Farmer, businessman and athlete Thomas Upton “Tubby” Black of Greenwood was remembered today for his business skills and good nature.
Mr. Black, 77, died at Greenwood Leflore Hospital this morning. Wilson & Knight Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements, which had not been finalized early today.
Mr. Black, who had been president of the LeCo Gin Co., “kept up with the business and did it right,” said Loys Gray of Sidon.
Gray served as manager at LeCo Gin, located in Sidon, for 33 years under Mr. Black and his late father, Thomas Upton Black Sr.
“Tubby always had a smile on his face,” recalled Basil King, former treasurer of LeCo Gin.
Mr. Black and his brother, Mickey, ran the family’s farming operation.
“Mickey took care of the grain crops, and Tubby took care of the cotton,” Gray said.
Both were good farmers, King said.
LeCo stopped ginning operations in 2008, said King, who first worked at the gin in 1958.
Mr. Black attended Greenwood High School from 1947 to 1951. In 1950, during his junior year, he was a member of Greenwood’s state champion baseball team.
After graduation, Mr. Black attended Mississippi College in Clinton. He played baseball for four seasons under coach Stanley Robinson.
As Mr. Black was preparing to leave college, he was drafted by the U.S. Navy, which had just started drafting men following the completion of World War II. He had a two-year obligation to the Navy, which started Dec. 1, 1955.
His training sent him to San Diego, Calif., and from there he was shipped to Yokosuka, Japan. While in Japan, he played for a baseball team called the Sea Hawks.
Mr. Black was one of 10 men from the Navy selected to try out for the national team. In all, 40 athletes competed for 18 positions. The Army, Marine Corps and the Air Force also sent 10 men to the tryouts.
Mr. Black, who played center field and first base in college, played left field for Team USA. In a 2000 interview with the Commonwealth, he said being part of that team was a great experience.
“We toured for maybe a month and played the Japanese national team and the Filipino team,” he said. “We played about 20 games and lost only once during the tour, and that was to the Australian national tTeam.”
Mr. Black recalled that Team USA struck back, beating the Australians 12-5 in their appearance in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
Because baseball was only an exhibition sport in the Olympics then, Mr. Black and the other members of Team USA did not receive gold, silver or bronze medals but did receive “participation medals.”
“We had receptions, and we were treated very well,” he said.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I know we weren't absolutely official, but we were there, and we did get a medal.”
Mr. Black is survived by his wife, Gage, and three children.
• Contact Bob Darden at bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
