Edward J. "Ned" Skeldon was a

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Orur ...

local politician remembered for his promotion of baseball in the fourth most populous city in the

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state of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Biography

Politics

Ned Skeldon was a longtime advocate for Toledo and Northwest

. A life long resident of the area who attended Central Catholic High School, save military service and working for Toledo interests in

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Skeldon entered local politics by winning the

vice mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments. Duties and functions Many elected dep ...

position and later served four terms as the

county commission A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

er. Skeldon also fought to clean up the

Maumee River The Maumee River (pronounced ) ( sjw, Hotaawathiipi; mia, Taawaawa siipiiwi) is a river running in the United States Midwest from northeastern Indiana into northwestern Ohio and Lake Erie. It is formed at the confluence of the St. Joseph and ...

, heading the Clear Water Inc. and serving as

vice chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of Ohio Water Development Authority, groups advocating environmental cleanup of the

and Northwest Ohio.

Baseball

For nine years, 1956 through 1964, Toledo was without a minor league baseball franchise, the longest such period in the then seventy year history of Toledo baseball. One man was determined to end that drought as soon as possible, Edward T. "Ned" Skeldon. In the early 1960s, Skeldon proposed that the racetrack at the county fairgrounds be converted into a

baseball park A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...

and set out to build a committee that would help him to accomplish it. The committee that was created to bring baseball back to Toledo was made up of area businessmen and civic leaders. The group included Toledo Trust's president Henry Morse and his vice Steve Stranahan, Monsignor Jerome Schmit of St. Patrick's Church (Secretary-Treasurer), and Ray Johnston (General Manager). After the reconstruction of the park, Skeldon was able to bring the Triple-A franchise from

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to Toledo, along with an affiliation with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. Toledo was given another shot at minor league baseball, resuscitating the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

moniker, and field a team for the 1965 International League season at the new Lucas County Stadium. Skeldon continued to have a working relationship with the team. The stadium was eventually renamed Ned Skeldon Stadium in 1988 in his honor. Edward T. "Ned" Skeldon died just three months after the stadium dedication.Ned Skeldon Stadium Toledo, Ohio
at ballparkreviews.com

References

Year of birth missing 1988 deaths Politicians from Toledo, Ohio {{Ohio-politician-stub