Sports

Tears and Cheers: Fletcher Hills Little League Honors the Dickson Family

Family of late umpire-in-chief cried upon seeing signage at ballfields on a day when 1961 Little League World Champions from La Mesa North were saluted.

The day was 50 years in the making—and a complete surprise.

Fletcher Hills Little League held its opening ceremonies Saturday on a splendid sunny morning, a tent shading seven members of the La Mesa team that won the Little League World Series title in August 1961 and a red carpet for them and nearly 300 brightly clad ballplayers.

But it was the family of Judy Dickson, a one-time league umpire-in-chief, that showed the most emotion. Dickson died in 2001 after a life dedicated to her children C’Ann, Daniel, Matt and Lance—the boys having played at what is now called Mor Field in Fletcher Hills, just east of La Mesa.

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Only son-in-law Mark McMillin knew that signs inside and outside the ballpark had her name—one saying: “In memory of Judy Dickson.”

“It was just overwhelming,” said Richard Dickson, 75, who had come from Tucson with no clue that his late wife would be honored.  “Everyone had tears in their eyes. That’s an honest fact.”

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All his children were present, including one from Palmdale.

A sign posted on a fence gave more details: “This new ball field and soon-to-be batting cage have been made possible by Judy Dickson’s family.”

El Cajon’s Mark McMillin, married to C’Ann, was the keeper of the secret. Starting six months ago, he and the county embarked on a remodel project that included new fencing and sidewalks—at a cost of $27,000 to both parties, he said. Mark is president and CEO of the homebuilder Corky McMillin Cos.

On a folding chair outside the first-base line, Richard Dickson recalled how his son Lance had pitched from the very mound he sat near Saturday. Lance went on to Grossmont High School and had a brief career with the Chicago Cubs.

County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, appearing at several Little League ceremonies Saturday, told how in 1961 she was a teacher at Bancroft School in Spring Valley when the La Mesans won the World Series title. She delivered a proclamation marking the moment as “1961 La Mesa North/Fletcher Hills Little League World Champions Day” in San Diego County.

Former SDSU and NFL quarterback Brian Sipe, the most famous name on the 1961 team that beat El Campo, TX, wasn’t present for the morning event but was expected to pay a visit in the afternoon, when a full schedule of games were to be played.

The hourlong ceremony, emceed by league president Ty Dayton, also included the singing of the national anthem by Antonina Contreras, 12, of Parkway Middle School and the announcement of a ballfield project by Boy Scout Keaton Barr, a Grossmont High School sophomore.

But the hundreds of youngsters—including girls—were more interested in getting the season under way.

So they sat with their teams in shallow left, center and right fields for introductions—and then raced around the base paths as their names were announced by the coaches at home plate.


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