Letter: Community to Mark Lischio Field's 20th Anniversary on Saturday

To the editor,

Twenty years ago a group of dedicated parents who were passionate about baseball in the Town of North Kingstown had a dream, to build a top-tier regulation size baseball field where the youth of our town could continue to harness their skills and compete. After searching various different locations throughout the town, they found an old softball field located at the Donald Downs Playground. Located in the southwest corner of town in the Village of Slocum. This site provided enough room to develop this first class facility. Anyone who was around during this time will remember that the existing fields, although nice, were not to up standard of the little league facilities that many of our youth had grown so passionate for the game.

It was during the planning and approval process that Mr. Paul F. Lischio approached this group of individuals and offered to be of assistance in “any way possible." As was typical of Paul, he did this in an understated way and specifically asked that he not be recognized for his contributions.

Paul Lischio was instrumental in the development of this field, both by providing financial support as well as volunteering his years of experience in the construction industry to be certain that the field, that now bears his name, was constructed in a manner all of the Town of North Kingstown could be proud of.

Lischio Field was dedicated and opened on a brilliantly sunny Saturday morning on May 18, 1996. Countless youth of our Town, throughout the State, and occasional international visitors have benefited from the contributions of Paul and more recently his wife, Marguerite; have made to support the field.

In the years that followed, it was not an uncommon sight to see Paul, Mr. Baker and other members of their high school class gathered up by the clubhouse watching intently, the youth of their Town playing the game they loved.

On Saturday, May 21st at 9:00 am we will host a ceremony at Lischio Field in honor of the 20th Anniversary of the dedication of the field. We will take this opportunity to recognize and celebrate Paul’s memory as well as the lasting contributions he and Marguerite have made to the youth of North Kingstown.

Please join us in thanking Lischio family for their unwavering support for North Kingstown’s own “Field of Dreams."

Ray LeBlanc
Fran McCrossan
Jack Pyne
Ed Cooney, Jr.

1. Photos, from 2010: 1.f Mr. Lischio holds the Ireland National Baseball Team Jjersey. From left to right, the late Ed Cooney, Ray Leblanc, Sean Mitchell, Manager of the Ireland National Team; Will Beglane, President Baseball Ireland; Mr. Lischio, Fran McCrossan and Mick Manning, past president, Baseball Ireland.
2. The Ireland National Team and Slocum Baseball Club players line up on the field.