Sports

Heiligenthal, Kruckman to enter Burlington Baseball Hall of Fame Sunday

Burlington’s past, present to be honored at 7th annual event

The Burlington Baseball Hall of Fame welcomes its seventh class Sunday at noon at Ginger Beaumont Field in Burlington. (Mike Ramczyk/SLN)
The Burlington Baseball Hall of Fame welcomes its seventh class Sunday at noon at Ginger Beaumont Field in Burlington. (Mike Ramczyk/SLN)

 

By Mike Ramczyk

[email protected]

For the first time since its inaugural year in 2010, the Burlington Baseball Hall of Fame will induct only two members in its 2016 class.

This Sunday at Ginger Beaumont Baseball Field, William Kruckman and Stan Heiligenthal will be posthumously honored by the Burlington Baseball Hall of Fame Committee.

The event is open to the public and will begin at noon with the induction ceremony.

The Burlington VFW Post and American Legion Post will present the colors, and the National Anthem will be performed by a band member from Burlington High School.

Immediately following the Hall of Fame ceremony, the Burlington Rotary Barons (8-1) will battle the East Troy Express for the Land O’Lakes Southwest Division championship.

The concession stand will be open Sunday, and cold refreshments will be sold.

According to Hall of Fame Committee Chairman Bill Milatz, players, managers, coaches, umpires and contributors to city baseball since the 1920s are eligible for induction.

“People must have Burlington ties,” Milatz said in a phone interview Wednesday.

“We are going to honor the Burlington High School state championship team Sunday as well.”

Milatz said several Demons will be on hand Sunday to be honored by the committee.

Burlington High School won the WIAA Division 1 state baseball title June 16, the first in school history.

Started in 2010 at Veteran’s Terrace, the Hall of Fame induction ceremony switched venues to Beaumont Field in 2011 and has remained there.

Dick Imrie and Rollie Bauman, two integral players in Burlington baseball’s history, were the inaugural selections in 2010.

The Burlington Baseball Hall of Fame Committee includes Milatz, Dick Imrie, Dennis Busch, Mike Smetana, Bill McCourt, Steve Spitzer and Tom Uhen.

Here are profiles of the inductees:

 

William Kruckman (1880-1974)

Kruckman was born in Wilmot and worked for his father’s general store as a young man.

At 18 years of age, Kruckman stood 6-foot-3. By 1904, he moved to Burlington and worked for Sengbusch Hardware.

Kruckman married Blanche Patrick and purchased the Sengbusch business, along with Mr. Glazer, a tin maker.

The store became Kruckman-Glazer Hardware and was located at the southwest corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Commerce Street (now North Pine Street).

Blanche and William had three children, Kenneth, Doris and Robert, and in 1917 they purchased a house on Kendall Street, which still is located across from the Cooper School playground.

From approximately 1900 through the 1940s, Kruckman was involved in baseball.

His son Kenneth signed with a New York Yankees minor league team, and he married Ginger Beaumont’s daughter, Marion.

Kruckman’s other son, Robert, married the daughter of Bob Steele, who was a major league pitcher and settled in Burlington after retirement.

Steele owned Bob Steele’s Motel on Durand Avenue across from Fisher Park in Brown’s Lake, which is now the Beachview Bar.

In 1920, Kruckman became Burlington’s mayor and established the Burlington Chamber of Commerce.

He was the first president of the Burlington Athletic Association, which purchased five acres on the northeast side of 2nd Street, which is now North Milwaukee Avenue and the current site of Ginger Beaumont Field.

Then, Kruckman became the president of the White Fox Club, which was the early name of the Burlington Amateur Baseball Club. The club hosted numerous events, including football, semi-pro baseball, basketball and a carnival.

Due to the Great Depression, the White Fox Club was turned over to the city and became Echo Athletic Park.

Kruckman founded the Burlington Rotary Club in 1922. By 1930, he was the director of the Bank of Burlington, which is now BMO Harris Bank.

By 1944, Kruckman retired.

Kruckman’s wife passed away in 1964 after 60 years of marriage.

“Kruckman was instrumental in purchasing and developing our present baseball park,” Milatz said. “We cannot thank Kruckman and his family enough for being a part of Burlington Amateur Baseball and our development of baseball in this community.”

 

Stan Heiligenthal (1936-2015)

Born on October 30 to Donald and Mildred, Stan’s early life was spent on a farm in Lyons, where he attended St. Joseph’s Elementary School.

Heiligenthal attended St. Mary’s High School (Catholic Central), and married Jean Smetana in 1958, in Waterford.

Stan and Jean built a home on Crestwood Drive in Burlington and raised six kids, Bruce, Kim, Chuck, Pat, Julie and David.

In the neighborhood just to the east of his home, Stan built and maintained a baseball field for the neighborhood kids, with the help of his neighbors.

Built in 1968, the diamond is still there today, backstop and all, and is used by the neighborhood.

A plumber and certified pipe fitter, Stan worked for Vorpagel Heating and Cooling.

He was on the American Legion Baseball Committee from 1980 until he passed away this past winter.

Stan was a summer baseball coach in the Burlington Kiwanis program from 1980 to 1984, and he was a board member of the Baseball 2000 committee, which made improvements to Beaumont Field from 2000 to 2005.

For approximately 20 years, Heiligenthal spent long hours on field maintenance and landscaping for Beaumont Field and the St. Mary’s Practice Field on Lincoln Street.

In the late 1970s, Stan coordinated efforts and donated time to repair and renovate the home of Mark Hannas, who lived on West State Street near Johnson Street.

The house had been severely damaged by a fire, but Hannas was able to stay in the home until his death.

Stan was also a member of the building and grounds committee for St. Mary’s Parish for more than 20 years.

“Stan will be greatly missed for his passion for helping others, not only in the baseball community, but for his parish at St. Mary’s church,” Milatz said.

“Our committee greatly commends both Mr. Kruckman and Mr. Heiligenthal for their efforts to make baseball in this community what it is today.”

 

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