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MAY 9-15, 2018 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Hope Mills News & Views Talk with anyone who knew Gary Dove well and they'll say the same things about him. He was almost always smiling, and there was no limit to his passion for youth sports in the town of Hope Mills. Dove, a fixture in the world of Hope Mills youth athletics, passed away last month at the age of 71. A youth baseball coach for 30 years, he was the longtime president of the Hope Mills Youth Associa- tion as well as a member of the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Advisory committee. "He just enjoyed being around his people,'' said his son, Maxey Dove. "e kids, the parents, the umpires. He enjoyed seeing the kids. Where they started. Where they finished. Not only as ball players but as young men.'' Rare was the time that Gary Dove didn't exude an optimistic outlook when he went about the chal- lenges of working in youth sports, but his son said he also knew when it was time to allow someone to let off some steam. "I learned from him a long time ago that some- times, people just need to vent,'' Maxey said. "If you let them vent, they don't go home mad, they don't sleep on it all night. ey don't wake up the next morning mad. ey've gotten it off their chest, said their piece and moved on. "He always saw the bigger picture, and he was good at handling those situations.'' Dove developed a reputation as being the friend of the officials who called the games at Brower Park, where he was the field supervisor. "He was the first person they would go meet,'' Maxey said. "I've heard a lot of officials say when they pulled up to Brower Park, it may be a good, competitive ball game, but at the end of the day, he would have their back. "He was very protective of officials, but at the same time, he would privately let them know he disagreed. He was the same with the kids, coaches and parents.'' Maxey said his father also put a pre- mium on character for everyone involved in the youth sports program at Hope Mills. at included people who never stepped on the field of play. "If the parent brings drama and problems, sometimes that kid gets left off or gets overlooked,'' Maxey said. Dove was a stickler for rules, even at times when he questioned their value. "He had to enforce the rules whether he agreed with them or not,'' Maxey said. "e person I had the biggest discussions with why a rule would work and why it wouldn't was with my dad.'' Hope Mills town commissioner Jerry Legge said Dove's good nature allowed him to be friends with everyone. "You're not going to replace him,'' Legge said. "You might find somebody to do his job, but you're not going to replace him.'' Even when Dove's health was failing and he was honored as a lifetime member of the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, Legge said Dove still tried to come to meetings and offer his input. "He was very, very smart when it came to athletics,'' Legge said. "His good nature drew people to him,'' Legge said. "He loved people, especially children, and he liked to see them prosper and do well.'' Legge said Dove was a competitor as a coach and definitely wanted to win, but when he didn't, he was man enough to accept it and move on. "He didn't like any controversy at all,'' Legge said. "at's the reason he made such a good youth as- sociation president. He strived to make it better for everybody.'' Asked what he will miss most about Dove, Legge said, "e smile on his face. e way he conducted himself. We're going to miss his knowledge greatly.'' Kenny Bullock, director of the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department, called Dove "the peacekeeper of baseball at Brower Park. Gary was the type who wanted to make sure every child had the opportunity to play." Bullock said Dove's main concern wasn't who fin- ished first, second or third. "What mattered to him was that every individual got to pursue their goals and their dreams,'' he said. "He was a true advocate for recreation in Hope Mills, from youth sports to the adult sports program. ... He treated everybody equal and everybody fair." Dove was also active in the community outside of the recreation field. For years, he served on the board of directors of the Cotton Volunteer Fire Department. Capt. Mike Williams, one of the firemen at Cotton, knew Dove for 16 years, first encountering him as a youngster when he was playing recreation baseball in Hope Mills. He grew to know him even better interacting with him as a fireman while Dove served as a board member. "If we needed something, as long as it was justified, he was always in support of us,'' Williams said. "He wanted us to have the best equipment to work with.'' Even when Dove's health began to fail, Williams said he would drop by the fire station just to visit and talk. "ey always made it a point to stop and just sit and talk with him,'' Williams said. "He's been around the area all of his life. ere were things you can learn from him in general conversation.'' Williams said Dove was the kind of person who never met a stranger and got along with everyone he knew. "He was always honest and straightforward,'' Williams said. "He was willing to help anybody.'' Dove's passing leaves huge void for Hope Mills to fill by EARL VAUGHAN JR. NEWS Dove, grandson Cameron and dog Maggie. Dove and grandson Cameron.