Sports mural honoring hundreds of sports figures celebrated at stadium

Jun. 1—Plans for a 550-foot-long mural featuring 250 sports figures from Frederick County history were celebrated at a ceremony Thursday at Harry Grove Stadium.

The mural, by local artist Yemi, will highlight major figures from 1895 to 2020. It will run alongside the outside of the stadium.

Of the 250, most are athletes. Five are coaches, and there is one horse, said Mary-Ellen Mitchell of Allow Me Consulting, a spokesperson for the project.

The horse is Challedon. He won the Preakness in 1939 and was the first horse to be named Horse of the Year twice, in 1939 and 1940, according to the Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame.

Other mural honorees include Charlie Keller, who played on four New York Yankees teams that won the World Series; former Minnesota Vikings star Chuck Foreman; Vikas Gowda, a four-time Olympian in the discus; and women's basketball players Saylor Poffenbarger and Makayla Daniels, teammates at the University of Arkansas.

The coaching group includes Jim Phelan, who spent 49 years coaching men's basketball at Mount St. Mary's University.

Dozens of sports will be represented on the mural, including baseball, basketball, golf, jousting and rugby.

Thursday's event brought out about 20 people who will be honored on the mural, as well as government officials and project stakeholders.

Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater said the mural will "become one of the treasures of Frederick County."

Yemi said he feels, financially and otherwise, that the project is at a halfway point of sorts.

There's almost enough money raised to begin constructing a portion of the mural, Yemi said.

"I feel like we've made it over the hump. I feel like where we're going now, it's actually going to be easier going forward," Yemi said.

The mural project is about halfway to raising the rough total of $2 million to finish the wall, Mitchell said. That number includes pledges, donations, and in-kind contributions, such as discounted goods or services.

Yemi is working on the mural in his studio near Cunningham Falls State Park.

He has created a blueprint for the project, and is working on an original piece of artwork that will be scanned for the larger mural.

"I like to celebrate the history of this community," Yemi said at the event. "This is the first community I've ever lived in that I've actually felt like I belong here."

Yemi originally presented an idea to Tony Checchia, who is chairman of the board of the nonprofit Community Arts, a major partner on the project, about a small sports mural at the now-closed Frederick Indoor Sports Center, Yemi said in an interview.

"And then he said, you know what ... 'Do it on this wall over here, the stadium,'" Yemi said.

During the ceremony, Yemi highlighted various people and groups that have helped with the mural.

"So really, Tony C is the father of this project," Yemi said during the ceremony. He likened other stakeholders on the mural project to a family.

"Mary-Ellen, who is my work wife, joined us to kick off fundraising and public relations," Yemi said.

Erica Jarboe, marketing director of the nonprofit TGP Gives, is "like my niece," Yemi joked.

It is "a true community effort," he said.

TGP's mission is to "better the community through acts of kindness and generosity," and has helped the mural project with tasks including managing donations on the back end and organizing fundraisers and events, Jarboe said in an interview.

The next event is a social benefit at Whiskey Creek Clubhouse in Ijamsville on June 9 at 5 p.m., according to the event program.

After speeches, athletes and others involved with the project posed for photos with shovels with gold blades.

Sheldon Shealer, a sports historian and "uncle" on the project, collaborated with other experts to create the list of 250 mural honorees, Yemi said.

They picked "which of them can we objectively say are the very best," such as winning gold medals or playing in the NFL, Yemi said.

Tammy Davis-Thompson, a mural honoree, was present at the event. Her Frederick Track and Field Club teammate, Debbie Thompson Brown, who competed in the Olympics, also will be on the mural. Thompson Brown died in 2019.

Davis-Thompson discussed her track and field career in the 1960s and said she was named as an alternate for the Olympics in 1964 in Tokyo.

Frederick Track and Field Club Coach Jack Griffin was influential to both of them, Davis-Thompson said.

"And I know that Mr. Griffin, if he was here, he would be so proud," Davis-Thompson said.

The event also was a chance to break out sports gear.

Rick Weldon, president and CEO of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, spoke during the ceremony with a baseball hat and glove on. They belonged to his grandfather.

Weldon also told a story of a local Frederick County athlete, Carlton Molesworth, born on a farm in the area in 1876.

"Within a few years, it was obvious: This kid was a ballplayer," Weldon said.

Molesworth, who also will be on the mural, played one season with the Washington Senators, then was a player and manager with the Birmingham Barons, Weldon said.

He was also considered to be well liked by his contemporaries and to have a good eye for talent, Weldon said. Molesworth's grave is in Mount Olivet Cemetery.

"This project, Yemi's incredible work, will help us remember Carlton and all the other amazing athletes that tell such a rich story [of] this tapestry woven together we call Frederick County," Weldon said.