams, who was the mayor of Macon from 1922-1925, the stadium encompasses the eras of baseball that established the sport as America's national pastime. Local love of the game transcended the country being separate and unequal at the time, and Luther Williams Field became a launching pad for future baseball superstars and Hall of Famers. Nowhere was this more evident than in the Macon Peaches games played at the park in the 1960s during the hay day of the home team that gave rise to Lee May, Tony Perez, Tommy Helms and most notably Pete Rose. Evidence of the Negro Baseball League is even at Luther Williams. Four of the league's most prolific players — Robert Scott, Ernest "Big Dog" Fann, Lemuel Hawkins and Marion Cain — were born in Macon. Bronze plaques that bear their names and brief history as players are on the walls of the park and were dedicated to them in 2016 as a Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout project. A Black presence in the form of film is part of the park's importance as well. Modern audiences have routinely seen Luther Williams Field in movies with baseball backdrops like the Clint Eastwood directed "Trouble with the Curve," and "42," starring Harrison Ford and the late Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson. During the 1970s, the park transformed into the primary set for the iconic "Bingo Long Traveling Allstars and Motor Kings." Set in the 1930s, the film stars Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones, Richard Pryor and a host of other ascending Black actors, and focuses on the hilarious, dramatic and tragic ups and downs of a fictious Negro Baseball League team as it navigates the treacherous waters of being a financially challenged, all Black, independent team. Visit Macon helps keep the park prevalent in the minds of Hollywood as Macon's main visitor and tourist go-to. Valerie Bradley, Visit Macon's vice president of marketing and communications, along with Aaron Buzza, vice president of development and chief operations officer, agreed that the park is an asset and deserves to be showcased as a place for all people. "It's an important landmark and great attraction that we use as a draw to Macon," Bradley said. "The park has an iconic look that's recognizable." "Not many parks like Luther Williams Field exist around the country," added Buzza. Stephen Duval of Macon recently recalled his role as both an extra and consultant in "Bingo Long." The 71-year- old is a member of one of Macon's most renowned Black business families. Duval Upholstery was started in 1883 by his great grandfather, Paul Duval, and lasted until 2003. He and his brothers Paul IV and Thomas assisted in the business coming up, but in between, Stephen managed to squeeze in his love of baseball. He first attended games at Luther Williams courtesy of a kind neighbor in the Pleasant Hill community that treated he and his friends to Macon Peaches games. Duval said the park is part of Black Macon's history and needs to be promoted as such. "The stories need to be told. Youth don't have a big enough connection to history," Duval said. "If you don't have a connection to the past, it's hard to know where you're headed." STEPHEN DUVAL 68 maconmagazine.com | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

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