DETROIT -- The idea began with a quandary: How do you repay someone like Ernie Harwell for the generosity the Hall of Fame broadcaster displayed in his life?
Wayne State University athletic director Rob Fournier weighed that idea as he planned out an expansion of the midtown Detroit school's facilities, including a renovation of the baseball field. Harwell received an honorary degree from the school, and made a donation to the university as part of his last wishes.
So Fournier sent a letter to Gary Spicer, Harwell's longtime attorney and himself a Wayne State alumnus. The resulting project, Ernie Harwell Field, was officially unveiled Tuesday.