Over 50 years ago, there was only a baseball backstop and bases at the current site of Jimmy Jerome Memorial Park in Rose Hill, North Carolina, the corporate home of House of Raeford Farms. In 1976, the town named the park after Jimmy Jerome, a Wallace-Rose Hill High School football All-American and four-sport athlete as well as the North Carolina Tarheels’ leading receiver for three seasons. Today the complex has expanded to multiple baseball, softball, and football fields serving the active needs of hundreds of children.
However, as time passed the facilities began to show their age, and the need for renovations became apparent. Since youth development is a pillar of community outreach for House of Raeford, the company’s CEO and owner Bob Johnson, along with his son Cowan Johnson, decided to step forward and undertake a plan to make the necessary improvements as part of the House of Raeford Sports Complex.
L-R: Bob Johnson, Cowan Johnson, Lois Mobley, Glenn Mobley
House of Raeford invested over $200,000 during the past year to upgrade the park. Improvements included adding a new clay blend of soil to the Buck Bradshaw baseball field and to the Harold and Lois Mobley Family softball field to help with infield drainage. Both of these diamonds received new grass sod and irrigation systems. Other enhancements involved new fencing, lighting upgrades, scoreboard repairs, reserved parking for officials and handicap patrons, and an additional playground area with swings donated by Smithfield Foods.
“Some of the best memories I have growing up are playing baseball at Jimmy Jerome Park,” said Cowan Johnson. “Now I have children and our company has local employees who are continuing that tradition with their kids. I hope we can use the facility to not only teach athletic skills but also guide these young people in developing valuable life skills.”
Lois Mobley has served as Rose Hill’s recreation director for over 40 years. “I can truthfully say that I am overwhelmed at what has been done at our park,” Mrs. Mobley shared. “I feel like it is a dream come true. Working with these kids over the years has been so rewarding and one of the greatest experiences of my life.”
A project of this magnitude also required the assistance of individuals and other companies from the area. These included:
Bradshaw Clearing and Grading, Inc. Seegars Fence Company
Casteen Plumbing Four County EMC
Duplin Sod Dean Wells
Brown’s Builders Duplin Signs
Davey Cavenaugh Electric Town of Rose Hill Maintenance Department
Bobby Ward, Project Coordinator Johnathan DeVane
Mike & Kim Tyndall Brad Rivenbark
The Harold and Lois Mobley Family L-R: Lois, Christa, Greg, Drake, and Glenn
The Bob and Luanne Johnson Family
House of Raeford Wallace Employees L-R: Charles Strickland, Roy Hernandez, Johnathan DeVane