BRATTLEBORO-Like so many community organizations, Brattleboro Little League is an all-volunteer enterprise and has been that way for all its 74 years.
A newly renamed concession stand and operations building at South Main Street Field now recognizes one of those volunteers, David Cyr, who has been involved in nearly every facet in his 42 years of service.
The renaming was to have taken place at the field, but heavy rain cancelled a scheduled May 9 doubleheader, forcing the party to hastily move indoors to Brattleboro American Legion Post 5.
A friendship that predates the ball field
The main address was delivered by a longtime friend and colleague of Cyr, Bill Holiday, who framed the tribute through the lens of their lifelong friendship. The two men met in college, where they became basketball teammates.
At one point, Holiday said, the team lost several players and urgently needed replacements with real experience. He recalled knowing that Cyr had “played a little bit” and personally invited him to join the team, beginning a partnership that extended far beyond that single season.
Both held work-study jobs: Holiday worked in campus security, carrying keys to every building and checking doors late at night. Cyr worked in food service, a job he took seriously and ultimately turned into a long career, serving as head of food service at the School for International Training in Brattleboro for more than 20 years.
These early roles foreshadowed the paths they would take: Holiday as an educator and community figure, and Cyr as a quiet, reliable manager of people and resources.
Holiday said Cyr’s administrative strengths — organizational discipline, attention to detail, and a calm manner — became an important foundation for his later work in Little League.
Four decades of doing everything
Cyr got involved in the Brattleboro Little League in the mid-1980s. His tenure started modestly when he became an assistant coach for the Red Sox team.
When the manager of the Red Sox stepped down, Cyr took over, beginning a long period on the bench guiding players through practices, games, and tournament runs. Over the years, he not only managed his team but also became a cornerstone of the league’s tournament program, managing Brattleboro’s all-star teams.
Beyond the diamond, Cyr has served multiple times as president and treasurer of Brattleboro Little League and took on the role of District 2 representative, where he has commanded respect statewide as an experienced, reliable voice in Little League affairs, Holiday said.
And Cyr put his knowledge of food service to work when he assumed full responsibility for the snack bar operation at the field in recent years — planning and shopping for supplies, coordinating volunteers, and monitoring the finances.
The snack bar is now the financial backbone of the league, funding day-to-day operations of the program.
The building that now bears Cyr’s name is not just a concession stand. It serves as a storage facility for field maintenance tools and houses the press box, scoreboard controls, public address system, and rest rooms.
It is, said Holiday, a “jack of all trades” — a single structure performing numerous vital functions for the league. Just as the building supports the field’s daily operations from the background, Holiday said Cyr is the league’s “jack of all trades,” supporting the Brattleboro Little League quietly, steadily, and without fanfare.
Rooting for every kid
The norm in Little League is that the parents of the players are usually the ones who get involved. Though Cyr has no children of his own and no direct family stake, he has given his time and energy without seeking attention or public thanks, Holiday said.
“He doesn’t take credit, he doesn’t seek credit,” he added. “He roots for all the players, not a particular child or family.”
Brattleboro has a long tradition of success in Little League baseball, with 29 trips to the state championship game and 18 state titles since 1957.
For Cyr, success on the field is satisfying, but more satisfying has been watching the children of friends and fellow community members — “some of the nicest people that I know” — grow up through the program and, in some cases, watching the second and third generations of those players take the field.
“Seeing the kids and these people as they become adults” is one of the enduring rewards of his years on the field, Cyr said.
“I never stressed winning. I always felt if you play the game the way it supposed to be played, the wins will come,” he added. “And if they don’t, it’s not the end of the world.”
After four decades, Cyr’s enthusiasm for youth baseball has not dimmed, and he has no intention of stepping away from the program just yet.
“I thank you all,” he said as he stood by the big sign bearing his name, “and I’ll continue to continue.”
This News item by Randolph T. Holhut was written for The Commons.