Syracuse, N.Y. — The trip to Cooperstown was part of Ken Shepard’s Man Week with his 7-year-old son, Travis.
In July, the two Shepard men took a special trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame where they received the “white glove” tour. They got to see some of the museum’s rarest exhibits, which required white gloves for Travis to touch and hold items such as Lou Gehrig’s bat.
It was a memory-making trip. A time for Ken Shepard to create as many memories in the short time that he had left.
On Friday, Shepard died after a two-year battle with kidney cancer. The North Syracuse native was 49 years old. He died at his home in Clarks Summit, Pa., surrounded by his family, including his wife, Tonya, and their children, Travis and Taylor.
Shepard fought the disease with amazing dignity and grace. He continued in his role as the general manager of the Bridgeport (Conn.) Bluefish until his passing.
“When I first learned that I had cancer, I told myself there were two things I wouldn’t do,” he said for a story that ran on syracuse.com in June. “I wasn’t going to get mad at God and I wasn’t going to ask why.”
Shepard loved baseball. That was the reason behind the trip to Cooperstown.
For the last two years, Shepard had been the general manager of the Bluefish in the Atlantic League, commuting from Clarks Summit to Bridgeport. It was the final stop in a life spent in baseball.
Shepard grew up in North Syracuse. He played Little League and Babe Ruth baseball. He also played variations of the games with the kids on his street. He went onto play at St. Thomas University in Miami, Fla.
Like a player working his way through the minors, Shepard made several stops in pro baseball’s minor leagues. At age 23, he became the general manager at Geneva, N.Y. (1987-90). He also worked with clubs at Prince William, Va. (1990-92); Wilmington, Del. (1992-97); Atlantic City, N.J. (1998-2000); and Savannah, Ga. (2001-04).
He received the Larry MacPhail Trophy, an award symbolizing promotional excellence, in 1988 when he slept in the team’s press box for 17 consecutive nights until the Geneva Cubs snapped a losing streak.
Ken and Tonya got married at home plate in a pre-game ceremony in Wilmington in 1994. The groomsmen wore uniforms. Ken entered to John Fogerty’s ballpark staple “Centerfield.” Ken even arranged for two sky-divers to swoop into the stadium and deliver the couple’s wedding rings. The sky-divers arrived to the sounds of “When You Wish Upon a Star.”
When the minister told Ken to kiss the bride, fireworks shot off behind the outside wall.
Shepard’s promotional savvy led to Pete Rose, baseball’s all-time hit king, making an appearance at a Bluefish game this season. Rose managed the Bluefish in a game in June.
Rose will return to Bridgeport for the team’s final game of the season on Sept. 14. Rose agreed to come back for Ken Shepard Day prior to Shepard’s passing.
The Bluefish will wear special Ken Shepard jerseys, which will be auctioned off. All proceeds will benefit the Shepard family.
“Ken fought a valiant fight and handled himself with incredible courage, dignity and grace,” Bluefish principal owner Frank Boulton told the Connecticut Post. “All of our thoughts and prayers are with Ken’s family and loved ones at this difficult time.”