[BobbyB]

Group asks PSD to rename baseball field
BY TAYLOUR NELSON
TaylourNelson@coloradoan.com


Poudre School District School board members are considering renaming Rocky Mountain High School's baseball field after a former student who died in 2006.

A committee made up of Rocky parents and staff asked to change the name from Rocky Mountain High School Baseball Field to Gabe Pando Park at Rocky Mountain High School, to commemorate Pando, a former baseball player and successful student.



"He had high expectations of himself and he wanted to do great things," said Carmen Pando, Gabe's mother. "His dream was to make a difference and somehow live on even though he wasn't going to be there."

Pando graduated with honors from Rocky in 1988 where he played baseball, basketball and football. He went on to be the first in his family to go to college at Colorado College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics and a Masters and Bachelor of Science degree at Colorado State University.

In 1999, Pando was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and decided to set up a scholarship that would help students like himself be able to afford higher education.

Gabe Pando Scholarship recipients must attend Colorado College, demonstrate financial aid eligibility, be of Hispanic descent and maintain a 3.0 grade point average. The first recipient of the scholarship will graduate this spring.

Rocky is in the midst of remodeling and updating the baseball field, adding new turf and fences and updating the scoreboard and dugout areas.

"We've had in mind upgrading our baseball facility, but what is unique is the opportunity to create a legacy," said Rocky principal Tom Lopez. "It is a name that does bring a sense of honor to the Rocky Mountain High School community."

School board members will vote on the new name at their next regular business meeting Feb. 12.

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