THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 26, 1996 TAG: 9604240150
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: The Sports Editor
SOURCE: Bill Leffler
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
Notes on a frayed white cuff. . . .
Tom Davis, the father of two of the city's finest high school athletes ever, died April 18.
Larry and Ronnie Davis were multi-sport stars at Wilson. Larry, now a resident of Clearwater, Fla., was an All-Tidewater quarterback and, while at Duke, won the Mel Blassingham Award as the outstanding player in the 1967 Oyster Bowl.
Ronnie, also deceased, made it to the major leagues in baseball, playing for Houston and St. Louis. He alternated with Roger Maris in rightfield when the Cardinals won the National League championship and lost in the World Series to Detroit in 1968.
Larry also played for Duke in the 1968 Oyster Bowl and Tom and wife Ollie figured out a way to see both sons play. They traveled to World Series games in St. Louis and came back to Foreman Field to watch the Oyster Bowl.
It's official. The press box at the football stadium at the new Norcom High School will be slightly larger than the minuscule one at Churchland.
The contract has been approved by the school board that will make the Norcom press box 2 1/2 feet wider and 5 feet longer than Churchland's.
Hooray! But it should be even larger.
Norfolk Tides manager Bobby Valentine will be the guest speaker at the Tidewatchers Boosters Club dinner Monday, April 29 at the Diamond Restaurant.
The program starts at 7:30 p.m. and information can be obtained by calling 399-5873.
And, remember, the Diamond Restaurant isn't at Harbor Park. It's on the corner of Newtown and Kempsville Roads in Virginia Beach.
The Portsmouth Senior Center is signing up participants for the May 6-11 Portsmouth Area Golden Olympics.
The PAGO Games and Health Rally will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 11 but the week starts with billiards (May 6) and bowling (May 8) at Pinboy's at Western Branch, golf (May 9) at Bide-A-Wee and swimming (May 10) at the Churchland YMCA.
The highlight of the week: an ice cream social at 4 p.m. on May 11.
Portsmouth's 16-year-old Boo Williams AAU basketball team, coached by Preston Harts and James Parker, has advanced to the AAU state finals in Newport News. The qualifiers in the state meet move to the National AAU tourney in Fayetteville, N. C.
The Portsmouth squad has three Norcom players, Tommie Pope, Derrick Harts and Shawn Walker. Steve Parker of Great Bridge is a Chesapeake member.
``What I like best about the Boo Williams program,'' said Harts, principal of Cradock Middle School, ``is that academics are a major concern because we want the kids to be productive citizens after the ball stops bouncing.''
The fund-raising efforts by coaches, teachers and students at Wilson for football coach Joe Ladisic are off to a splendid start.
A school dance netted $800, a bingo night produced $500 and a coaches' basketball game brought in $100. Next up is a Friday, May 17 barbecue at the school cafeteria (3 to 7 p.m.).
A complete barbecue dinner, eat-in or take-out, will be $5. by CNB