Detroit-area high school baseball coaching legend receives quilt honoring his 53-year career
MELVINDALE, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Earning a title like the "Dean of Baseball" doesn't come easily. It took a 53-year coaching career for Gary Szalka at both Melvindale and Trenton high schools to achieve that title.
His Woodhaven community rallied around the cherished educator who's now in hospice after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and Lewy Body Dementia.
Szalka received a new quilt honoring his coaching career that weaves through time.
"I've seen quilts, my mother quilted, but nothing like this. This is absolutely amazing," said Szalka's wife Pam, of 50 years.
The quilt consists of uniforms worn by teams Szalka coached throughout the decades, and there were many of them.
"There's a sweatshirt in there he would always wear at home. There's a couple jerseys in there that we were wearing when I was coaching with him. There's a jersey in there that he actually let Todd design for his team. So it's pretty special," said Marc Szalka, Gary's son and the current Trenton High School JV baseball.
Gary's AccentCare Hospice care team reached out to volunteer seamstress Shirley Hesselrode to craft the quilt and she quickly accepted the project.
His family says his career started with an interesting choice, teach at Melvindale or go to the draft, and I'm not just talking about the MLB draft.
"His birthdate was the third birthday picked in the Vietnam draft. Somebody on the deferment board was also a teacher at Melvindale High School who had offered him a teaching job, and they said that if he took the teaching job, he would be allowed to teach," said Todd Szalka, Gary's other son and Trenton varsity baseball head coach.
"The board said 'OK, if you want to go coach and teach we'll give you the deferment,' and Gary said, 'Where do I sign?'" Pam said.
Gary Szalka coached at Melvindale for 37 years even against his own two sons.
"I still remember to this day, we beat them at our place and we came home, had dinner, and he wouldn't talk to me. He wants to see me do good, but he's a competitor himself so he obviously wanted to come out on top that day," Marc Szalka said.
Marc Szalka said his father was always there for them. He also routinely offered to give rides to school, wash uniforms, and fix gloves for his players who needed support.
After retiring from Melvindale, he continued coaching for 16 more years as Todd Szalka's assistant at Trenton High School. His name not only resides in four different Michigan sports halls of fame but also at the top of the scoreboard on Melvindale's home field, which is named after him.
As much as the game of baseball has changed, these always seem to remain the same. That can also be said for the way Szalka cared for his players and his teams over his 53-year career and the lessons he passed down to his two coaching sons.