When Hopewell won the 2012 MCALL championship, the players asked Lewis to join them on the field, where each one shook his hand. Here is a photo of the 2012 championship Hopewell team with Warren. (Front row) Mike Poole, Drew Crivelli, John deDufour, Harry Giordano, Joe Gambino, Tim Wolf, Brodie Catherine, and Brooks Backinoff; (back row) Coach Tom Hoepfner, Alex Gasparro, Mike Smart, John Croak, Nick Gies, Alex Rhoads, Tim Schorr and Warren C. Lewis.
Jim McNamara is gainfully employed in Merrill Lynch’s Wealth Management branch, but it was for another job that he had perhaps his toughest interview.
McNamara found himself sitting across the table from Hopewell Post 339 Athletic Director Warren C. Lewis when the baseball team was seeking a new manager in the spring of 2011. Lewis, who passed away on March 8, served as AD since 1968, as well as post commander. He was involved in the leadership of the Mercer County American Legion (Baseball) League, including serving as commissioner and executive committee member. He was 82.
McNamara had already coached in Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth for a couple of years prior, so he decided to make the leap to Legion ball.
The interview, McNamara said, was the first of many deep conversations about baseball the men woud have over the next few years.
“We discussed what was involved, who would be responsible for what aspects of the program and, of course, how Warren thought this would be best accomplished,” he said. “Having played Legion ball at Cottreal-Warner Post 942 (in Monroe County, N.Y.), I thought I knew what would be involved but really had no clue. Warren looked me square in the eye and then insisted to me that Legion was a different animal.”
Lewis’s knowledge, added McNamara, was invaluable to him as a new manager.
“He took the time to introduce me personally to each of the managers, coaches, and members of the league and was instrumental in drumming up support for the program and the league,” he said. “Though my involvement with Warren was only for the past four years, [I know] his impact on the people of Hopewell Valley and Mercer County was far-reaching.”
Lewis lived nearly 80 years in Hopewell, and he was a cog in the community he loved. He was a father of four, grandfather of 11, great grandfather of three and friend to thousands. He graduated from Princeton High School in 1950 and entered the U.S. Navy in 1952, serving two years on the USS Briareus. In 1957 he wed Joan Haldeman, and they went on to celebrate 58 years of marriage.
In honor of his 80th birthday, the Borough of Hopewell proclaimed Feb. 2, 2013 as “Warren Lewis Day.” The light-hearted proclamation noted that he wore his Hopewell heritage as a badge of honor and described him as the “Hopewell Oracle.”
“Warren was from ‘the old school,’” said Fred Walters, former longtime MCALL manager of the Ewing program. “He was the kind of guy that went totally by the book. What was right was right. What was wrong was wrong. He used that for all of his decisions—not only for Hopewell and his program, he used that to make decisions for the entire league. Even if it was a hard decision, it had to be made. His thoughts were always for the kids.”
When the 2012 Hopewell American Legion team won the league championship, the players insisted that he join them on the field. Each one shook his hand.
“Warren was the epitome of old school,” McNamara said. “He was loyal, tough, stubborn and fearless. He spoke his mind, and God help you if you broke the rules, but he was never mean-spirited. You always knew where you stood with Warren and whether or not you agreed with him at that time, you knew his heart was in the right place. Warren gave of himself and volunteered for almost a half-century so that an opportunity existed in Hopewell for kids to play baseball.”
Lewis’ volunteer work through the years was extensive. In addition to managing a Little League team, he also donated time and effort to the Hopewell Fire Department, the Hopewell Valley Board of Education and the Highland Cemetery Board of Trustees.
“He cared deeply for those around him and always asked how you were doing before you had the chance to ask him,” McNamara said. “I will always cherish our conversations in person or, his favorite mode of communication, over the phone, even if he did like to call early in the morning.”
The pride Lewis had for everything in his life—his family, Hopewell, baseball, his country and everything in between—was unmatched, McNamara said.
And while Lewis was one of the best mentors McNamara could have asked for, he was an even better friend “who taught me and so many others about life and the right way to live it.”
“Even though he may have been a stickler for the rules, there are many, me included, that will miss Warren,” McNamara said.
Chuck Giambelluca of Hamilton, the former longtime manager of the Broad Street Park MCALL entry who is on the league’s executive committee, goes back nearly five decades with Lewis.
“There is nobody like him. He was a stickler for the rules and he was a nice guy to be around. He had his ways—it was his way or the highway,” Giambelluca said, laughing. “He wanted to make sure that everything was equal for everybody. He was a true American Legion proponent. I used to get a kick out of him at the meetings. He’s a super guy and will be missed, no doubt about it.”
Gary Vogler had a 40-year history with Lewis, including a 15-year stint when he managed the Hopewell Legion team.
“He ran the league for so long but even more significant is the impact he had on [Post 339]—he kept that program together,” Vogler said. “He was the anchor, the backbone of the team. He’s the one individual, without him through the years, the team wouldn’t survive.”
Memorial contributions can be made to the Mercer County American Legion Baseball Association, 58 Jarvie Drive, Hamilton Square, NJ 08690.
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