Stanberry's gift is 'home run' for WCU baseball

Longtime Sylva businessman Larry Stanberry is currently batting a thou-sand in the eyes of those connected with Western Carolina University.

The former Catamount baseball team manager recently donated $300,000 to the program to help pay for facility upgrades needed to attract top-notch prospects to Cullowhee's diamond.

To those of us familiar with the Stanberry family history, the generous gift comes as no surprise.

Through the years Stanberry and his family have consistently supported county youth athletics, as well as local high school and college teams. And while Larry has been a booster of all athletics, his first love has always been baseball.

After graduating from Sylva High and serving with the U.S. Marines, Stanberry served as manager for the WCU baseball teams of the mid- to late-1960s under then coach Ron Blackburn. As he began his business career, he became involved with county Little League programs.

"Larry's done a super, super job with Little League over the years," said a parent whose son was coached by Stanberry some 15 years ago. "He was always a 'put-the-kids-first' kind of guy."

Stanberry's recent gift to WCU baseball is one more example of that. By designating his gift to improve the facilities young baseball players will train and compete in, Stanberry said he hopes to bring further glory to the team sport that has been Western's most successful since the university entered the Southern Conference a couple of decades ago.

WCU coaches and players have long set their sights on a trip to the College World Series, and Stanberry's donation can be seen as another step toward Omaha, Neb., and realization of that goal.

"When you feel good about people that helped you, you should give back," Stanberry said. "I'll never forget what the people at Western did for me. I have a special feeling for the WCU baseball program and want to do all I can to help it to be consistently competitive."

Stanberry is a great example of a local boy who did well and is now sharing his success with others.

We applaud his generosity and commitment to a program he obviously cherishes.