‘This Is Alger’: Community Rallies as Three-Reading Ordinance Begins to Rename Village Park in Honor of Ray Brown

In a highly charged and emotional public meeting that reflected both the complexity and unity of a small town, the Alger Village Council voted unanimously to move forward with renaming the village park as Ray Brown Memorial Park.

The decision followed two rounds of earlier council votes, but in the end, the voice of many Alger residents played a defining role in the outcome. Many current and even former residents showed up to announce their support of renaming the park in honor of Ray Brown.

Raymond “Ray” Brown was born on Feb. 23, 1908 in Alger, Ohio. Brown dominated the mound during his 18 years in the Negro Leagues. During his 14 seasons pitching for the Homestead Grays, Brown led the team to eight pennants. Raymond Brown passed away on Feb. 8, 1965, but was not elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame until 2006.

Long-time Alger resident Jerry Cramer spoke in depth about Ray Brown’s deep roots in Alger, recounting his school day’s athletic achievements and local legacy through a variety of historical documents he brought to the meeting. He also invited anyone at the meeting who wanted to learn more about Brown to join him sometime for a cup of coffee.

Resident Paula Manns made an emotional and impactful statement, “I’ve lived here for 56 years. I grew up in the Alger park. My dad put blood, sweat, and tears into the Alger park. It’s Alger. Nobody out of the hundreds of people you can choose from Alger that put blood, sweat, and tears into that park has done anything like this man, and he deserves it.”

Many others in attendance also voiced their support for renaming the park in honor of Brown, but some stated that they had never even heard of Ray Brown until recently.

Still, the conversation included many moments of tension. Several residents, while opposing the renaming process, firmly denied any racist motivations.

Resident Lisa Allen expressed frustration over the way the controversy unfolded.   Allen stated, “A lot of this started not only because of one word, which was race, and, but…. when you say that’s how people will perceive it, you don’t know how I would perceive that, so you didn’t, it was not a fair statement.”

Resident Linda Hattery echoed that point, emphasizing during the meeting that her opposition was not based on race.

One speaker suggested naming the park Alger Ray Brown Memorial Park to honor both the man and the town, yet, many pushed back against the idea, including Alger Mayor Von Summa.

“When you dedicate a ballpark after somebody, you dedicate the park. You don’t add or take away,” Summa stated.

Resident Roger Guyton sent a stern warning to members of the council by reminding them, “You people are coming up for elections, so you want to make sure you vote the right way on this.”

Guyton then went on to blame media coverage as the basis for the public’s allegations of discrimination. Guyton said, “We’re not discriminating against anybody…like the news did….all of them….like the editorial in the paper the other night, that woman ought to keep her nose in business in Kenton, not in Alger.” Guyton also questioned Council on where the $110,000 grant money went. The Mayor stated they have not yet received it. What they did receive, was $40,000 that was allotted for a new fence for the park, but Council went on to say that particular money was secured through former Representative Jon Cross and it has nothing to do with the grants awarded in regard to Ray Brown.

Several speakers, including Councilman Rick Onions and Paul Osborne, emphasized that the initial decision to rename the park was not financially motivated, though some grants received for the project were tied to honoring Brown’s legacy.

Shaun Mason, a former resident, offered a powerful reflection on what this moment means. Mason stated,“The story of Ray Brown is kind of tragic. You know… I think we all want to leave a legacy in the world. And he obviously did. He accomplished things that most of us, nobody in this room will ever do. And nobody else in Alger’s ever done. And the fact that nobody, myself included, knew who this man was before a week, two weeks ago is heartbreaking.”

The council agreed to initiate a three-reading ordinance process for the renaming, which allows time for additional community input and opens the possibility of a referendum vote if enough residents request it.

The full video of the Alger Council meeting can be found by clicking here.