MISSION OF THE HARRY DALLARA FOUNDATION
The Spring of 2022 has marked the third season of re-invigorated baseball at Harmon Field. More than 120 children have been playing on the Harry Dallara Ball Field and the adjacent field. As this program grows, we have decided to explore the prospect of a second major renovation of youth baseball fields. Our new initiative will revolve around major renovations and upgrades to two youth ball fields at Duncan Park in Spartanburg, SC. Spartanburg was Harry Dallara's home for over sixty years of his life and it is appropriate to take the model we have successfully applied at Harmon Field to the Duncan Park area.
Our focus is threefold:
• Engaging with minority youth to stimulate interest and involvement with baseball, teaching crucial life lessons in the process;
• Honoring Negro League teams from the past who often were unable to fully realize the fruits of their talent during their eras;
• To honor in each community a veteran who has provided distinguished service to the United States while being a responsible citizen at home.
The project at Duncan Park appears especially well-positioned to reach out to minority youth in Spartanburg, as many live in the neighborhoods surrounding the park. Preliminary discussion with the leadership of the Spartanburg City government, local community leaders, business executives and philanthropic organizations indicate considerable interest in the project.
MISSION
The Harry Dallara Memorial Foundation was established to honor the life and memory of Harry Anthony Joseph Dallara (1917–2012), who grew up in the Bronx, settled in the Piedmont area of South Carolina after serving in World War II, and soon thereafter discovered Tryon, North Carolina, and Harmon Field, a 46-acre athletic complex donated to the Town of Tryon by the Harmon Foundation in 1927. The complex includes baseball fields, tennis courts, walking trails, equestrian facilities, picnic and playground areas, camping sites, and other opportunities for family activities.
Because of Harry’s decades long relationship with Harmon Field, the Harry Dallara Foundation has committed its energy and financial resources to making significant improvements to the baseball facilities at the sports complex. All of the improvements envisioned by the Foundation are intended to enhance the enjoyment of those who make use of Harmon Field, to promote additional interest in this family-oriented athletic facility by boys and girls of all ethnic backgrounds, building bridges across all parts of the Tryon community and the Piedmont region.
It is our belief that doing so will to enable young people to have the opportunity to participate in organized sports, as well as to learn important life-long skills such as team building, positive social interaction, and fair play. As such, we strive to increase the use of Harmon Field by creating opportunities for individuals from a broader range of socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, resulting in the facility's becoming an expanded resource for the entire community. We propose to work through area churches, civic organizations, and private businesses to increase participation in local sports leagues, thereby involving a larger portion of the community by increasing the athletic and community-building opportunities for residents of the greater Piedmont region. In short, we want to enhance the quality of our mutual humanity.
Integral to this mission is our desire to honor the Tryon All-Stars, a semi-professional African-American baseball team organized in 1940s, by placing a memorial to the team in a prominent location within the Harmon Field complex. Even though the All-Stars brought considerable recognition to their place of birth, they were not allowed to play at Harmon Field because of then current policies regarding segregation. As such, we feel that it is time to recognize these young men for their courage, talent, and dignity.
More information on the All-Stars appears on this site in the full description of the project.