Dear Editor:

The 42nd Annual Sergio Brown-Ruben Campas Memorial Day Baseball Classic 2012 held on Memorial Day Weekend was once again a successful event. The event is made possible as a result of the dedication and support of the many individuals involved; the generous sponsors, the many individuals who gave their time and assistance.

We also thank the many fans who came out to support the classic baseball games. Mercedes Acosta had the honor of throwing the first pitch and Guillermo “ Memo” Brown, brother of the late Sergio “Cananea” Brown, was behind the plate to receive the throw. Members of both teams autographed the ball that was presented to her. Mrs. Acosta has been a longtime and loyal fan and supporter of the classic and is one of the sisters of the late Ruben “Toro” Campas.

A very special thank you to the following major sponsors: Francisco (Chico) Parra Family Trust Fund, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Dairy Queen of Southern Arizona, Ortega’s Stores, Inc., and Campas Construction Company, Odyssey Impresiones, La Frontera Bar, and Javier Brown.

We want to thank the LA Broncos for making the trip from Los Angeles to make the classic a possible event and that they always feel at home when they come to our community. One of the team members remarked, “we feel like family the way we are welcomed and treated in Douglas”.

Hector “Pato” Leon, a longtime player with the Douglas Vets lost his wife, Gloria Gomez Leon, during the classic weekend and the games were dedicated to her respectively. He managed to play in the event and we admire “Pato” for his courage and strength through his time of pain and sorrow.

We thank the following individuals for their continued officiating during the games, Richard Ross, plate umpire and Leslie Pollard, base officiating.

Efrain Brown, Classic Coordinator once again through his efforts, the classic was once again made possible and turned out to be a very enjoyable event.

Thanks goes to Richie Acosta for his loud speaker announcing of the games during the two days of the event.

We thank and appreciate the Campas Family, the Acosta Family, and the Brown Family who continue to support the baseball classic through the years.

We appreciate Bruce Whetten, Dispatch Managing Editor, for coverage of the event, the City of Douglas and the Douglas Unified School District for the use of the historic Copper King Stadium.

We desire Carley Acosta, Alison Ortega, Mishell Quinonez, Christian Dorame, and Jorge Escalante, and Javier Altamirano (Brown Family scholarship), the 42nd Annual Baseball Classic scholarship recipients a successful future in their continued college education.

A special thanks to Hector M. Salinas, President and committee members of Pirtleville Community Action Network (PCAN) for acting as fiscal agents for the 42nd Annual Sergio Brown-Ruben Campas Memorial Day Baseball Classic.

See you again at the 43rd Sergio Brown-Ruben Campas Annual Memorial Day Baseball Classic to be held in the Memorial Day Weekend of 2013.

Thank you all from the classic committee members: Efrain Brown, Hector Brown Sr., Eddie Campas, Sergio Mendez, Hector Salinas, Jesus Hughes.