More than 200 people attended a dedication ceremony for the new Darrell “Hickey” White Park held Aug. 5 during the annual National Night Out event in Crystal City.
National Night Out is an annual community-building event that includes first responders, like police officers and firefighters. The event promotes police-community partnerships and helps people get to know their neighbors in an effort to make neighborhoods safer.
The evening included a small dedication ceremony for the park, with members of the White family in attendance, an unveiling of a monument honoring White and a ribbon-cutting. The event also included guest speakers, firetrucks on display, a dunking booth, a bounce house, games, basketball, raffles and giveaways.
The event was free and open to the public. Free food, drinks and Kona Ice were available.
Crystal City Mayor Mike Osher told attendees that while the park was off to a good start, more amenities would be added in the coming years.
“This has been a team effort for Crystal City and the park board coming together in a process that has taken many years,” he said. “I want to reassure the community that it’s not completed. It’s just getting started.”
Replacing the old park
Hickey White Park is named after a Crystal City High School basketball player, Darrell “Hickey” White, who died in 1977 of a blood disorder at age 18, shortly before graduation. At more than 7 feet tall, White was a standout on the basketball court.
The original Hickey White Park was on Crystal Avenue and was closed in April 2014 after it had fallen into disrepair. The park board decided to stop maintaining it because its restroom building was not compliant with federal Americans with Disabilities Act standards and because the property often flooded.
The new park, at 237 County Road, was built on 2.22 acres along Little League Drive south of the Twin City Little League ballfields in Ward 1. The Twin City Levee Commission owns the property and has given the city permission to use it for the park.
The new park includes two collegiate-sized asphalt basketball courts, bathrooms, a pavilion, concrete sidewalks, a new asphalt parking lot and lighting.
Remembering Hickey
Several guest speakers addressed the crowd, including Brian White, Hickey’s brother, who said his family appreciated the event and the work that many people have completed over the years to bring the park to fruition.
Dick Cook, who coached Hickey White in basketball, had written down some memories he had of White and at the event, asked Osher to read them. In those comments, Cook recalled the large crowds that were drawn to Crystal City to see the tall, talented player take the court, with game tickets selling out long before game day.
Cook also said White had struggled to find properly fitting shoes because most stores didn’t carry them in his large size, so Cook called Crystal City High graduate and former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, who was playing for the New York Knicks at the time, and the Knicks organization had shoes shipped to White.
Cook also said White’s dedication and grit to compete while his health was waning reminded him of Lou Gehrig. Cook said he has met many incredible people, but White was the bravest man he ever met.
While others might look for reasons to quit, Cook said, White represented his family with integrity that inspired many students to try to accomplish what White did during his short life.
Community servant Alvin Riney shared his hopes for the new park.
“It has long been the desire of the Ward 1 community to reestablish the park. And today, here we are at the beginning stages of the reinvention,” he said. “So community, embrace it, utilize it, reenergize it. Time has a way of changing things. You can never get back what used to be, but you can give it your best shot to make it the best imitation while adding positive to it. So build it up, use it. Make it something to be proud of, something that honors the stature of the young man it honors, Darrell Hickey White.”
The newly unveiled stone monument in the park for White reads, in part:
“Though his time was short, his impact was lasting. Darrell was more than an athlete – he was a teammate, a cherished friend, and a bright light in our community.
“This park bears his name so that future generations may be inspired by the life he lived – full of heart, joy and an enduring love for others.
“In honor of his passion for the game, two basketball courts now stand at the center of this park – a place where youth can play, compete, and grow, just as Darrell once did.”