William Terry "Bill" Valentine Jr
Deprecated: trim(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /home/ruebel/public_html/obits/obituaries.php on line 271
Apr 26th, 2015
- Death Date: Apr 26, 2015
- Save: Print this Obituary
Deprecated: trim(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /home/ruebel/public_html/obits/obituaries.php on line 279
Deprecated: trim(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /home/ruebel/public_html/obits/obituaries.php on line 285
Deprecated: trim(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /home/ruebel/public_html/obits/obituaries.php on line 302
Biography: William Terry ?Bill? Valentine, Jr., 82, of Little Rock, died on April 26, 2015. He was born on November 21, 1932, the only child of William Valentine, Sr. and Margaret Kremer Valentine. He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife of 38 years, Mary Ellouise Pefferly. Bill is survived by his wife of 24 years, Nena Rose Hays Valentine. Shortly before his death, Bill told his friends, ?I haven?t just had a good life. I?ve had a dream life.? He grew up in Little Rock, blocks away from what was then called Traveler Field and later became Ray Winder Field. As a boy, Bill worked at any available job at the ballpark including selling concessions and chasing foul balls. At 14 he began umpiring games for local amateur and semi-professional teams in the area. Arkansas State Teachers College in Conway offered Bill a journalism scholarship when he graduated from North Little Rock High School in 1950, but he turned it down to travel to Daytona Beach, Florida, to attend a training school for professional baseball umpires. At 18, he became the youngest umpire in professional baseball history. Bill spent 18 years as an umpire in various professional leagues, culminating with five years in the American League. He holds the distinction as one of the only two umpires who ever threw Mickey Mantle out of a ballgame. During baseball?s off-season and after his American League career, Bill refereed college basketball in the Southwest, Missouri Valley, and Gulf Coast conferences. He also served as radio play-by-play announcer for Travelers games and was assistant executive director of the Arkansas Republican Party. From 1976 to 2009, Bill was general manager of the Arkansas Travelers Baseball team. Attendance had waned at the aging ballpark in the early 70s, but Bill initiated creative offerings to bring families back to what he called ?the greatest show on dirt.? His sometimes outlandish but highly successful promotions included Clunker Car Night and appearances by the San Diego Chicken and Captain Dynamite. Attendance at Traveler games grew from 67,000 in 1975 to 223,000 in 1980. Career honors include more awards than can be listed here. Highlights were induction into both the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Texas League Hall of Fame. The National Association of Minor League Baseball Teams named Bill Executive of the Year in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1988, 1999, and 2007 as well as proclaiming him ?The King of Baseball? in December of 2014. Bill also proudly displayed a plaque he received in 1989 from the North Little Rock Boys Club naming him to their Alumni Hall of Fame. Negotiating the team?s affiliation change from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Anaheim Angels, as well as joining in the endeavor to create a new home for the Travelers in North Little Rock at Dickey Stephens Park, Bill was an integral part of the Travelers? history. In March of 2009, he announced his retirement to fans at a game in the newly completed park. Bill chronicled his baseball career in When In Doubt, Call Them Out, a book he co-wrote with Democrat-Gazette sports writer Jim Baily. Bill?s ?dream life? included his enjoyment of good food and wine, extensive travel all over the world, and his many friends who will remember his generosity, his sense of humor and his passion for living life to the fullest. The family would like to express sincere appreciation to Dr. Rodney Davis and Dr. Nathan Littlejohn both of UAMS. Pallbearers are John Evans, Pete Laven, Greg Crawford, Rhys Branman, Tom Kayser, Jerry Wells, and Michael Gowen. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Centennial Bank c/o Toby Anthony, 4924 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, AR 72207. A visitation will be held Wednesday April 29, 2015 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Ruebel Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held on Thursday April 30, 2015 at 10 a.m. in Dickey- Stephens Park, 400 W Broadway St, North Little Rock AR 72114. Arrangements are under the direction of Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com
Linda and I were very sorry to hear about Bill's death. We will always remember the excellent evening we spent with you, Bill, and a few other teachers from Jacksonville High School.
Bill was such an excellent host and regaled the group with interesting and amusing stories. He was also excellent at choosing the food and wine parings for an outstanding meal.
I will always remember Bill as the energetic and amusing fund raiser for AETN.
You will be in our thoughts in these difficult times.
I am so sorry for your loss. As you know, Bill was a one-of-a-kind, larger than life character who will be greatly missed by the baseball world. He was a mentor to me in many ways from his ballpark cleanliness, souvenirs and promotions to how to drink and learn about wines. I will miss him and his stories greatly. Know that he is in a better place with no more pain and suffering. Leigh and I will be praying for your peace at this difficult time. Chuck
Jim Caldwell
Michael Upson and Jim Aukstuolis, MD
We shared a family reunion in Beebe a few years ago and he attended..was good to have met him after all these years.
My best to the family. Some day when the family members want to go on a journey visit the Magnus-Dunkard cemetery in Austin and see all the Valentin's family there.
Love to you all
Emmitt Taylor
How proud our household is to have called this good man - 'Our Friend.'
Every once in a while, GOD blesses us with 'a stand-out in the crowd." This person is destined to become 'a magnet' as everyone wants to be near him / or know him / or work under his guidence / and to learn from him - such was our Bill. He had a wardrobe like no one else; had more razz-a-mataz than any other Arkie; rattled off jokes, stories and advice everyone memorized; plus, he was a reflection of America's greatest past time - BASEBALL.
Our pal had a face everyone adored - beautifully round and inviting, with a smile all trusted. It didn't have to be February to know he was blessed with the perfect family name: 'VALENTINE' because countless thousands for many decades took BILL VALENTINE 'into their hearts.'