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St. Bede, Mendota to celebrate ‘Virginia Day’ at the ball diamond · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Saint Bede Mendota to celebrate Virginia Day at the Ball Diamond.
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  Written by Kevin Hieronymus, this article is being read by
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  an automated voice brought to you by Everlett. There was
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  nothing more that Virginia Joorger loved to do than to
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  watch her sons and grandson's ball games. When her sons,
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  Bill and John Booker played football at Mendota High School
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  and in college, she was there ringing her famous cow bell.
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  When Cody and Brady Booker were playing for their dad's
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  baseball and football teams at LP and Saint Bede, she
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  was there ringing her cow bell. When Brady graduated from
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  Saint Bede, she continued coming to her son Bill Saint
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  Bede baseball and football games he was coaching. Virginia attended
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  her last two Saint Bede baseball games in twenty twenty five,
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  at age ninety five. She passed away this February, but
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  her presence is still felt on the field at each
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  game Today will officially be known as Virginia Day. When
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  the Bruins host Mendota at the Academy Ball Diamond. It
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  is a tribute to a mom, grandma, friend, and all
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  time super fan. There will be complimentary food courtesy of
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  Mendota coach Jim Eustace, formerly an assistant to Booker at
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  Saint Bede, and Saint Bede assistant Mike Beema. It was
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  just something that we thought was right when Mike and
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  I were talking. She was such a huge supporter of
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  football and baseball the eleven years we worked together at
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  Saint Bede with Bill, Eustace said. Bill Booker knows his
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  mom would be tickled. Mom always loved a good party,
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  he said with a laugh. The Saint Bede coach said
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  it's appropriate saluting his mother when the Bruins play the Trojans.
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  In the seventies and eighties, she wore Mendota purple and
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  gold as much as anyone. She was a diehard, he said,
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  and nothing got in way of watching her sports, not
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  even a wedding proposal. She was divorced and married by
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  youth football ed Georgia. My brother was playing at Saints
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  Ambrose and I just started at LP, Booker said, and
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  he was talking about marriage. She said, I can't get
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  married until my son's done playing football. I'm too busy.
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  Booker still carries the cow bell that his mom rang
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  during his high school and college games. The IVY guys
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  loved it, and we were fifth in the nation. The
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  guys would say, book your mom's here. Booker said, she
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  did it for my brother too. She was always the
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  mom that encouraged kids to play football. The Saint Bede
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  coach started presenting Virginia's cow bell as part of the
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  Bruins Player of the Game award along with the hard
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  helmet last year. When she was in attendance, I told her,
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  I want you to pay close attention when we get
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  out the cow bell. Booker said. She's just always enjoyed sports.
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  I don't know with her health issues if it helped,
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  but it sure seemed like it. The Bruins coach had
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  told his mom about the original game date with Mendota
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  on May sixth, which was postponed by the weather. Today,
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  I told her about the May sixth playing Mendota. She said, oh,
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  that's a long way away. So she'll be there in spirit,
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  Booker said, and she'll be ringing her bells in heaven.
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  Kevin Hieronymous is the BCR Sports editor since nineteen eighty six.
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  Contact him at Hironymous at bcrnews dot com.