By Ted Waddell
COCHECTON — September 11, 2007 — Bob White loved the hamlet of Cochecton and the people who lived there.
And the people of Cochecton loved Bob White.
That fact was abundantly clear as dozens of family members, friends and Cochecton residents gathered at the Cochecton Ball Field near the Delaware River on Saturday morning to watch as the ball field was officially dedicated to White.
White, who passed away in June 2005, was a 45-year member and president of the Cochecton-Lake Huntington Fire Department, a firewarden, a Town of Cochecton constable, president of the Cochecton Men’s Club for more than 40 years, a director of the Cochecton Preservation Society and a member of the former Cochecton Presbyterian Church.
Many of those who attended the dedication ceremony spoke of White’s devotion to the residents of Cochecton.
John Keating spoke about how White and his fellow Cochecton Men’s Club members purchased a couple acres of land adjacent to the Cochecton Presbyterian Church from local farmer Orville Whitmore in 1969 and turned that land into a ball field. Keating noted that White helped organize many fundraisers, including auctions, to pay for the field.
Over the next two decades, tennis courts were built near the field and playground equipment was installed next to the field.
“Bob was always ready to move on to the next job, the next project,” Keating said. “He wanted to provide something for the kids of the Cochecton community.”
Mary Ann White, Bob’s widow, also gave a few remarks.
“Thank you all for coming out here today,” she said. “Bob loved this community. He and his fellow men’s club members were always looking to give back to the residents of Cochecton.”
Town of Cochecton Supervisor Sal Indelicato and Town of Cochecton Councilman Larry Richardson praised Bob White and all of the work he did for the town.
“We certainly miss him,” Richardson said.
Near the end of the ceremony, Bob and Mary Ann White’s two sons, Robert Jr. and Andy, thanked everyone for attending the event. They also praised their father and all of the work he did for his town.
“It was nice to have this field when we were growing up,” Robert White Jr. said. “It was a good place for us to go. Because of our father and the other Cochecton Men’s Club members, kids will always have a place to go and play.”
“Pop was sure proud of Cochecton and its people,” Andy White said. “I’m sure he’s up in heaven right now looking down on us and he’s so proud of this.”