The largest live crowd I have ever spoken in front of was in excess of 40,000 on August 16, 2011. That was the date that some friends and I presented a memorial statue to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Together we formed Dear Harry, Inc., an organization whose unprecedented mission was to raise awareness, support and funding for the production of a memorial statue honoring the late, great MLB broadcaster Harry Kalas and to convince a Major League Baseball team to accept a statue as a gift. After nearly two years of work, the effort culminated in a tremendous pre-game celebration and unveiling of the prominent installation of the impressive sculpture.
It was my part to introduce the artist and I had two goals: Be brief and be powerful.
It was a real honor to have been a part of this unusual project and a lasting legacy for the voice of our summers, Harry Kalas. Ultimately it is legacy for the artist as well– the project’s leader– who graciously inscribed all of our names onto the base of the sculpture that still stands proudly overlooking the diamond at Citizen’s Bank Park.
I have no doubt that Nowlan– called Doobie by everyone that knew him– and I would have collaborated significantly on future projects. In fact, we were working on several initiatives when he unexpectedly passed away two summers after I introduced him to 40,000+ fans– far too early, far too young.
My introduction of the artist begins at 03:41.
Almost two years ago,
just a few short, sad months
after Harry Kalas called his last game,
my good friend– and college roommate–
called me
and asked me to join him in a special project
to forever memorialize Harry Kalas
where he should be memorialized.
A group of fans including
David Muntz,
Suzanne Norris,
Paul Bevlock,
Greg Veith,
Janet Barry
and myself,
joined together to
SUPPORT THE ARTIST,
PROMOTE THE PROJECT,
and
DO WHATEVER IT TOOK
to make today a reality
because we all believed two things:
Harry Kalas was the greatest
baseball broadcaster we had ever known
and
Lawrence Nowlan was the greatest
sculptor we had ever known.
It turns out that a whole lot of other people believed
in those two eternally humble,
supremely talented men as well.
And today,
thanks to thousands of individual donations
from people who loved Harry Kalas –
people like all of you –
we are proud to present this monument to the
Philadelphia Phillies,
the fans of Harry Kalas,
and
the fans of sculptor,
Lawrence Nowlan!
Ladies, gentlemen, players and fans…
sculptor, Lawrence “Doobie” Nowlan!
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