As progress continues on the construction and financing of the football stadium for St. Pius X High School, it has been decided to dedicate the new facility as a memorial to the late Joseph W. Bean, an outstanding figure in high school and college athletics in Georgia for many years. Approval has been given by Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan and Mr. Bean’s family to call the field the Joseph W. Bean Memorial Stadium. Bean was athletic coach at Marist College for twenty-eight years, from 1904 to 1932. He also coached baseball teams at the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech. He was responsible for the formation of Atlanta’s first high school athletic league and served as its first president in 1921. In 1958 he was named to the Georgia Prep Sports Hall of Fame. In 1960, the year of his death, he was referred to in The Atlanta Constitution as “the most remarkable pioneer and builder of sports in Georgia’s history.’

Under the leadership of Father James L. Harrison, the principal of St. Pius X High School, a committee of men is at work to raise sufficient funds for the construction of the facilities for the athletic stadium. Dedicated and generous work on the part of these men, among them Ed Gasperini, Charles Munhall and Vincent Lauria, has brought this long-desired project to near completion.

Because there is still an urgent need for continued financial support, a Football Fiesta has been planned for October 5 at the Joseph W. Bean Memorial Stadium. This project is under the chairmanship of William Waidelich. Mr. Waidelich has made an appeal for prizes, manufactures’ samples and other suitable items for the Football Fiesta. He may be contacted by anyone interested in donating such items at ME 4-3942 or GL 7-3111.