03-24-09 La Porte City Facilities Naming Committee (Northside Park and LP Senior Center)

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APPLICATION FOR NAMING A CITY OF LA PORTE FACILITY Please provide the information requested and return this application to the City Secretary's Office. Applicant Information Name: Stephen Barr, Director of Parks & Recreation, City of La Porte, Texas Address: 1322 S. Broadway, La Porte, TX 77571 Phone: 281.470.5136 Facility Information Location: Current Name: Function or Facility: Proposed Name: Northside Park None Baseball Field Deotis Gay, Sr. Memorial Field Contributions In the spaces provided below, briefly explain how the proposed individual, family, organization, or entity has contributed to La Porte. You may use any combination of categories, as is appropriate to the nomination, to describe the contributions made. For further assistance, please refer to the Procedures and Guidelines for the Naming of Public Facilities. Financial Contribution Deotis Gay, Sr. was a pillar of the North Side community here in La Porte. As a young man, Mr. Gay played sandlot baseball and was a pitcher for the La Porte Sports, a local baseball team. Mr. Gay played with and was a mentor to Eugene Washington, also on the La Porte Sports. Mr. Washington was the #1 draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings in 1966, and went on to play professional football for 5 seasons with the Vikings and 1 season with the Denver Broncos and remained friends with Mr. Gay over the years. Mr. Gay will be remembered in La Porte as a Son, Brother, Husband, Father, GrandFather, GodFather, Civic Leader, Church Trustee, City Councilmember, Mayor Pro Tem, Community Activist, a Mason, and a Friend. Mr. Gay was small in stature but had a huge heart and was instrumental in helping provide recreation opportunities for the citizens of La Porte as a City Council member. Givic C Deotis Gay, Sr. served as the District 4 City Councilmember for 20 years and served a term as Mayor Pro Tem, acting as Mayor of La Porte in the Mayor's absence. He was active in the National League of Cities, the Texas Municipal League, and the Texas Black Caucus. Mr. Gay was a civic leader, a community activist, and a member of the La Porte Community Civic Club. Mr. Gay was a member of the Zion Hill Baptist Church where he served as a member of the Board of Trustees. He was a Mason, serving the Prince Hall Johns Field Lodge No. 516 of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the State of Texas jurisdiction, as a Junior Warden. Mr. Gay left the City of La Porte a better place and we are all enriched by his contributions to our community. I am proud to have known Deotis and trust that this committee will look favorably on this naming request.