A dedication for the “Baseball Greats of West Plains” sculpture at the Ozark Heritage Welcome Center, 2999 Porter Wagoner Blvd., will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, November 6. The sculpture, created by Jason Morton of Eagle Ridge Chainsaw Carvings, commemorates major league baseball legends Elwin “Preacher” Roe and Bill Virdon. It also features a plaque honoring Tedd Gullic with room to include future MLB stars from West Plains. The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony. Mandy’s Hot Dogs food truck will also be at the welcome center selling hot dogs from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In discussing the event, Tourism Manager Melissa Wharton said, “We lost another one of our large oak trees in front of the welcome center this year. Jason did such an amazing job on Porter’s guitar sculpture that was completed earlier this year, that we wanted to have him back to create something for our baseball greats. It really did turn out to be a beautiful tribute.”
Elwin “Preacher” Roe was a professional baseball player, a pitcher, who started his career as a St. Louis Cardinal in 1938 and who would go on to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1944-47 and finally, for the legendary Brooklyn Dodgers from 1948-54 where he had a stellar career, including in 1951 when he posted a 22-3 win-loss record. He was a five-time All-Star and, along with the rest of the Dodgers team, is immortalized in Roger Kahn’s book The Boys of Summer. Born on Feb. 26, 1916, in Ash Flat, Ark., Preacher grew up in Viola, Ark. However, after he retired from baseball, he moved to West Plains where for many years he operated a grocery store and was – and still is – claimed and revered as our town’s very own “boy of summer.” Preacher died on Nov. 9, 2008.
Bill Virdon was a professional baseball outfielder, manager, and coach. He was born June 9, 1931, in Michigan to parents who were originally from Missouri but who had moved away to find work during the Great Depression. In 1944 the Virdons moved to Howell County where Bill attended West Plains High School, excelling at sports and graduating with the class of 1949. He started his Minor League Baseball career in 1950 as part of the New York Yankees organization. His Major League career began in 1955 with the St. Louis Cardinals where he was named National League Rookie of the Year. The next year Bill was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates where he remained through his playing years and was part of the team as it won the 1960 World Series. Retiring as a player after the 1965 season, he went on to coach and manage with several organizations including the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and the Montreal Expos. Bill passed away on November 23, 2021.
Tedd Gullic was an outfielder for the St. Louis Browns from 1930 through the 1933 season. He was born Jan. 2, 1907, in the neighboring community of Koshkonong, Mo., and died Jan. 28, 2000, in West Plains where he had made his home as a successful businessman after retiring from baseball.
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