Indians Unveil 2008 Honorees for the Avista Stadium Rim of Honor
June 11, 2008 - Northwest League (NWL1)
Spokane Indians News Release
Spokane, WA - Former Spokane County Commissioner W.O. Bill Allen and the father/daughter stadium organist team of Norm Thue and Normalu Cooper will be the annual honorees who will join the four permanent members of the Avista Stadium Rim of Honor, the Spokane Indians announced today.
A pre-game ceremony at Avista Stadium on Opening Night, June 17th, will honor Allen, Thue and Cooper.
Created last year, the Rim of Honor celebrates individuals who have contributed to the Spokane Indians through their excellence on and off the field during the team's 105-year history. The Rim of Honor is located along the top of Avista Stadium down the left and right field lines.
The four permanent members of the Rim of Honor are former Spokane Indians players Levi McCormack, Maury Wills, Dwight Aden, and former Spokane Indians manager Tommy Lasorda.
Each year, two annual members are inducted into the Rim of Honor and their names are featured on the Rim throughout the season. These annual spots are reserved for non-player honorees who have contributed greatly to the success of the Spokane Indians. For the 2008 season, the 50th Anniversary of Avista Stadium, the annual honorees have strong ties to the opening of the stadium in 1958.
W.O. Bill Allen was a Spokane County Commissioner in 1958 and was the driving force behind getting Avista Stadium built. In 1957, when the Dodgers told Spokane they were interested in bringing their Triple-A team to Spokane, a team of community leaders joined forces to get the stadium built in a short time frame. There were many leaders who were instrumental in the successful joint City-County-Private effort that collaborated to build the stadium, but it was Commissioner Allen who many credit with being the key figure in making the stadium a reality.
The current Spokane County Commissioners have followed Commissioner Allen's lead by continuing to maintain and improve Avista Stadium, so it is appropriate that Commissioner Allen will be represented at the Opening Day ceremony by current County Commissioner, Todd Mielke.
Norm Thue and Normalu Cooper were the organists at Avista Stadium from 1958 through 1992. Thue was first the organist at Ferris Field and then continued to entertain fans at Avista Stadium when it opened in 1958. When his tenure as the stadium organist ended, his daughter, Normalu took over and she filled that role until 1992. Together, Norm and Normalu entertained millions of fans during their three and half decades as the stadium organists. Cooper will return to Avista Stadium next Tuesday to represent herself and her father as they are honored at the pre-game Rim of Honor ceremony.
The four permanent members of the Rim of Honor were all great on-field performers for the Indians.
Levi McCormack is one of the most beloved Spokane players of all-time. The son of a Nez Pearce Chief, McCormack was an all-star left fielder and helped lead Spokane to its Western International League title in 1941.
Maury Wills played for the Indians between 1958-1959 and scored the first run ever at Avista Stadium. He played in four World Series, was a four-time MLB all-star, the All-Star game and National League MVP in 1962, and was the NL stolen bases leader between 1962-1965.
Dwight Aden is the oldest surviving Spokane Indians player at the age of 94. He played for Spokane from 1938-1942 and was an all-star centerfielder. Aden went on to become the business manager of the Spokane Indians in the mid 1940s.
Tommy Lasorda captured the hearts of Indians fans when he managed the team between 1969-1971. He led the Indians to the Pacific Coast League Championship in 1970, and that team was later named one of the greatest minor league teams of all time by Baseball America. He went on to manage the L.A. Dodgers, winning two World Series Championships and two NL Manager of the Year awards.
Tickets for the Opening Game against Everett on June 17th, and for the rest of the season, are on sale now. Call the Indians office for more information at 535-2922 or visit www.spokaneindiansbaseball.com.
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