St. Mary's dedicates baseball field in honor of Harris

Marcus Tyrone Harris Sr. was a fixture at Chancellor’s Run Regional Park in Great Mills and his memory will live on there for years to come.

On Tuesday, the St. Mary’s County commissioners unveiled a plaque and renamed Field No. 1 in honor of the longtime recreation and parks employee.

“It’s a very humbling experience,” Harris’ daughter Andrea Huntley said. “We’re very appreciative of the county doing this for our dad; he spent a lot of time at parks and rec, so it means a lot to the family to recognize him for his many years of service. He was everything to everyone.”

Daughter Anitra Harris added her father was “outstanding and amazing.”

The 69-year-old Harris, who spent more than 30 years as a county employee, died Dec. 27, 2023, in an automobile accident following a medical emergency.

“Tyrone’s commitment to our community and his ever-present smile touched everyone he encountered,” County Administrator David Weiskopf said, and then quoted a verse by poet and Civil Rights activist Maya Angelou that reads, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

A plaque in front of Field No. 1 has an image of Harris listing the baseball diamond as “Tyrone Harris Field” and a phrase that reads, “Proud to Serve the Youth & Families of St. Mary’s County.”

Also, a green banner along the outfield fence reads “Tyrone Harris Field.”

Recreation and parks Director Art Shepherd noted the outfield grass on Tyrone Harris Field wasn’t as green as he would have liked it to be due to a recent lack of rain, but added, “Tyrone is in a place where the grass will never grow brown.”

The commissioners also presented Harris’ family with a proclamation that will remain in the park’s hall of fame. Earlier at the government building in Leonardtown, the commissioners unveiled a brass name plate on a plaque in remembrance of county employees.

Speaking about the memorial and renaming of the baseball field for Harris, Commissioner President Randy Guy (R) said, “This is a fitting tribute to his legacy.”