Two baseball bats come together in the middle of the Levittown North logo. Behind it is Long Island, a region filled with love for America’s greatest pastime.
Smack in the middle of Nassau County is a massive star, marking Levittown.
A job well-done indeed.
The blue and white of Levittown North Baseball filled Thomas Whelan Memorial Field on April 15 with a different feeling. A crowd of more than 50 people came to the field to celebrate the dedication of Walter Hetzel, a longtime commissioner of the league.
“This dugout has been dedicated to Walter Hetzel for his unwavering commitment to youth sports in Levittown,” a plaque on the third base dugout now reads.
“It was one of those meetings where everyone just had a bad day,” Levittown North Baseball Treasurer Greg Bodkin said at an on-field ceremony. “It resulted in the resignation of our then-president during that meeting. Some words were said, and I said, ‘these people are never coming back.’ I don’t know why Walter did, but he kept coming back.”
Several dignitaries were among the crowd at Whelan Field, in a combined ceremony to unveil the new mural, as well as marking the new dugout in honor of Hetzel.
“I just want to say congratulations to the former commissioner,” former Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray said. “This dugout is dedicated to him. Thank you so much for your continued service.”
But besides the dugout, a mural was also unveiled on the field.
Created by Levittown’s Michael Sully, from Paints By Scully, the mural truly shows that stars can indeed come out of Levittown, especially with the swing of a bat.
“We had the original Levittown North logo, so we wanted to incorporate that,” Sully said. “We had several designs. But the idea of the island and the ball originating from Levittown on the island was important. This is where we’re all from. This is where we live. I thought it was important to capture that.”
Just two weeks prior to the mural’s unveiling, new sheds were installed at both the Rosenberg and Whelan Fields. Not only were the old sheds taken down and recycled, but volunteers laid down new foundations and structures, all while getting rid of debris from “the bloated old sheds.”
