The George and Jacquie Gannon Family Endowment Fund provides for future capital improvements at the Gannon Family Baseball Field, located in Chippewa Falls' Casper Park. It was the couple's wish to support the field named in their honor by the Chippewa Falls Park Board.

If you played or attended just about any high school sports competition or took driver education in the Chippewa Valley between 1960-2010, you probably knew George Gannon. And if you were a parent whose child had George as their teacher, coach, or umpire, you probably appreciated his calm and command of the class (or ball field or vehicle in motion), always pairing authority with teachable moments.

"My dad was a congenial person," said George's son, Ric Gannon. "He was fun to be around and he got along well with the players. When he was officiating, he would explain to a young athlete why he made the call."

Growing up on a dairy farm in the town of Lafayette, George worked hard and didn't have time to play sports. Yet he went on to be defined by them as an adult. George taught high school science, math, physical education and driver's education for 35 years, with most of those years at the Chippewa Falls Senior High School. He coached football, basketball, baseball, softball, tennis and golf for 26 years, and officiated countless area competitions in all of those sports for more than 50 years. He was a member of the Wisconsin Umpire Hall of Fame among many other recognitions.

When the community sought to honor George's career by naming a new baseball field after him, he was humbled by the recognition, insisting the name include his family, who supported his work over the decades. His wife, Jacquie, an avid sports fan, was often in the stands wherever he was coaching or calling a game. The four Gannon children participated in sports as well.

Ric recalled his dad doing a lot of umpiring and working for Chippewa Falls Parks and Recreation during his summers off from teaching to support the family. Yet there was also time for taking the family fishing or strolling through Irvine Park.

After the children were raised, Jacquie spent 20 years as a volunteer gift shop manager and buyer at the former St. Joseph's Hospital and served on the hospital auxiliary where volunteers raised money to offset medical equipment. They both taught Sunday school. When George retired, they co-owned and operated Gannon Driving School.

"Mom and Dad were great people," said Ric. "They were dedicated to faith and family and they were active in the community. The dedication of the field in 2002 was very meaningful to both of them."