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- | At his funeral this past Sunday, George Holmes was mainly remembered in a eulogy that lasted nearly two hours as a kind, caring politician.
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- | But before his days as a state representative, Holmes was called “Georgie” within the pages of the Washington Post, which reported his exploits as a star athlete at Washington, D.C.’s Western High School, which has since been renamed Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He also spent a few seasons playing for the Mount Airy Graniteers minor league baseball club during summers while on a football scholarship at Appalachian State.
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- | He was born in Mount Airy in 1929, but Holmes and his family moved to the D.C. area in 1942. As a high school star for the Red Raiders in both football and baseball, Holmes’ name appeared nearly as much as paper and ink in the local sports section.
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- | In 1946, the Post described Holmes as a “shifty runner; expert punter; good receiver,” in a weekly football column.
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- | The kudos did not end there. In fact, Holmes earned himself a headline that stated, “Holmes 25, Indians 19 in thriller,” after he single-handedly defeated Anacostia by running for three scores and firing the game-winning touchdown pass. That story also said, “spunky, speedy George Holmes (was) a big hero.”
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- | Despite a small stature, Holmes always seemed to come up big. He was named to the Post’s all-high football team in 1946. His write-up included this sentence: “Equally talented at baseball, he plays every position on the diamond.”
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- | Holmes would make the Washington Star’s all-high football team in 1947. Later that year, the Star called him a “slugging shortstop,” during the baseball season.
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- | In 1948, Holmes graduated and sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at his commencement. From there, he moved back to his native state and attended Appalachian State.
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- | During the summer and before football seasons from 1948 until 1950, Holmes returned to Mount Airy to play baseball for the Mount Airy Graniteers.
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- | The Graniteers were a Class D minor league baseball team that played from 1946-50. They were a continuation of the Mount Airy Reds, a Cincinnati Reds minor league affiliate that played in the Bi-State League from 1935-40. That team suspended play due to World War II and resumed in 1946 as the Graniteers, although no longer associated with the Reds.
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- | The Graniteers played in a Blue Ridge League that included Elkin and North Wilkesboro, and Virginia’s Galax, Wytheville and Radford.
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- | According to a Sept. 19, 1948, issue of The Mount Airy News, Holmes was batting .304 near the end of the season as a leadoff hitter. As a middle infielder, Holmes was known for making slick plays.
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- | “He was a good fielder,” said Stanley King, a former Graniteer. “He pulled some good plays all the time.”
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- | Frank “Moose” Solters remembered Holmes as a hard-working player who kept to himself.
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- | “I don’t know a whole lot about George because he was quiet. He wasn’t like me,” Solters quipped.
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- | King said, “He was a good teammate. He was well liked by everyone. I thought a whole lot of him.”
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- | His sister, Ronella Goad, said that since George had no car, he would hitchhike to Mount Airy and catch a ride with a mailman that would take him back to Boone.
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- | Holmes was part of the final Graniteers team that won the Blue Ridge championship in 1950.
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- | He is also remembered fondly at his alma mater for his efforts as both an athlete and politician. The Mountaineers named their convocation center in his honor.
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- | Through the years, a new generation got to know Holmes the athlete. A yearly reunion of the Graniteers has become a summer staple in Mount Airy.
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- | “My opinion of George is he always had a twinkle in his eye and a great, great story to tell about his years of playing baseball here for the Graniteers,” said Ann Vaughn, who organizes the Graniteers’ reunion. “He was always a spark and a sparkle in the group of Graniteers that gathered.”
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- | David Beal, a Graniteers historian, said, “George Holmes was an outstanding person, he was a great athlete and he’ll be missed.”
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- | {{footnote-newspaper | title=Holmes Was a Two Sport Star | newspaper=Mount Airy Times | year= | month= | day= | pages= | last= | first= | url=http://www.mtairynews.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Holmes+was+a+two-sport+star%20&id=5465329&instance=secondary_sports_left_column }}
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| == Sources == | | == Sources == |
| * {{cite-newspaper | title=Obituary | newspaper=Mount Airy (NC) News | month=1 | day=1 | year=2010}} | | * {{cite-newspaper | title=Obituary | newspaper=Mount Airy (NC) News | month=1 | day=1 | year=2010}} |
| * {{cite-newspaper | title=Obituary | newspaper=Winston-Salem (NC) Journal | month=1 | day=1 | year=2010}} | | * {{cite-newspaper | title=Obituary | newspaper=Winston-Salem (NC) Journal | month=1 | day=1 | year=2010}} |