The man, who brought Carolina League Baseball to Lynchburg in 1966, leaves a lot of good memories behind. Calvin Falwell had a major impact in the Lynchburg community and even had the city's stadium named after him in 2004.
When you think about aviation or baseball in Lynchburg, the name Calvin Falwell, may ring a bell.
Falwell, also known as Mr. Baseball, was headed to Lynchburg's City Stadium Saturday night to watch the game with his wife.
Assistant General Manager of Lynchburg’s City Stadium Ronnie Roberts says that’s when the trouble started. "He blacked out in the car and his wife called 9-1-1 and they rushed him to the hospital."
Family member Jonathan Falwell says he was at the hospital when it happened. "As they were in the process of trying to determine why he had passed out a couple times, thinking it was heat exhaustion or something of that nature, quietly and quickly he slipped into heaven."
Falwell died of a heart attack Saturday night.
Jean Ferris attends the same church the Falwell’s do. Ferris says she remembers all of Falwell's contributions to Lynchburg and hopes his traditions will carry on. "I hope people will continue to do what he had in his heart to do; nothing but the best."
Roberts says they plan to keep Falwell's memory alive by keeping his name present at the stadium. Before Sunday night’s game at City Stadium, there will be a moment of silence in Falwell’s memory. The flag that's in centerfield will also be flown at half mast for the remainder of the season.
Falwell played an active part in several civic organizations and started Falwell Aviation. He was Chairman of the Board on the Lynchburg Baseball Corporation.
In 2005, Falwell was named “King of Baseball” at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas. He was also honored by Minor League Baseball as the 1998 winner of the John H. Johnson President’s Trophy.
