Legacy
In retirement, McMillen said that from his early years, he always told himself, "this day I will beat my own record," and he encouraged others to adopt that philosophy.
He also said, "We must pay some rent for the blessings and opportunities we enjoy while we’re on this earth," and is remembered as a significant philanthropist in the Fort Wayne area. He and his wife donated 74 acres (300,000 m2) of land to form the city's largest park in 1937, and his family has continued providing leadership and finances supporting community projects.
However, what Mr. Mac called Wildcat Baseball League as the greatest thing I ever did.
As Sports Illustrated tells the story, It was such a pleasant day in April 1960 in Fort Wayne, Ind., that 80-year-old Dale McMillen decided to take a couple of hours off from running one of the nation's largest soybean processing businesses and watch a Little League game or two. As he pulled up to McMillen Park (which he had donated to the city in 1936) in his chauffeur-driven Cadillac, Mr. Mac, as he was known around town, was pleased to see that things were already under way. Unfortunately, he quickly discovered that they were not the kinds of things he wanted to see.
Minor details are wrong - he retired in 1953 at the age of 73 - but the legend persists. He shared the crushing disappointment he saw on the faces of those 9- and 10-year-old boys that failed to make the team.
After discussions with other leaders, Mr. Mac organized a league for all boys who wanted to play organized baseball regardless of their skill level. Everybody makes the team in the Wildcat League.
The league philosophy is to play without pressure, for fun and to improve skill levels. On this day, I will beat my own record.
Read more about this topic: Dale W. Mc Millen
Famous quotes containing the word legacy:
“What is popularly called fame is nothing but an empty name and a legacy from paganism.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536)