Selby Field Wall to Be Refurbished

November 2005

DELAWARE, OHIO -- If you're like most people, when you first heard about the plans to install an artificial playing surface at Selby Field, the first image that entered your mind was a sea of that distinctive "artificial turf" shade of green, with the huge Selby grandstands towering in the background.

You never even considered the concrete wall surrounding Selby, other than as a barrier to pass through en route to the emerald space within.

Believe it or not, however, that wall around Selby Field is one of the things that makes Selby unique.

According to Jack Winters '61, Selby historian, the wall serves a distinct purpose. When Selby was designed by George Gauthier in the 1920s, it was done to Olympic specifications, meaning in part that the field was enclosed. The cinder track extended through gates out into what today is the parking lot, allowing the shorter sprint events to be run in a straight line and the longer sprint events to be run with only one turn.

"We think this is the second-oldest stadium in the United States that is of Olympic specifications," Winters said.

Perhaps the oldest, Winters speculated, now that The Ohio State University's Ohio Stadium (which, according to Winters, Gauthier used as part of his inspiration in designing Selby Field) no longer has a track within its confines.

The walls surrounding Selby have been ravaged by more than 75 years of weather and wear, but this unique feature will be refurbished, thanks to gifts from Dave Griffiths '51, Frazier and Marion Hubbart Shipps '37/'36 and Mark and Ginny O'Grady Shipps '70/'70.

"The connection to Selby Field and George Gauthier is pretty powerful in our family," said Mark Shipps, Ohio Wesleyan vice president for university relations. "The reason for doing this was not only to recognize Gauthier, but the impact athletics had on our lives from my grandparents all the way down to our daughter (Liz '01) and son (David '99).

"Roger Ingles and Jay Martin deserve the credit for taking a look at the facility - when it was renovated before, work focused on the stands and not on the field and wall. We've seen it go downhill and we want to bring it back."

When the Collaborative (the architectural firm involved in the Remembering Mr. Rickey campaign) evaluated Ohio Wesleyan's facilities and came up with the list of areas that needed renovation, one suggestion was that the wall around Selby Field should be torn down, according to Mark Shipps. That idea was eliminated from consideration, though, given the amount of historical and sentimental value the wall has to people.

People such as Griffiths, who lived in Selby during his undergraduate days.

"Selby is one of my first recollections of college," Griffiths said. "When I entered Ohio Wesleyan in the fall of 1947, I was part of the first class who lived (in Selby) right out of high school. I lived on the east side and for every meal, we'd travel around to the west side and have our meals. We became quite a close-knit group and I don't know how many times we walked along that wall.

"I was so pleased that Ohio Wesleyan had the finest small-college stadium in Ohio, and I'm glad that I can help raise (Selby) to that standard again."

As part of the refurbishment of the Selby Field wall, there will be tribute made to previous Ohio Wesleyan athletics directors.

"Dave Griffiths has a great deal of respect for Bob Strimer and wanted to recognize him, not only for his service as athletics director but for his work later on in fundraising and with the trustees," said Mark Shipps. "Because of the way the wall is designed out of segments - each one like a picture frame - that south wall that everyone has to walk by on the way in (to Selby) is a good way to honor ADs of the past."

For more information on the Remembering Mr. Rickey campaign, click here.

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