Rockers invite centenarian WWII vets to home opener

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers will open the 2024 season in grand style when two centenarian World War II veterans will each throw out the first pitch when the Rockers play their home opener on Tuesday, April 30 against the Charleston Dirty Birds. Game time is set for 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point.

Frank Myers, 100, of Archdale, and Jim “Tanker” Deal, 101 ½, will each share the honor of throwing out the first pitch of the season for the Rockers. They will be joined by newly-elected High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson.

Myers, 100, is the oldest of 10 children and he joined the Army/Air Force to help support his family. He served for nearly four years, training as an aerial gunner and aviation mechanic on B-17, B-24, and B-25 aircraft. He and his wife, Cleo Rush, have been married for 76 years and have two daughters, one grandson and three great grandchildren. Myers has resided in the High Point/Trinity area for his entire life.

Deal, 101, was born in Woodleaf, N.C. and was the youngest of 12 children. A member of the 737th Tank Battalion, he was a gunner inside a Sherman tank and arrived on the beaches of Normandy on June 12, 1944. He served under General George S. Patton in the Third Army and saw action throughout France and Central Europe including the Battle of the Bulge. A Purple Heart recipient, he spent 35 years working for Southern Railway before retiring.

“Our commitment to honoring our veterans happens at every Rockers game with our Row of Honor,” said Rockers President Pete Fisch. “We are honored to have Mr. Deal and Mr. Myers at Truist Point to help us celebrate the start of a new baseball season.”

The Rockers currently have a special offer on tickets for the first series of the season as fans can purchase four tickets for the discounted price of just $29. Tickets are available online at HighPointRockers.com and also at the Truist Point Box Office on Gatewood Ave.