Decades of dedication

Mabel Powell Memorial Softball Complex has a really nice ring to it, if you ask me. As a proud son, I’m obviously biased.
I’m also honored, humbled and appreciative of the City Council and the parks advisory board for taking the steps necessary to name the eight-field softball complex at UTPB Park after my mother.
We didn’t make a big deal out of it here at the OA. I didn’t hear much from the other media either. For the most part, it was just a line item that gained swift, unanimous approval from the council members.
If you’ll bear with me, I’d like to tell a little more of the story.
The effort began with Odessa Softball Sports Unlimited, the umbrella adult softball association that oversees all adult softball leagues in Odessa. The board, which my mom had served on since its inception, asked the city to name the fields after her. After it went through the proper channels, the council approved the recommendation.
Steve Patton, the parks director who had worked with my mom for years, helped shepherd the request through the proper channels. I’m sure his support played a big part in passage of the measure. I thank him for that.
I’ve often wondered what someone has to do to get something named after them. Now I know. Or at least I know what my mom did to earn the honor.
For as long as I can remember, mom had something to do with softball in Odessa either as a player, a coach or a league administrator.
It all started with her just playing softball. My dad coached. The family traveled to weekend tournaments. In her time, she was one of the better fast-pitch softball pitchers in the state.
Then my sisters were old enough to play ball. Mom started coaching and working with Miss Softball America, the precursor to the Odessa Girls Softball Association. At one point my dad was the state umpire in chief for MSA.
When my sisters outgrew the teen leagues, my folks turned their attention to adult softball. Instead of just playing, they helped organize leagues, worked to improve facilities, organized hiring and training of umpires and generally tried to make softball more enjoyable for those who played.
When the first four fields on UTPB land, my family was out there digging up mesquite bushes since the county put in fences before clearing the land.
That was in the early 1980s. Literally since day one, Mabel Powell worked on and around the fields that now carry her name. Obviously, I wish she was still here to savor the honor.
But there is a bigger picture here. The council did more than honor my mother. The council also sent a message to all of us that nobody has vocalized.
Without saying it, the council let us all know that volunteers are appreciated. If we go out and make a positive difference, then it will be noticed and it will be appreciated.
Softball isn’t important to everyone. And it doesn’t carry the significance of raising money to cure cancer, clothe needy children or feed the hungry. But my mom picked something she loved and made it better for others.
If we all did that, wouldn’t this be a better world?