Monhallan, Claude "Monte"

(Deceased 1963)

MONTE MONHOLLAN PLAYED PRO BASEBALL BEFORE BECOMING A SOFTBALL UMPIRE. HE WAS A “SOUTHPAW” PITCHER, PLAYING 2 YEARS IN A FLORIDA SEMI-PRO LEAGUE AND PLAYED MANY ADDITIONAL YEARS IN THE BLUE GRASS SEMI-PRO LEAGUE FOR LEXINGTON AND CYNTHIANA.

MONTE AND HIS WIFE CAME TO FRANKFORT IN 1930 AND SOON AFTER STARTED A CAREER AS A SOFTBALL AND BASEBALL UMPIRE. HE UMPIRED BASEBALL IN THE BLUEGRASS LEAGUE AND IN FAST PITCH SOFTBALL LEAGUES FOR 25 YEARS. IN MOST OF HIS GAMES, HE WAS HOME PLATE UMPIRE BECAUSE MANY UMPIRES HE WORKED WITH DID NOT LIKE TO WORK BEHIND THE PLATE. HE WAS WELL KNOWN IN CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND RESPECTED BY PLAYERS AND FANS. MONTE WAS ALWAYS COOL NEVER LOSING HIS TEMPER, AND HE ALWAYS HAD CONTROL OF THE BALL GAME.

IN RECOGNITION OF HIS OUTSTANDING ABILITY AS AN UMPIRE, THIS CITATION BEARS WITNESS THAT HIS NAME SHALL FOREVER BE IN THE KENTUCKY SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION HALL OF HONOR.