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Elder, Eells were individuals Wednesday, Apr 2, 2008 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - In line to check out at the neighborhood grocery, the man was talking with a friend when another shopper interrupted. The interloper had recognized the distinctive voice of the Arkansas Travelers and told Jim Elder that he listened every night. "Oh, you're the one," Elder said. His self-deprecating response was always the same. It was Elder's way of dealing with his celebrity that he never quite understood. Like his friend, Paul Eells, Elder had no ego - a rarity in this business. They were alike in other ways - so grateful that their work was also a love, owners of an exemplary work ethic and too nice on the golf course. For Elder, the job was drive time radio, morning and evening, topped off by a night of Traveler baseball and figuring batting averages deep into the night. In the new museum at Dickey-Stephens Park, there is a display in memory of Elder and his vivid play-by-play of road games, created from bare essentials and supported by his sound tracks that even included thunder. For Eells, it was a Little Rock to Fayetteville round-trip on a Saturday night to get 10 minutes for Nolan Richardson's show and a follow-up drive to the station on Sunday morning to blend the pieces. And, it was filling in on weekends and holidays, anytime a co-worker asked. They traveled together to Razorback football games and worked together in the booth with Elder pleased as a pig in a poke just to dissect the numbers and pass them on to the play-by-play man. The admiration flowed both ways and envy was never in play. On Friday during football season, they were the "throats," paired against the "scribes," at 9:15 a.m. at North Hills Country Club. Winning both nines, team members could pocket $3 each. Both men cared about others. Eells' lengthy search for the wedding ring of a friend on a cold day at Rebsamen Park has been recounted. Elder once got caught trying to leave the premises after slipping a gift box behind the front screen of a friend's home. The dozen golf balls were intended for the young man in the house who had qualified for a national tournament, but there was nothing to identify the sender. Eells did commercials without asking about compensation; Elder fibbed about his fee to a buyer who was doing good and charitable work. Despite all they had in common, they were individuals and it is appropriate that fundraising in their names remains separate. After Eells' death on July 31, 2006, merging the efforts was mentioned. Elder's identity would have been swallowed up in such a venture and Eells would be the first to tell you that would be wrong. During the last nine years, the Jim Elder Good Sport Fund has awarded 17 scholarships, and made annual donations to several nonprofit organizations. Susie Elder, Jim's daughter, calls them "Home Plate Heroes" and those organizations will be in the spotlight on April 24 at Dickey-Stephens. The get-together, the fund's new-look fundraiser after years of putting on a golf tournament, will include ballpark food as well as games, chances to win prizes and activities designed to give folks a sense of what these organizations do. For instance, the Miracle League has a beeping ball for batters who are visually impaired. Imagine donning a blindfold and trying to snag an orb only by sound. Eells' fundraiser will be a golf tournament May 15-16 at Greystone in Cabot, but it will not be a two-day tournament in the true sense. Last year, a one-day outing attracted more than 120 four-man teams and 30-40 other teams were on a waiting list. This year, there will be 100 or so teams on May 15 and a like number on May 16. Prior to the tournament, broadcast journalism majors at Arkansas, Arkansas-Little Rock and Arkansas State University will each be awarded $4,000 scholarships in Eells' name. More information on both events can be found at jimelder.org and pauleells.org. ------- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
