Ron Lewis brought men’s softball to the Berea Field about 30 years ago, but never dreamed he’d be where he was on Saturday.

He fought back tears as he spoke and looked at the crowd filled with his peers and multiple generations of recreational softball players who have come through over the years. He’s either played with them, against them, or umpired, and threw a couple out of a few games.

But there was only applause for Lewis on Saturday afternoon as the Berea Softball field was named in his honor: the James Ronald Lewis Sr. Softball Field.

“It means a lot,” Lewis said after the ceremony. “Words cannot express how I feel right now. It’s really a great honor. I’ll continue to do what I can to improve this field over here to give the guys a great place to play ball.”

It was his best day on the field, possibly only rivaled by one other: when he threw a perfect game at 59 years old on June 14, 2009, as part of the Vikings in the Modified Pitch Softball league. His youngest son, Justin, was a member of “Monroe,” but went to a regular-season Subway Series game between the New York Yankees and New York Mets.

To this day, he said Justin Lewis insists he would have gotten a hit or two that day.
He said it was Justin, along with Michelle Sharpe, who were instrumental in circulating a petition to have the field named after him. After many signatures from players and friends, the dedication was approved by a resolution of the Montgomery Town Board.
“They’re good friends of mine,” Lewis said. “They know what it takes to come out here, and they see me out here all the time, and every day. They got the ball rolling to make this day happen.”

Lewis had been playing up until about two years ago when he was struck with a batted ball, resulting in broken ribs. That told him it was time to step away from the field. In that time, he continued to watch and maintain the field.

Both he and his son, Justin, work for the Montgomery Recreation Department.

“I enjoy coming out maintaining the ball fields to give you guys a good place to play ball,” Lewis said during the ceremony. “Back in my day, I played on a horse pasture, a cow pasture so I know what it’s like to play on a shitty field.”

Lewis started organizing men’s recreational softball about 30 or so years ago, and they started playing at Bradley Park in Walden but outgrew it. When the time came to move to Berea Field, they were given permission to play with the stipulation that they would maintain the infield.

Over the decades, the field has been more than maintained.

Initially it had no fencing around it, and he said the infield was made of beach sand. The dirt was improved, and the fencing goes all the way around.

Supervisor Ron Feller said he hopes the town can find some money to put lights on the field.

“It was all (Lewis),” Feller said. “He organized the leagues. He brought in softball. He brought in seniors. He brought in everybody.”

Lewis also helped create the current Over 50 Men’s Softball League, and his son, Ron Lewis, Jr., announced that the league named its MVP trophy after him.

“Without him, I wouldn’t be the guy I am today,” Ron Lewis, Jr. said. “I worked very hard at it because of him. I watched my father lose a lung and still play the game he loved. He worked harder than anybody on and off the field.”

However, he reminded his father he didn’t get to keep the trophy.

Feller had a similar light-hearted reminder.

“I just want to let you know, you do not own this field,” he said to Lewis, emitting laughter. “There’s a sign up there. It has your name on it. You do not own the field.”

“Not yet,” Lewis said later with a hearty laugh.