There was still one missing link to the story about ball games and the town of Shenandoah, and thankfully, it was Chris Dodson that allowed the story to have an origin point !
We have always known the family names, Comer, Viafora, Dodson, Knight, Cardin, Gordon, and Hendrick to list a few. The burning question has been what enabled the ball to get rolling in the manner that it still rolls today ?
Chris Dodson is the son of Archie Dodson, who, along with Roy Cardin, got together back in the 1970s to form the Shenandoah Rec League. The organization is celebrating a half-century of history, and that effort led to so much of the modern-day success in and around Page County, Virginia.
Dodson is currently working on a book about the story as well, and with his ability to multi-task, I’m sure that it will be a terrific read !
Parents come and go in programs, whether you are talking about youth or high school. The difference between the ” Magic on the Mountain” is that so many members of the group stayed well past the playing careers of their children.
Ralph Viafora continued coaching alongside Alan Knight well past the graduation of the youngest of their three daughters. Viafora and his family sit atop any list of people that left their mark on PCHS.
Megan Gordon worked harder to promote the efforts long after the second of her Division One daughters left for James Madison University and Penn State University. Even today, Mrs Gordon is still accepting new challenges for the youth of today.
Dennis Zimmerman, also known as Preacher, is still very active with the program, years after the graduation of his kiddo. Arthur Campbell slowed down from his break neck schedule to spearhead our efforts with the OneofUs.Care Pavillion next to the diamond.
Brian Hendrick has been a fixture for decades, and while he still goes by ” Big Daddy,” it’s now because of the size of his heart. Again, still a part of the show long after his little one graduated.
Wayne Comer played for the Detroit Tigers in the World Series versus Bob Gibson and the St Louis Cardinals and then came home to coach baseball.
Dodson moved his talents about 10 miles up US-33, where he made a name for himself by winning seven State titles at Spotswood High School. The exact same number that his former teacher, Knight, has won at PCHS.
The history of the Gordon family is like the one of the Cardins in that it is now third generation. Dodson talks about how cool it was to finish up a season undefeated while playing for Coach Gordon back in the day. He thought it was a big deal but then noticed that it was not uncommon for that to take place back in the day.
Roy Cardin had a vision back in the 1970s, and from there, it just became a family thing !
The downside to living a life that leads to residing in 18 different states is that you are never going to be from somewhere. But I knew that I might only have one shot at having my parents’ name hanging somewhere for the forceeable future, the back fence at Page County High School Softball complex seemed like the right spot !
The timing of the phone call from Dodson was storybook in that I was standing at the very end of the road after riding the ferry. I don’t know Chris Dodson if not for Travis Knight, and I don’t know Travis if he’s not riding past the high school at the exact time we snapped a wire and needed a repair.
God is about timing, and while I have only experienced the back half of the 50 years of magic, I feel blessed to be a passenger on the train. A train that started by one man with a vision, a few top-shelf friends, and as they say, the rest is history !
