Elon’s baseball facility will be known as Latham Park, after a major gift by Bryan Latham, the son of Walter C. Latham ‘34. A dedication ceremony was held April 28 during Elon’s doubleheader with Radford University.
Numerous improvements and upgrades have enhanced the surrounding area, including a new press box, ticket booth, concession stands and restrooms. Both team dugouts received a facelift, and the Phoenix will also benefit from the addition of a new batting cage beyond the left field fence.
“This generous gift by Bryan Latham will insure that his father’s dream of helping Elon students will remain alive,” says Alan White, director of athletics. “It is particularly gratifying to us that Bryan chose to honor his father in a way that will impact so many of our student-athletes on a daily basis.”
Walter Latham was the first athlete in Elon history to earn letters in four different sports. A member of the Elon Sports Hall of Fame, Latham was forced to suspend his studies twice during his college years to return home to Bath, N.C., and help support his family. He persevered, however, and after graduation in 1934, he began a long career as a teacher and coach in the North Carolina public schools. He died in 2000.
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