Outstanding in his field: Wheaton Park District names field after longtime equipment volunteer

WHEATON – After leaving a mark on the Wheaton Park District and the children who play on its fields for more than 50 years, longtime equipment manager and volunteer Ron Elenbaas's name will continue to watch over them for decades to come.

On Saturday, the district dedicated one of its new baseball fields during a special ceremony at Atten Park for the Wheaton resident in honor of his years of service, including a new scoreboard featuring his name.

He said he was just glad it was the "Ron Elenbaas Field" and not the "Ron Elenbaas Memorial Field."

"It was very nicely done – I loved it, my family loved it," he said.

The 74-year old said his involvement with the district began when he and a coworker at what was then Illinois Bell Telephone Company began volunteering as coaches in a youth baseball league.

As its popularity grew, so did the need for a more formalized equipment process. The park district allowed Elenbaas and other coaches to store their gear in what he now refers to as "the dungeon" at the district's old headquarters at Main Street and Roosevelt Road.

The district eventually absorbed the youth league and expanded it to include softball. Throughout, Elenbaas has remained to sort bats, balls and gloves, order uniforms and wash old pants to re-use.

He estimates he has taken care of more than 20,000 pairs of pants, re-strung more than 500 catcher's mitts and personally inspected each piece of equipment used by the league's players in his time there.

That knowledge brings a sense of pride whenever he goes to watch his grandchildren play in the same league he has been working with for so long.

"My hands have touched every single bat, ball, helmet and uniform those kids wear," he said. "I get so much satisfaction from kids having fun and knowing I had a hand in everything they're using."

Seven of the nine grandchildren who live in Wheaton – he has 12 in all – have played softball or baseball through the program, Elenbaas said. He has even been able to award a namesake trophy to his son-in-law and granddaughter's softball teams after they won a league championship.

Managers across the park district league often take their teams across the field to introduce the players to the man who made their seasons possible while he watches his grandchildren play, Elenbaas said.

Mary Beth Cleary, the district's director of recreation, said Elenbaas was one of the best examples of the many volunteers the district counts on to keep its programs running smoothly and affordably.

"We are very lucky, we have many many volunteers who spend hours and countless hours working," she said. "These people have to have passion in order to do this. I can always pick up the phone and call Ron ... and he is always ready and willing. He knows what to do and how to do it ... and he's a joy to have around."

For his years of service, he and his family were the grand marshals of the 2014 Fourth of July parade in Wheaton, and he was nominated and received the Illinois Association of Park Districts "Volunteer of the Year" award last fall.

"He has that charisma that is so special and important that makes him so fun," Cleary said.