Larry Carpenter and George Starr honored at new baseball stadium
Photos courtesy of Lee Flames.
Lee legends Larry Carpenter and George Starr were honored earlier this month as the new baseball stadium was named the Larry Carpenter Stadium at Olympic Field, and the press box dedicated as the George Starr Press Box.
Carpenter, the director of athletics, was initially surprised when he was told the new name of the stadium at Olympic Field.
“It came out of nowhere. I’m very honored and very humbled to be part of it,” said Carpenter. “It’s an absolutely beautiful stadium.”
Carpenter, a Lee alum, is entering his 25th year as athletic director. He started his college sports career in 1972, going on to become an All-American and Lee Hall of Fame basketball player. After graduating from Lee with a degree in chemistry, he spent a few years as a basketball coach before returning to Lee to be a full-time head coach and eventually athletic director.
Starr (left) and Carpenter (right) were honored earlier this month.
George Starr has been the voice of the Flames for 35 years, but his official title is director of radio broadcasting. President Paul Conn has often referred to Starr as the hardest working person on Lee University’s Campus—a title well-earned. Starr has spent many years of his career traveling alongside sports teams as a one-man wonder, broadcasting the games, finding photos to post and writing a story all in one night.
“We started broadcasting from nothing. The first broadcast I did was right outside the third-base dugout,” said Starr. “We put up a table and broadcast [from there] and I almost froze to death. To see how far we’ve come from those early days to now—a nice, modern press box with everything that we need right here—and having my name on it? That’s a tremendous honor.”
Looking forward, both Carpenter and Starr anticipate the stadium bearing their names will be home to many great seasons for the Lee Flames.
“Be proud of it. Take pride in it. And be hard to beat,” said Carpenter.
