Dec. 19, 2004
NORFOLK, VA-- Local dentist Dr. Patrick Baker will be honored as the 28threcipient of the Bud Metheny Award at the "Meet the Stars" Banquet,Friday, Jan. 28, 2005 at the Sheraton Norfolk-Waterside as part of the annual GreenwichKitchens/ODU Baseball Clinic weekend. The banquet begins with a social at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. This year's keynote speaker will be New York Met pitching great and baseball Hall of Famer Tom Seaver.
Tickets for the banquet are $50, and on sale at the Old Dominion AthleticTicket Office in the Athletic Administration Building ( 683-5484). The GreenwichKitchens Baseball Clinic will be held Saturday, Jan. 29 in the Old Dominion UniversityFieldhouse. Tickets at $5 for the session, beginning at 9 a.m. Proceeds from the dinnerand clinic support baseball scholarships at Old Dominion.
"This is very, very gratifying," said Baker. "Playing baseball at ODU was one ofthe highlights of my athletic career. I felt like it was an obligation to help in fund raisingto give kids the same opportunities that I had."
Pat has served on ODU's Athletic Medical staff as a volunteer since theearly 1980's. He has been involved with the ODU Baseball Clinic for almost 20 yearsas a member of the Clinic's Planning Committee. Baker has served on the ODUIntercollegiate Foundation's Board of Directors for the past 15 years.
In the community, Baker was a moving force in helping develop youth baseballon the west side of Norfolk. He helped to organize and develop the Naval Base LittleLeague at Fleet Park in the 1980's. Baker helped establish Youth Fall Baseball at FleetPark and coached youth teams in both the spring and fall for many years. In addition,Pat founded a youth basketball program at Norfolk Collegiate Schools 12 years ago andis currently Chairman of the Norfolk Collegiate School's Athletic Committee.
Baker is a 1973 graduate of Norfolk Academy where he played baseball and wasan All-Tidewater Conference selection his senior year as a pitcher. He was a NorfolkSports Club Scholarship recipient. He graduated from the College of William and Maryin 1978 and from the School of Dentistry at the Medical College ofVirginia in 1982. He received his certificate of general practice residency from East Carolina University School of Medicine in 1983.
For more information about the clinic and banquet, please contact the Athletic Ticketoffice at 683-5484.
PREVIOUS BUD METHENY WINNERS1978 Dave RosenfieldGeneral Manager, Norfolk Tides Co-Founder of ODU Clinic1979 George Kotarides President, Milton=s Pizza1980 Ed Nagourney Rices Nachman Dept. Store Co-Founder of ODU Clinic1981 Bud MethenyFormer Old Dominion baseball coach1982 George McClellandFormer Executive Sports Editor The Virginian Pilot/Ledger-Star newspapers1983 Charlie SuggReal Estate Assessor, City of Norfolk1984 Don Fett President, Waymar, Inc.1985 Clyde McCulloughFormer major league scout1986 Abe GoldblattSportswriter, The Virginian Pilot/Ledger Star1987 Richard J. DavisPresident, Tidewater Professional Sports, Inc.1988 Harry PostoveMajor League Scout1989 Hank FoilesFoiles Insurance, former major leaguer1990 Lewis D.HirschlerHofheimer=s Inc,1991 Richard AlexanderUmpire1992 Bob RathbunFormer sports anchor,WTKR TV WTAR Radio1993 Sandra PickinFounder of the Peninsula Muscular Dystrophy Benefit Baseball Tournament1994 John T. CallahanFormer President of Tidewater Baseball League1995 Gary WrightTidewater Summer League, AAU1996 Paul Fraim Mayor of Norfolk1997 Roy L.Burton,Jr.Founder of Willard-Lakewood Athletic Association & the Granby Booster Club1998 Paul VestalPresident Greenbrier Athletic Assoc.1999 Ken Young President, Norfolk Tides Baseball Team2000 Lester BangsLocal Baseball Scout2001 Warren SpiveyPresident Spivey Rentals2002 Bill Swan Former Head Baseball Coach at Virginia Wesleyan Former Assistant Baseball Coach at ODU.2003 Tim MillerChairman ACS Systems & Engineering2004 Luke NewmanPresident of Greenwich Kitchens Center