Photography as a Spiritual Practice
Crossing the Divide
Guest Writer: Alan Schlesinger
World War II 98 year old veteran at Normandy signing autographs at Tourist ballgame
My wife and I moved to Asheville, NC, in retirement less than a year ago. The town is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is a beautiful cultural center for music and art. It is a Mecca for tourists who enjoy hiking, visiting countless microbreweries, and partaking in the impressive foodie offerings in this quirky mountain town in Western North Carolina. It is fitting, therefore, that the Class A minor league baseball team that plays here in the legendary 100-year-old McCormick Field is named the Asheville Tourists.
Over the years, fans have had the honor of seeing the likes of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Jackie Robinson play in this historic ballpark set into the side of the mountains surrounding Asheville.
Last week, my wife and I attended a game with some new friends we met in Asheville. It was a beautiful balmy summer evening, and the game was very exciting, as the last-place Tourists beat the Winston-Salem Dash with a score of 6-1. It was a sellout crowd with a huge number of families with young children enjoying America’s pastime and dollar hotdog night, rather than their electronic devices. Two towering home runs by the home team Tourists cleared the tall wall in dead center field and still appeared to be climbing as they left the ballpark. A glorious fireworks display topped off the evening, as this was a “Fireworks Friday”—a weekly tradition at McCormick Field.
However, the enormous ovation of the night was reserved for a gentleman unknown to me and most of the other fans before that evening—George Sarros—a 98-year-old World War II Navy veteran who threw out the first pitch. He participated in the battle of Normandy at Utah Beach. The crowd’s response to Mr. Sarros did not end with a standing ovation at the beginning of the game. Throughout the entire nine innings, there was a constant parade of people—both young and old—to his seat along the third baseline to meet him, shake his hand, and thank him for his service.
I made this photograph as he answered questions from these three young baseball fans (you can see his signature where the girl on the right had him autograph her cap). He seemed surprised to see such an outpouring of gratitude from the fans at the game. I have to admit that I, too, was caught off guard by the response. In these days of political polarization, where even the definition of the term “patriot” sometimes seems to become divisive, the 4100 people in the sellout crowd (including the progressive “elites” who live in the liberal town of Asheville and the right-leaning citizens from the surrounding rural countryside) came together to celebrate this gentleman and express their gratitude for the sacrifices of this patriot and the countless others of the “greatest generation” who took up arms to save democracy.
And, as a son of refugees liberated by the Allies in World War II, I was honored to wait my turn, shake his hand, and add my grateful thanks.
Alan Schlesinger https://www.joannaseibert.com/
Joanna