Story
22 March 2012
Forrest "Frosty" Clifton Loghry, passed away peacefully among loving family at his home in the Forest Glen Senior Residence in Canyonville, Oregon on March 1, 2012 at the age of 94 from pneumonia. Frosty, so nicknamed because of his almost white-blond hair, was born on November 29, 1917 at his family's home in southern Missouri.
Frosty enjoyed a wonderful and storied life, growing up in rural mid-America during his teens and twenties, moving to the Pacific Northwest, and later joining the US Navy and meeting his future loving wife, Barbara Waldron, in Maine.
He served as an officer with the Pacific Fleet during World War II and also played and coordinated baseball leagues while in the Navy. Frosty's passion was baseball and the opportunities it gave boys to compete and grow into responsible citizens. He leaves a legacy of countless lives touched with kindness, wisdom, compassion and patience. Frosty was a great person and father, and loved to mentor kids in all sports throughout his remarkable life.
Much of Frosty's life is recounted in the engaging book "Frosty" - The First 92 Years: 1917 - 2009, published in 2009 by Lost & Bound Books of Roseburg.
Frosty was born on the family farm in Plato, Missouri, northeast of Springfield. The family was not wealthy, and grew as much of their own food as possible. All of the Loghry brothers had chores from an early age, including harvesting crops, tending to the stock animals, and hunting rabbits or birds to ensure the family had enough to eat.
The family moved from Plato, Missouri when Frosty was six years old to northwest Arkansas, near Gravette. He and some of his brothers walked a few miles from the Arkansas farm to nearby Oklahoma on the only highway, and then to Southwest City, Missouri to attend school. Home was in Arkansas, mail was received in Oklahoma, and school was in Missouri. One could climb atop a four foot tall corner-stone and be in all three states at once!
The family moved to Dungeness, Washington in 1928, just before Frosty entered the fifth grade as his mother had a brother living there. Soon after, the family moved to Port Angeles, Washington as Frosty's father found more suitable work. As Frosty got older, he became more and more involved in sports activities, with his primary interest being baseball. It was in Port Angeles where he played city, high school, American Legion, and semi-pro baseball.
Frosty attended Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon on a baseball scholarship, playing varsity infield for four years, while maintaining one of the highest batting averages in collegiate baseball. Frosty worked in the evenings, weekends, and during summers to meet expenses during his college years and was drafted to play professional baseball by the Detroit Tigers in 1941.
Frosty intended to begin a baseball career in 1942 after completing his final year of college eligibility while attending graduate school, but enlisted in the Navy shortly after the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Frosty chose to serve in the Navy because he had seen many ships dock in Port Angeles and had played against many Navy baseball teams. He was suitably impressed. His first duty station was in Maine, and his first major assignment was to start a baseball team at the Naval base in Portland, Maine. It was at a dance in Rockland, Maine where Frosty met his future wife, the lovely Barbara Waldron, who was in the Civilian Motor Pool at the time. Forrest and Barbara Waldron were married on May 20, 1944.
Frosty served in the Navy from 1942-1946, receiving his Ensign commission in 1944. He served chiefly in the Pacific theater on the amphibious landing ship LSM-68, receiving four campaign medals. LSM-68 was involved in operations in Luzon, Manila Bay, Mindanao Island, and other ports in the Philippines, and Brunei Bay in Borneo. The ship made stops in Bora Bora, New Guinea and several other Pacific Island nations.
Upon returning to the United States, Frosty and Barbara moved from Forest Grove to Myrtle Creek, Oregon. Several of Frosty's brothers and their families, as well as his parents, had just bought part ownership in a lumber mill in Myrtle Creek, located where Millsite Park is now. Frosty took an Athletic Director position at Myrtle Creek High School and also taught Physical Education, Health, and Social Studies. Frosty was instrumental in starting the first recreational sports leagues for kids in Douglas County and later for the entire Southern Oregon region. Frosty's "Twilight" baseball league was intended to teach children the fundamentals of baseball, while preparing them for future high school competition. The "Twilight" league was converted into Southern Oregon Babe Ruth Baseball in 1952. Seeing the success of his vision of organized baseball in Southern Oregon over the past 65 years was one of Frosty's most gratifying personal accomplishments.
While at Myrtle Creek High School (which became South Umpqua High School in 1966 upon consolidation with Canyonville), Frosty became a veritable legend. As well as being the Athletic Director and a teacher, he coached all of the high school sports initially, but baseball was his primary interest. He coached junior varsity baseball at first, and then varsity baseball for 21 years. Frosty's baseball teams won the league title 11 times and twice finished runner-up for the state title in 1958 and 1976. The 1976 team went 30-0 until losing the championship game, 3-1 to Woodburn in 10 innings. His baseball teams had a combined career record of 493-167. Frosty served as Athletic Director at South Umpqua High School for 34 years until his retirement in 1981. The football complex at South Umpqua High School is named "Loghry Field" in Frosty's honor. Frosty also coached American Legion baseball. The following is a partial listing of other accomplishments Frosty had during his career at both Myrtle Creek and South Umpqua High School:
*Teacher of Year Award
*Oregon Athletic Director of Year Award (1981)
*Oregon Athletic Directors Association Hall of Fame Inductee (2009)
*President, Oregon Athletic Directors Association 1978-1980) Sectry. two years; VP two years
*Oregon High School Coaches Association 35 Years Service Award
*Sky-Em League 35 Year Service Award
*North-South All Star Series Honorary Coach (1982)
*Oregon Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame Inductee (2002)
After bringing Babe Ruth Baseball to Myrtle Creek in 1952, Frosty was Vice President of the first Babe Ruth league and helped to organize the first team in Myrtle Creek. He served over 45 years in various positions, as coach, manager, League Secretary, League Treasurer, League President, District Commissioner, Area Commissioner, Assistant State Commissioner, Assistant Regional Commissioner, and finally State Commissioner for all Southern Oregon Babe Ruth Leagues. Frosty also served as director for numerous tournaments and in 2001 he received the Babe Ruth Hall of Fame Award for the Northwest Region of eight Western states.
Frosty was heavily involved in countless community and civic endeavors as well. He was a charter member of the Myrtle Creek Parks Commission, and served from 1965-1985, helping to develop the Millsite Park plan. He was on the city council and city budget committee two different terms and won the First Citizen Award for the City of Myrtle Creek in 1982. He won a Lions Club International Foundation Award (Melvin Jones Fellowship), the highest achievement for the organization. Frosty was a life member of the Benevolent Professional Order of Elks and Masons.
After WWII, Frosty continued his military service with the Naval Reserve unit in Roseburg, Oregon for twenty years, until 1966. He served as commander of the unit at various times and attained the rank of Lieutenant.
Frosty and Barbara traveled frequently after his retirement, and spent many springs in Yuma, Arizona taking in spring training baseball. Frosty loved his family and his life, and baseball was central to his being. He was a person of great integrity and honor in all walks of his life, and was loved and respected by all he encountered. He was truly one of a kind and will be dearly missed by all.
Frosty was preceded in death by his parents, father Robert A. Loghry and mother Fanny Bates Loghry; brothers St. Elmo (Elmer), Douglas (Red), George, Don, and sister Mary Muriel Loghry.
Frosty is survived by his wife of nearly 68 years, Barbara Loghry of Canyonville; son George Loghry and daughter-in-law Debbie Loghry of Riddle; daughter Louise Bingham of Springfield; grandchildren John Patrick Bingham of Las Vegas, NV, Jennifer Loghry of Roseburg, Michael Forrest Bingham of Springfield, Kimberly Loghry Karlovich and Jason Karlovich of Riddle; and great-grandchildren Alex Smith of Riddle, and Karley Wilkins of Cottage Grove.
A public memorial for Forrest Loghry will be held at 1 p.m. on June 2, 2012 at the Myrtle Creek Elks Lodge, 106 S. Main St. (541-863-1943). In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Southern Oregon Babe Ruth Association or Amedisys Hospice.
(Obit published in the Roseburg, OR "The News-Review" on Mar. 22, 2012.)