Park shows Pender pride
By Tim Gallagher Journal staff writer | Posted: Wednesday, June 27, 2007
PENDER, Neb. -- For 17 years, Tom Nitzschke spent summer days and nights on the baseball field with his son David.
He still does.
David Thomas Nitzschke was a junior in high school when he died from a rare form of cancer May 2, 1996 -- about the time baseball season began. One year later, five of his Pender High School classmates asked the village board to name the impressive field in David's honor.
Tom was a member of the village board at the time. He still is.
"I was honored when they came before us to ask that the field be named for David," says Tom Nitzschke. "David loved playing baseball. He played catcher and third base, and I think he always had the dirtiest uniform when the game ended."
Thanks to Nitzschke's dedication -- and the support of people in Pender -- the games rarely end in this Thurston County community of 1,148. The two-diamond facility Nitzschke helped build in 1989 is considered one of Nebraska's best, having hosted several state tournaments in its brief history.
"We could not have done any of this without all the volunteer hours and the constant support the community has given us," says Nitzschke. "We're just trying to provide a beautiful place for kids to play ball."
Starts in 1988
Nearly two decades ago, the Pender Economic Development Corporation surveyed residents on a variety of topics, ranging from the condition of streets, utilities, the parks and more.
Looking back, the timing was ideal for Pender's Summer Recreation Program as nine youth baseball and softball teams and two adult softball teams battled for practice and playing time on the only field in town.
"One thing became clear: People wanted more fields," says Nitzschke.
Didn't hurt that Wakefield was a neighbor 18 miles west. Many in Pender were a bit envious of Wakefield's ballpark. They wanted something similar.
Kirwin Kent, who owned land on the northwest side of town, stepped forward and offered 11 acres of crop land to the city well below market value. The city received a $21,500 state grant to develop a park. Officials leaned on Nitzschke, who had previous experience with an engineering firm, to design a blueprint for two fields.
"I was 32 at the time and just starting to coach," says Nitzschke, now a loan officer for Charter West National Bank.
They built an east field in 1989 and a smaller west field in 1991. Each field was irrigated and crowned at the center to aid drainage. Both use Diamond Pro dirt, which soaks up excess moisture.
Pender's fields were the first in the area to have modern foul poles, and maybe the first to feature a warning track of screen chips that line the entire field. The 10-foot track doubles as a walking track for people seeking exercise when games aren't being played.
The east field, now named for son David, was built for $56,000, and that included the $21,500 grant and the land purchase.
"Labor is cheap when it's volunteer," says Nitzschke, smiling.
"We laid the sod, we built roofs for the dugouts, we built the crow's nest," says Pender Postmaster Francis Burcham, the veteran public address announcer for Pender's American Legion baseball squads. "There was a lot of volunteer work that went into building those fields."
Players on Pender's squads help with daily upkeep, raking and sweeping diamonds after games conclude. Sometimes, players roll out a tarp purchased nine years ago for $5,200.
A covered grandstand with seating for 520 was added for $18,000. There's a state-of-the-art crow's nest up top with two phone jacks for area radio stations calling the action. There's a scoreboard, which will be updated soon (again, to keep pace with Wakefield), and a clock on both fields showing time and temperature.
The local tree committee worked with Nitzschke to establish an avenue of trees at the park. Several families have donated memorial trees and flowers to honor loved ones. The entrance of the park is landscaped, showing dozens of blooming plants and a plaque to remember the late son of the town's driving baseball force.
Lump noticed in 1991
It was on a baseball field that Tom and wife Linda noticed David's trouble. He was 11 at the time.
"We were at a district tournament in 1991 and you could see a lump here," says Nitzschke while pointing to his left cheek. His illness -- rhabdomyosarcoma -- is a cancer in which malignant tumors surface in smooth muscle.
David battled his disease for six years, playing through the pain. Ultimately, he would weaken as the baseball field grew stronger.
Coach Nitzschke continues to direct the program and the park, more than a decade after the death of his son. He talks of an effort in town to add another field to the northwest for girls softball. And there's also a push to build a playground here, a place for little children to play while their older siblings slide around the bases.
They'll get that done, too, says Burcham. The community, he figures, will rally for this cause as it has done in the past.
"This is a sport that reflects life," says Burcham, whose sons played for Nitzschke. "Tom teaches them that. It's a team game, just like life."
When someone needs help, you respond. You make a casserole, you send a card, you staff the concession stand or build a grandstand.
Nitzschke says his family needed help for years. And the people on their team -- those in Pender -- always rallied.
On Monday, he kicked the dirt near first base and inspected a patch of grass that needed a little tender loving care. He surveyed the complex as a mower cut the center field grass. The old cornfield resonates with Pender pride.
Tom Nitzschke examines the monument bearing his son's name near a bed of flowers at the entrance. He pulls a weed, then wonders if it might have been a plant. He laughs at himself and talks about how nice all the other flowers look beneath the brilliant sun.
"I could work until I'm 100 and never repay what the community has given us," he says.
About Tom Nitzschke
Tom Nitzschke, coach of the Pender Senior American Legion team, serves on the Pender (Neb.) village board and directs efforts for the village's parks, ballfields and cemetery.
Nitzschke, 54, is a native of Rock Rapids, Iowa, and a former all-Siouxland Conference catcher during his prep playing days for Central Lyon High School.
He still does.
David Thomas Nitzschke was a junior in high school when he died from a rare form of cancer May 2, 1996 -- about the time baseball season began. One year later, five of his Pender High School classmates asked the village board to name the impressive field in David's honor.
Tom was a member of the village board at the time. He still is.
"I was honored when they came before us to ask that the field be named for David," says Tom Nitzschke. "David loved playing baseball. He played catcher and third base, and I think he always had the dirtiest uniform when the game ended."
Thanks to Nitzschke's dedication -- and the support of people in Pender -- the games rarely end in this Thurston County community of 1,148. The two-diamond facility Nitzschke helped build in 1989 is considered one of Nebraska's best, having hosted several state tournaments in its brief history.
"We could not have done any of this without all the volunteer hours and the constant support the community has given us," says Nitzschke. "We're just trying to provide a beautiful place for kids to play ball."
Starts in 1988
Nearly two decades ago, the Pender Economic Development Corporation surveyed residents on a variety of topics, ranging from the condition of streets, utilities, the parks and more.
Looking back, the timing was ideal for Pender's Summer Recreation Program as nine youth baseball and softball teams and two adult softball teams battled for practice and playing time on the only field in town.
"One thing became clear: People wanted more fields," says Nitzschke.
Didn't hurt that Wakefield was a neighbor 18 miles west. Many in Pender were a bit envious of Wakefield's ballpark. They wanted something similar.
Kirwin Kent, who owned land on the northwest side of town, stepped forward and offered 11 acres of crop land to the city well below market value. The city received a $21,500 state grant to develop a park. Officials leaned on Nitzschke, who had previous experience with an engineering firm, to design a blueprint for two fields.
"I was 32 at the time and just starting to coach," says Nitzschke, now a loan officer for Charter West National Bank.
They built an east field in 1989 and a smaller west field in 1991. Each field was irrigated and crowned at the center to aid drainage. Both use Diamond Pro dirt, which soaks up excess moisture.
Pender's fields were the first in the area to have modern foul poles, and maybe the first to feature a warning track of screen chips that line the entire field. The 10-foot track doubles as a walking track for people seeking exercise when games aren't being played.
The east field, now named for son David, was built for $56,000, and that included the $21,500 grant and the land purchase.
"Labor is cheap when it's volunteer," says Nitzschke, smiling.
"We laid the sod, we built roofs for the dugouts, we built the crow's nest," says Pender Postmaster Francis Burcham, the veteran public address announcer for Pender's American Legion baseball squads. "There was a lot of volunteer work that went into building those fields."
Players on Pender's squads help with daily upkeep, raking and sweeping diamonds after games conclude. Sometimes, players roll out a tarp purchased nine years ago for $5,200.
A covered grandstand with seating for 520 was added for $18,000. There's a state-of-the-art crow's nest up top with two phone jacks for area radio stations calling the action. There's a scoreboard, which will be updated soon (again, to keep pace with Wakefield), and a clock on both fields showing time and temperature.
The local tree committee worked with Nitzschke to establish an avenue of trees at the park. Several families have donated memorial trees and flowers to honor loved ones. The entrance of the park is landscaped, showing dozens of blooming plants and a plaque to remember the late son of the town's driving baseball force.
Lump noticed in 1991
It was on a baseball field that Tom and wife Linda noticed David's trouble. He was 11 at the time.
"We were at a district tournament in 1991 and you could see a lump here," says Nitzschke while pointing to his left cheek. His illness -- rhabdomyosarcoma -- is a cancer in which malignant tumors surface in smooth muscle.
David battled his disease for six years, playing through the pain. Ultimately, he would weaken as the baseball field grew stronger.
Coach Nitzschke continues to direct the program and the park, more than a decade after the death of his son. He talks of an effort in town to add another field to the northwest for girls softball. And there's also a push to build a playground here, a place for little children to play while their older siblings slide around the bases.
They'll get that done, too, says Burcham. The community, he figures, will rally for this cause as it has done in the past.
"This is a sport that reflects life," says Burcham, whose sons played for Nitzschke. "Tom teaches them that. It's a team game, just like life."
When someone needs help, you respond. You make a casserole, you send a card, you staff the concession stand or build a grandstand.
Nitzschke says his family needed help for years. And the people on their team -- those in Pender -- always rallied.
On Monday, he kicked the dirt near first base and inspected a patch of grass that needed a little tender loving care. He surveyed the complex as a mower cut the center field grass. The old cornfield resonates with Pender pride.
Tom Nitzschke examines the monument bearing his son's name near a bed of flowers at the entrance. He pulls a weed, then wonders if it might have been a plant. He laughs at himself and talks about how nice all the other flowers look beneath the brilliant sun.
"I could work until I'm 100 and never repay what the community has given us," he says.
About Tom Nitzschke
Tom Nitzschke, coach of the Pender Senior American Legion team, serves on the Pender (Neb.) village board and directs efforts for the village's parks, ballfields and cemetery.
Nitzschke, 54, is a native of Rock Rapids, Iowa, and a former all-Siouxland Conference catcher during his prep playing days for Central Lyon High School.
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