Shawn Meyers to Serve on Bench

Suerk is overjoyed with the news that his friend and former student, Shawn Meyers (class of '86), will be serving on the bench of the Franklin/Fulton County Court of Common Pleas.

Here are two links.

Meyers for Judge

Meyers Victory

Baseball

The carillon in the chapel at Mercersburg is a stunningly grand instrument, not just because of the building it sits atop, but mostly because of the power of its sound and the broad reach the sound achieves -- all over the campus and through much of the town. It was back in the 80's when I was first exposed to the traditional sound that instrument made. Mr. Smith brought the bells to life for every big occasion on campus, and lots of small ones too -- the music always fitting for the original intention of the instrument in a way Bryan Barker would have approved. But each spring, on the hour, the day, and on the minute of the first pitch of that day’s first game of the official start of baseball season, Paul Suerken would engage those bells in a far more secular way than we were used to hearing, pounding out, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” And he would repeat, and repeat, and repeat with ever-growing permutations and flourishes, the song that spoke to him spiritually, and to his core. No one around could possibly miss hearing it.

Baseball has almost always been a huge part of Suerk’s life. When he was a kid, it was a girl named Lucille who was the best little baseball player in the Lakewood neighborhood of Erie where the Suerkens lived. They were great friends, Lucille and Suerk. Lucille’s parents were from Cleveland and they loved the Indians. That’s how his obsession with the Tribe started. But it was the summer of 1948 when Suerk was ten, his devotion to the Indians was sealed for life. That August, one of the neighborhood’s dads bought a block of seats seven rows behind home plate and took the whole group of kids Suerk played with to Cleveland for a game. Later that fall, ten-year-old Suerk was glued to a radio, following every move of the Indians' triumphant march to the Pennant, sometimes skipping school to do it. And it was in that fall of ’48 that the Indians won the World Series, beating the Boston Braves. If you’ve ever seen Suerk cheering on his Indians, you would know that even now, he is able to channel back to that enthusiastic ten-year-old kid who fell in love with Baseball and the Indians in summer of ‘48.

Suerk is flat on his back in a nursing home now, but this baseball season is shaping up to be a very happy one for him. On Opening Day, an old friend and another baseball lover (Phillies fan), Travis Fore (class of ’86) travelled up to Erie for a visit. They had a wonderful afternoon reminiscing. Suerk says Travis has an amazing ability to stay the same as ever. And two weeks ago, a man who has made Baseball his life, currently as Asst. General Manager of the Kansas City Royals, Dean Taylor (class of' 69), took the opportunity to visit with Suerk while the Royals had an off-day in preparation for their series with the Indians. Suerk has always been moved by Dean’s devotion to Baseball. They have remained close through the years because of their shared respect for one another, and for the Game. Here’s what Dean had to say about his visit.

The visit was very enjoyable (a little over an hour) and I was fortunate enough to be able to bring him autographed baseballs signed by Grady Sizemore (his favorite player) and Cliff Lee, along with an Indians hat that he wore for a large part of my visit. I didn’t have a camera, but the next time you or someone else makes a visit, a photo on the blog of him wearing the hat might elicit a few smiles from the readers, if he wants do so. We spent quite a bit of time talking about both baseball and the ‘Burg, as one would expect. I was pleasantly surprised that he was quite upbeat and seemed to be dealing with the reality of the situation as well as anyone could be. It was a moment in time well spent for both of us, and I’m thankful I was able to make the trip.

I am travelling back to Erie Memorial Day weekend for a visit, and to explore further the possibility of Suerk’s returning to his home on Hilltop Road. We'll watch lots and lots of baseball while I'm there. I’ll be sure to snap that photo of him wearing his new hat.