Kimberly-Clark Gives Berkeley Park to Hendersonville, Celebrating an 85-Year History with the AreaThe designation of "Field of Dreams" has a new meaning in the town of Hendersonville, North Carolina. On June 19, Kimberly-Clark’s Berkeley mill donated Berkeley Park, an historic ball field, and the surrounding green space, to the city of Hendersonville, ensuring the community will have a dedicated recreational baseball and softball area for years to come.
The contribution of 59 acres of land, valued at $1.7 million, commemorates the 85th anniversary of the Kimberly-Clark mill in the city. Berkeley Park was born in 1947, when mill employees and management decided to form a baseball team as a fun and recreational activity after work.
The team practiced often, on top of maintaining their regular mill hours, and it was apparent almost immediately this team needed its own ballpark. While mill management hired contractor Dan Waddell & Co. to build the park, employees pitched in to help with the construction after work hours.
The mill’s team, the Berkeley Spinners, took the field in 1948 and played in the semi-pro Western North Carolina Industrial League. During the team's 14 seasons, the overall winning percent was .733, more than 100 points higher than the famed New York Yankees of that era, according to The Berkeley Spinners: A Baseball History 1948-1961 by Patrick W. Gallagher Jr, who was also in attendance at the event on June 19th.
Since the league disbanded in 1962, mill employees, the YMCA and members of the Babe Ruth League have been using the field. With the mill’s contribution, the city formally agreed to preserve the historical nature of the field and will make future plans to develop the green and park space around it for the entire community to enjoy.
"We donated this property to the city so everyone in Hendersonville may enjoy it for generations to come," said John Bruce, mill manager. "The histories of the city and the park are intertwined, and it's impossible to separate them. Berkeley Field is an important symbol of the special relationship between the mill and the city."
On June 19th Kimberly-Clark employees joined Bob Stargel, K-C’s vice president of global nonwovens, city officials and community members to participate in the ceremonial exchange of the park. Berkeley Park's past connected with its future when Dewey Hunnicutt, a former mill employee and member of the Berkeley Spinners, threw out the first pitch on the newly-minted city space to current Babe Ruth League ballplayer Ryan Callahan, the son of mill employee Mal Callahan.
Special thanks to the Times-News for contributing to the content of this article and for the use of the photos:
Where the Spinners Once Won, June 12, 2008 - Times News Staff
Book Details 1940s Baseball Team, June 16, 2008 - Bill Moss
Former Spinner Recalls Team that Refused to Lose, June 18, 2008 - John Harbin
The Preservation of Berkeley Field Connects the Past with the Present, June 20, 2008 - Mark Schulman
