A beautifully built ballpark on the campus of the brand new Jenkins High School had all the necessary components for an excellent baseball field, except for one final task: it needed a name. On June 1 during the monthly Board of Education regular board meeting of the Savannah Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS), that task was completed in a very meaningful way. From here on out, the Warriors will play home games on the “Terry Webb Baseball Field” at Jenkins High School thanks to unanimous board approval of the proposal turned in by Jenkins’ 12-person naming committee.
HV Jenkins High School Terry Webb Field
Terry Webb died on November 23, 2021 at the age of 72 after a difficult battle
with cancer. But for decades before, he was an influential and beloved figure around the campus at HVJ. Specifically, Webb was a mainstay in the Jenkins baseball program. He arrived at Jenkins in 1983 to begin working as a faculty member and coach and that’s where he remained until his retirement in 1999 from the school system.
Always, Webb wanted to improve the baseball facility at Jenkins. He never wavered, spending weekends working on the field, tirelessly trekking towards what he hoped would one day be the crown jewel for Savannah high school baseball fields.
Don Stewart was the principal at HVJ for most of the time that Webb was working there. Stewart’s words in the proposal to the board further illustrate the impact of Coach Webb. Stewart himself is a former Jenkins baseball player, and he knew Webb better than most.
“He spent two summers working on that field,” wrote Stewart in his May 2 remarks in favor of naming rights for Webb. “The field was leveled and rotated for better orientation to the sun. Grass was planted and mowed. Dugouts constructed. Infield reworked. The facility became a source of pride for the school.”
The proposal was first read into record during a regularly scheduled Savannah Chatham County School System board meeting on May 11. The committee met and unanimously agreed to name the field after Webb.
“Coach Webb was a role model for me and he taught me how to become a better coach, and a better person,” said HVJ head baseball coach Seth Gaspin in a phone call with PSR on Thursday. “I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him.”
Former players poured out their love and admiration for Webb after his passing last fall.
1996 HV Jenkins High School Warrior Baseball Team
“He was a superhuman human being,” said 1986 HVJ graduate Van Williams. “His presence on campus changed the athletic culture and, almost overnight, created a winning baseball program.”
When reached by phone on Thursday after the announcement was made official a day prior, Stewart recalled the weight of Webb’s influence. “A remarkable person,” he said.
“Really, the field has its roots in what Terry was able to accomplish. So I hope that if he’s looking down today, he’s smiling. I think he would be proud to know the kind of impact he had on his students, players and co-workers. I think he’d be really proud today.”
Photo credit - Webb Family social media
FOLLOW Travis Jaudon on Twitter/Instagram @JaudonSports. Email him at travisLjaudon@gmail.com.
