Dan Guttenplan
Many people share Mike Barry's childhood story, but few turn it into an inspiring adulthood of generosity.
Barry recently donated $100,000 to Newburyport's Pioneer League. When he says he's "not originally from here," it can be interpreted many ways.
The 63-year-old West Newbury resident doesn't come from money. In fact, when his father left his mother when he was 11, his mother gained sole responsibility of raising Mike and his three siblings in Midland, Mich. Members of Barry's church stepped forward with financial assistance. The Big Brothers program provided mentors for Barry before he enlisted in the United States Army in 1969.
Many stories that begin this way lead to a lifetime of distrust and anger. Barry's story leads in the complete opposite direction.
To say it's remarkable that a man who never played in the Pioneer League and has no children delivered what league president Bob Horne believes to be the largest donation in the league's 50-year history may be selling Barry short. Barry has donated the last 33 years of his life to the league and is prepared to donate another $100,000 should other supporters match his original gift.
"I've lived three lives for the last 33 years," Barry says. "I had my business life. I had my life with my wife, Nancy. Then I had the Pioneer League life. The Pioneer League is part of me."
Barry's relationship with the Pioneer League began in 1974 — a year after he fulfilled his military obligations. He was introduced to the league by a neighbor, who rented the other half of a house on Magnolia Street in Newburyport. Many years as a coach followed, eventually leading to a long stint as the league's official registrar and scheduler. Barry never could cut ties with a league that he felt provided so many children with an experience his childhood lacked.
"Baseball is my passion," Barry said. "I have taught a lot of youngsters. They've learned discipline, a sense of team, and self confidence. I've helped bring along managers and coaches. The Pioneer League is my identity. Everybody in life has some identity. Other managers have their own kids. I feel like I've had hundreds of kids of my own."
The fact that Barry is in a position to make such a generous donation speaks to his professional success. He originally worked for BBN Technologies in Cambridge before that company merged with GTE and Bell Atlantic, which eventually became Verizon.
When Barry retired in 2003 he lined up his assets in hopes of making a donation to his second family.
"I volunteer because I can and it's the right thing to do," Barry said. "I haven't seen my father since I was 11. People helped me become a man, and when somebody helps you, you turn around and help someone else. It's a circle of help. I don't expect the people I help to do something for me. I expect them to do something for someone else when they're able."
For now, Barry's donation will provide a boost to a $1.6 million renovation project planned for Pioneer Park. The renovations are targeted toward making a safer parking area on Merrimack Street and an overhaul of the fields, clubhouses and concessions area. Barry does not want a field namesake, insisting the it keeps the name Pioneer Park at Atkinson Common. His only request is that the renovations include the installation of a popcorn maker in the concessions booth.
"The popcorn will be a way people can honor me," Barry said. "I don't need my name anywhere in the park."
Barry's feelings for the Pioneer League are not unusual. Countless alumni came forward last spring when the league considered a merger with the national affiliate - Little League Baseball. Voters chose to keep the Pioneer League as a separate entity – one that values personality growth over finding the next Major League prospect.
"I think a lot of people hold the Pioneer League near and dear to their hearts," Horne said of the league he has run for the past two years. "Some played in the league, some have fathers who played in the league, and many have children playing in the league."
By following Barry's lead, the alumni can ensure that countless others can share the experience the 63-year-old man has found over the last three-plus decades.
"I see kids playing now with single-parent families, and I can sympathize," Barry said. "But I want them to have every opportunity to enjoy the game as much as I do."
Barry should be applauded for recognizing the strain local sports fans are feeling as a result of tax hikes and increased user fees at the high-school level. He should be applauded for steering his life in a direction in which he's able to contribute so generously to an organization that needs it. But most of all, he should be applauded for setting an example for so many who may not travel the easiest of life's roads in getting to the baseball fields at Pioneer Park. He hopes, as do so many others, that his generosity will be reciprocated by Pioneer Leaguers long after they've shared his popcorn for the final time.
Dan Guttenplan is the sports editor of The Daily News. E-mail him at dguttenplan@newburyportnews.com.
