LONGMEADOW — The Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame forever immortalized five inductees Thursday night and also honored a man who helped document the region’s sports for decades.

The Class of 2024 was the 11th inducted into the regional Hall of Fame, established in 2014 to honor those who made lasting contributions to the game at all levels. The event was held at the Twin Hills Country Club.

The five Hall of Fame inductees were a perfectly pieced-together ensemble that consisted of three former major leaguers and two regional head coaching legends. In addition, a historic high school team out of Turners Falls defied the odds to go undefeated during the height of World War II.

Dalton’s Jeff Reardon

Former Major League Baseball World Series champion pitcher Jeff Reardon was also in attendance. To many, the Pittsfield native is also better known as “the pride of Dalton.”

Reardon’s professional career lasted 16 seasons, during which time he laced up cleats for over seven organizations, including the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees.

Reardon ended his career with 367 saves, placing him 12th all-time on the MLB saves list. He was also a four-time all-star.

“It was great,” said Reardon, reflecting on his induction into Western Massachusetts annals. “I’m from a small town, Dalton, Massachusetts, which has about 5,000 people, and even though I’m part of many Hall of Fames, this honor truly means a lot, because I am from the area.”

Rounding out the ensemble of inductees were Mark Simeone, who just surpassed 500 wins this past Sunday as part of his 28th season of coaching for Springfield College, Bob Taylor and Don Strange, who both have ties to professional baseball and roots in Springfield.

Taylor’s career spanned 16 seasons with multiple teams. His most notable was with the San Francisco Giants, where he shared the field with legends such as Willie Mays and Willie McCovey. Strange spent eight years in the Atlanta Braves farm system.

In addition, legendary Turners Falls head coach Earl Lorden was inducted posthumously, along with the rest of his team, the 1942 state champions, whose spirit and legacy were kept alive by the last living member of the team, George Bush, and direct family members of other players in attendance.

Longtime Republican staffer

Notable takeaways from the event included longtime Republican columnist Ron Chimelis being named the second recipient of the Garry Brown Award. The award is dedicated and presented in honor and legacy of the acclaimed Republican sports writer whose career spanned from the early 1950s until his passing at age 90 in early 2022.

A longtime columnist and community staple for 36 years, Chimelis’ career reflected his character and genuine nature. During this time, he had a front-row seat and witnessed the Boston Red Sox win three World Series championships in 2004, 2007 and 2013. His work has been recognized nationally and regionally as among the best in the business.

“It’s very gratifying, partly because I worked for years next to Garry at Fenway Park, along with the Springfield office,” said Chimelis after Thursday’s event.

As recipient of the honor, Chimelis expressed gratitude for his late colleague.

“There’s a humanity to this whole thing, and it is tremendously flattering to be linked with him in any way. (Browne) gave me a big boost when he nominated me for the Baseball Writers Association in 1998. And you have to be in that to do things such as be bestowed the ability to vote for Cooperstown. But it meant more that my longtime friend nominated me for it than some of the accolades I received.”

Chimelis’ dedication and integrity expanded well beyond the realm of sports into the later years of his career, when he wrote news, features and editorials for The Republican.

Chimelis tackled tough questions and topics, demonstrating his simple, practical, every-man approach.

“Should Sox owner Tom Yawkey’s name be kept on a street outside Fenway Park in light of his racist history?” was one query. Another: “Do the likes of Pete Rose and any number of steroid users belong in the National Baseball Hall of Fame?” Both columns still can be found on Masslive.com.

“I think the media needs people who can connect readers with the story being told,” Chimelis said. “This approach allows me to explain the story in ways people can understand and feel comfortable with.”

Longtime colleague Cynthia Simison, Republican executive editor emerita, said she felt Chimelis was “richly deserving of this honor.”

“The poignancy of it being now named in honor of Garry Brown makes it even more special.”