By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph Christian faculty helped lead a dedication ceremony on Thursday afternoon before the Lions' baseball game against Pattonsburg.
The school officially dedicated the Terry Glidewell Baseball Concession Stand at the baseball field.
Terry was the mother of St. Joseph Christian alum and star pitcher Levi Glidewell, who helped the Lions to back-to-back district titles in 2017 and '18 - the first two seasons of the St. Joe Christian baseball program.
Terry died after a lengthy fight with ovarian cancer in 2018. Afterward, her husband Jeff and school administration came together to try and decide the best way to honor her memory.
A concession stand at the baseball field was the unanimous choice.
"It was something our school needed as well," co-superintendent Danny Maggart said. "It was just a no-brainer that we were able to do this. We're just so thankful for the opportunity to remember Terry in this way."
The concession stand was delivered to the school about a year ago, but with COVID canceling last year's season, the dedication ceremony had been delayed a bit.
Delayed, but not any less meaningful.
"It's really just a privilege to not only build this facility that was needed by the school, but also to be able to have something in Terry's memory," Jeff said. "She was just so dedicated to our son and watching different sports over the years. And she was so dedicated to the school."
Numerous parents and community members gathered at the ballpark Thursday to hear stories about Terry, as well as Levi's memorable playing career, which included a no-hit, 17-strikeout performance against East Atchison in 2019 and another 16-strikeout no-no against Braymer that same year.
"It's not important you remember me," Jeff said as he addressed the crowd at the ceremony. "It's not even important that you remember how fantastic Levi was in his three years of playing baseball. What's important is that you remember Terry's legacy."
It's a legacy and influence that Jeff saw in his son on the mound.
"He had nerves of steel," Jeff said of Levi. "And I just think of how Terry could handle any kind of situation. Chemo treatments, radiation, whatever and not complain. Levi just had that same kind of mental toughness on the mound that his mom did."
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.