My name is Frank McClure. Growing up as the 11th of 14 children, we lacked many material things, but my family ensured we always had food. To distract myself from what we didn’t have, I focused on baseball and athletics.

At 16, I joined the Roosevelt High School baseball team. Marrying young, I traveled to New York City, where watching powerful semi-pro players fueled my passion for baseball. In 1973, I made history with the Hornets in York County, South Carolina, by hitting a 365-foot home run in the championship game and going to the ALLSTAR game batting an average over 400+ for the same year. Despite the challenges of the segregated Jim Crow era, our team was integrated, and I was recognized as a key player and supportive teammate. My baseball journey began in 1958 on a diamond behind our church in Bowling Green, South Carolina.

I was ordained as a Deacon in the Tabernacle Baptist Church 1983, Gastonia, North Carolina and led the Deacons ministry for 20 years. I am still an active church member, dedicating myself to teaching in the community and reaching lost souls for Jesus Christ. During the 2020 pandemic, I helped start a community Bible Study Class (CBSC) via teleconference, which continues to bless participants from seven different states.