Honoring and lauding longtime Leitchfield City Council member Kelly Stevenson was the name of the game on Friday afternoon as the Leitchfield baseball park was renamed in his honor.
Stevenson served on the Leitchfield City Council for 22 years, continues to sit on the Leitchfield Grayson County Tourism Commission, and previously served multiple terms on the Grayson Co. Board of Education.
He additionally, in his decades of service following a four-year baseball career at WKU, coached local Little League and Babe Ruth baseball teams and assisted with the Grayson County High School girls golf team.
Stevenson was and continues to be a dedicated servant to the city of Leitchfield, as he has given the city the most precious commodity a human being has: Time.
He selflessly serves the community he loves … and we know he loves Leitchfield because only someone who loves and cherishes something would give so much time, labor and effort to better it.
Unsurprisingly, there was not a shortage of speakers who praised Stevenson’s integrity and dedication to Leitchfield during Friday’s ceremony naming the Leitchfield baseball fields the Kelly Stevenson Baseball Complex.
“I’ve known Kelly most of my life, (but) I never knew Kelly closely until I got on the city council in 2012,” Leitchfield Mayor Harold Miller said. “I served with him for eight years; he served the city for over 30 years. That’s a big accomplishment for anyone. The city is lucky that Kelly has been here to help guide it and help have some of the nice things we have.
“We get a bad rap sometimes, but a small town has a lot of benefits to it. And when we look up and see what we have here (waving toward the ballpark) and the Veteran’s Memorial (Park), Kelly was involved in all that. You’ll (metaphorically) see his name on a lot of things around town.”
Miller stated that he was approached “some time ago” about naming the ballpark for Stevenson, and “it made perfect sense immediately to me.”
The mayor then polled city council members about the idea and discussed it with “different people,” and “everybody agreed this would be a fitting tribute for (Stevenson),” Miller told those gathered to honor Stevenson.
“Kelly, I appreciate you,” Miller added, as spoke directly to Stevenson … “I’ve never known Kelly not to stand up for what he thought was right.”
City Councilman Billy Dallas offered heartfelt thanks to Stevenson for his contributions not only to the city but to Dallas personally.
“I can’t thank him enough for the mentoring he did for me to get me rolling in this community, and give my heart and soul just like he has,” Dallas said. “If I can live to have one standard as high as Kelly, to even be recognized around here as Kelly, which it’ll never happen, (because) he’s above most of us.”
“He’s given everything he’s got to this city,” Dallas said directly to Stevenson, “and I appreciate it and I want to thank you.”
An emotional Leitchfield Parks & Recreation Director Tammi Saltsman honored Stevenson for bolstering her confidence and mentoring her when she was named parks & rec director in 2018.
“He gave me advice, he supported me and he always told me to hold strong and don’t let anybody bring me down, and just keep doing my job. And that’s what I’ve been doing. And I just can’t thank him enough for all he’s given to me.
“This to me is the greatest honor, to have your name here every time I come to this park. Thank you.”
Perhaps, though, the Leitchfield Grayson County Chamber of Commerce best summed up Stevenson’s decades-long commitment to the Leitchfield community in a social media post:
We are proud to unveil the new sign for the Kelly Stevenson Baseball Complex, a tribute to a man whose dedication and service have left a lasting mark on our community.
This well-deserved recognition honors Kelly Stevenson for his many years of unwavering commitment to Leitchfield. His passion for youth sports, civic leadership, and community development has helped shape our city for the better.
Thank you, Kelly, for your enduring legacy and all you’ve done to make Leitchfield a better place to live and play.
(Headline photo l-r: Charlotte Shaw (Kelly’s daughter), Britt Stevenson (son), Rita Stevenson (wife), Kelly Stevenson, Tami Hart (sister))
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
