August 16, 1993: Claude “Bud” Garber Inducted into the American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame

Ed.: On August 16, 2023, this entry was the first vignette we published from Margaret Harner's book One Day at a Time: a Social History of Boyertown, PA. We thank her once again for an extraordinary effort that educated us all about our community's history--the good, the bad, the  ugly! 

August 16, 1993: On the 10th anniversary of the dedication of Bear Stadium (the house that Bud built), Claude “Bud” Garber has been inducted into the American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame, an honor he richly deserves. The announcement was greeted with a thunderous standing ovation from 2200 fans. Bud has given his all to the local Legion program, starting in 1970 when he attended a game and was appalled by the ragged uniforms the boys were wearing. The next day, he ordered new ones for every player and bought them every year thereafter.

Affectionately called Papa Bear, Bud Garber made Legion baseball, its players and Bear Stadium his life. He was the driving force behind the $600,000 stadium which was completed, mostly with donated labor and materials, in less than a year, just in time for the 1982 American Legion World Series.

At 5:00 every morning, Bud arrived at the site to begin his workday, the first there and the last to leave at nightfall. In the Spring of 1991, Bud was diagnosed with cancer. On oxygen almost every day, undergoing chemo and radiation, there were times when he came right from the hospital to the stadium, and other times, he gave orders from his hospital bed about what needed to be done.

His wife Elizabeth remembers when he woke up in the hospital and whispered to her, “I hope the kids appreciate what I have done for them” and then went back to sleep. Bud Garber passed away three weeks later on September 8, 1992, and, yes, they do, as does the entire community, appreciate everything Papa Bear did. A large plaque bearing his name hangs from the fence inside the main entrance to Bear Stadium to remind us of this great man and Boyertown hero. But was selected as the 1982 Boyertown “Citizen of the Year” for his efforts.

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