Dutch Lorbeer

Adley "Dutch" Lorbeer (1902-1983) came to Neodesha in 1929 after a six-year professional baseball stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees organizations, an experience that profoundly influenced the rest of his life. After returning to Neodesha, he became sponsor of the Neodesha American Legion baseball team in 1945, giving boys ages fifteen to eighteen a chance to play competitively. He coached the team, bought their uniforms, baseballs, bats, and gloves, and took them to a St. Louis Cardinals game each year. During his eighteen years of sponsorship, he spent more than $75,000 on Neodesha's American Legion ballplayers. The Neodesha American Legion Park, designed by Standard Oil engineer A.M. Burton, was dedicated on May 8, 1921, after Neodesha baseball enthusiasts donated $4,000 to build the original field with a covered grandstand that held 700.

Neodesha, Kansas · United States