BETHEL – When Newtown resident Frank Rocca takes over as New England commissioner of Jimmy Fund Baseball, he will have some awfully big shoes to fill.

Bill Pullan of Bethel – the District 4 Babe Ruth League commissioner for the past 26 years and New England Babe Ruth Hall of Fame inductee – is stepping down from that post although he will remain closely involved with local baseball.

Mr Pullan will be honored next week by the Old Timers Athletic Association of Greater Danbury with a Civic Award at the organization’s 42nd annual dinner on September 29 at the Amber Room.

Mr Pullan became involved with the Jimmy Fund while employed at the Danbury News-Times and continued with the effort as he became District commissioner in 1979. Through his leadership, the state of Connecticut and its Babe Ruth program went from zero donations in 1978 to, in six short years, being the top fundraising state in New England.

Annually, for the past 21 years, Connecticut has donated more money to the Jimmy Fund than the rest of the New England states combined. This past summer, the two Jimmy Fund tournaments (led by the Bethel 15s and Newtown 14s) raised some $14,000 and brought the total collected over the past 30 years to some $700,000.

Mr Pullan was recognized in 1999 by the Jimmy Fund and Boston Red Sox with the Tom and Jean Yawkey Memorial award, given to such individuals as Ted Williams, Roger Clemens and several other Hall of Fame players who have all distinguished themselves by working with the Jimmy Fund.

Mr Pullan is a charter member of the very first Ridgefield Babe Ruth League in 1961. He left Ridgefield in 1964 and coached and managed the New Fairfield Babe Ruth program for three years. After moving to Bethel in 1968, he became involved with the Bethel Babe Ruth program and twice managed the District 4 teams (in those days, the District team drew from Redding, Bethel, Brookfield and New Fairfield). In 1966, Mr Pullan co-founded and was named commissioner of the News-Times Carrier League … a league with 14 teams and more than 250 players.

In 1984, Mr Pullan was inducted into the New England Babe Ruth League Hall of Fame and in 1986 was chosen as Connecticut District Commission of the Year.

In 1995, the Mitchell Park field on Hawleyville Road was named Pullan Field.

One of his favorite parts about being involved in Babe Ruth baseball is seeing District 4 grow to its present state, representing every town in western Connecticut … and including a huge fall league, which he started in 1992.

“We provide baseball not only for travel All-Star players,” said Mr Pullan, “but Babe Ruth baseball makes it possible for every kid that wants to play this great game a chance to participate in a league with his peers.”

Because of Mr Pullan, Bethel has been designated as the official New England home of the Jimmy Fund. That has motivated other towns in the area to begin their own Jimmy Fund tournaments – much like what Mr Rocca did here in Newtown.

Mr Rocca will take over the position on January 1, but Mr Pullan will continue as Connecticut Jimmy Fund commissioner and will continue to lead the New England Babe Ruth Baseball Jimmy Fund task force, which he created in 2001.

Mr Pullan, a retired newspaper circulation manager who worked for both the Waterbury Republican and the Danbury News-Times, served in the Army Reserve from 1956 through 1964 and now lives in Bethel with his wife, Carol. For tickets to the Old Timers dinner, call 748-8188.