On Saturday, February 6 at 11:00 a.m., plaques at Luther Williams Field in Central City Park will be unveiled honoring the four Maconites that played in the Negro National League: Lemuel Hawkins, Marion Cain, Ernest Fann, and Robert Scott. Following the ceremony, there will be a reception in the Round Building where people can speak with Mr. Fann and Mr. Scott to learn more about their experience.

The two surviving members of the Leage – Ernest Fann and Robert Scott – will be in attendance at the ceremony. Also attending will be Garett Williams, Scout Executive for the Central Georgia Council of Boy Scouts of America; Steve Duvall with the Middle Georgia Umpire Association; Rudell Richardson with 100 Black Men of Macon-Middle Georgia; Macon-Bibb Mayor Robert Reichert; and Macon-Bibb Recreation Director Reggie Moore.

The plaques are the product of an Eagle Scout project led by Gordon Smith of Troop 170. He chose this project because Macon-Bibb has a rich history of baseball. but its players in this League do not have a place where they are recognized. He wanted to show leadership in his community by recognizing its history and educating people about the people that were born here.

“I love the game of baseball and have played since T-ball, mostly at shortstop and second base,” says Gordon Smith. “I am able to play on fields all over Georgia due to the sacrifices of men like these, and I am thankful for their efforts when the ‘playing field’ wasn’t always fair.  We should always remember their work and their worth.”

Gordon chose Luther Williams Field as the ideal location for that recognition because it is the second oldest minor league ball park in the United States, and has been the site of filming for three movies, two of which are related to Negro League Baseball: “Bingo Long and the Traveling All-Stars” and “42.”

To complete his project, Gordon needed permission and support from the Macon-Bibb County Commission to install the plaques and lead a fundraising effort to have them created. The project also includes the recognition ceremony being held on February 6 as a way to help tell the story of these four players to the larger community.