Byline: Bill Lilley
Jan. 12--CANTON -- J. Babe Stearn spent the majority of his professional life as a law enforcement officer, first as a patrolman and a lieutenant in the Canton Police Department and later as the Stark County sheriff.
But the legacy of the man, who died early Thursday morning at 92, will be through children, not criminals. 'I knew Babe for more than 50 years and while I know Babe loved being a policeman, his greatest love was children,' said Ralph McCauley, a former director of the J. Babe Stearn Community Center. 'I first met Babe as an 11-year-old kid in about 1952. He was a huge influence on my life as well as the lives of many thousands of other kids in Canton.' A lifelong proponent of keeping kids active in sports and other activities, Stearn was honored in 1982 when the community recreation center in southwest Canton was named in his honor. Stearn was born on a farm in Russia on March 20, 1914, and arrived in the United States in 1921. He grew up in southeast Canton and was attending McKinley High School when his brother was killed in a traffic accident during his junior year in 1930. He left school and went to work in the circulation department of the Canton Repository, replacing his brother. First Jewish officer Stearn became the first Jewish officer hired when he joined the Canton Police Department in 1937. He spent 10 years on the force before he began his official association with the Canton Police Boys Club. He was appointed director of the club in 1954. Stearn always championed the club's athletic programs, taking special interest in boxing and baseball.
He was instrumental in the growth of the Mitey Mite youth baseball program, which served nearly 800 boys each summer. He also served as commissioner of boxing and wrestling in Canton for nearly a quarter of a century. Stearn's love for boxing was nurtured during World War II, when he served in the Coast Guard along with former world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey. 'Babe loved bringing in pro boxers and baseball players to see the kids at the Boys Club,' said McCauley, who retired as director of the community center in 1989. Stearn also was a driving force in the founding of the Canton Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps. Stearn and and McCauley, who was assistant director of the Canton Police Boys Club at the time, teamed with late Canton businessman Art Drukenbrod in 1972 to turn an idea they had for a music program at the old Canton Police Boys Club into reality. The young musicians chose the name Bluecoats in tribute to the police department's retired officers and because they were a program of the Canton Police Boys Club. Nearly 35 years later, the Bluecoats have grown to 135 participants with an international reputation that includes a fourth-place ranking in the 2006 Drum Corps International World Championships in Madison, Wis. Run for sheriff Stearn served 44 years in the Canton Police Department before retiring Jan. 3, 1982. He returned to public service when he unseated incumbent Robert C. Berens and was elected Stark County sheriff in 1984. Stearn was 70 and had virtually no political experience. He served as sheriff from 1985 until he retired in 1992. Stearn earned enshrinement in the Canton Jewish Center Athletic Hall of Fame and the Canton Negro Old-Timers Association Hall of Fame. 'Babe had such an important influence on so many kids, so many kids that it would blow your mind to try to calculate the number,' said Dave Miday, current director of the community center.
'Babe was so kind to all the kids. And his interest and generosity went far beyond athletics. He was a truly great man and we'll all miss him greatly.' Stark County Sheriff Timothy Swanson, who served as a sergeant during Stearn's tenure as sheriff, said Stearn had 'a heart of gold.' 'Babe was always caring about people,' Swanson said. 'He was a great mentor to me and a wonderful man to many, many other people.' Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
Copyright (c) 2007, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio
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