When Clarence Bowlin was asked to take over as president of the Natchez Dixie Youth baseball program in 1956, he never could have imagined he would be in that position for 50 years.

To Bowlin, it was just all about helping the children.

“I always felt that Dixie Youth was a program that taught more than baseball,” Bowlin said. “It teaches leadership to kids and how to be a part of a team. It felt worthwhile for me to stay with it.”

And stay with it he did. Bowlin was president of the league until two years ago and has also served on the Dixie Youth national board of directors for 38 years.

It’s Bowlin’s contributions to the area’s youth through his leadership that makes him The Natchez Democrat’s 2009 Citizen of the Year.

While many leagues put a premium on All-Star teams and how many World Series championships they can win, Bowlin never was about that.

It was about every child that signed up to play having a great time and learning the game.

“I never thought that playing tournament ball or All-Stars were important,” Bowlin said. “I thought it was important for all kids who wanted to play baseball in Natchez to be able to have the same opportunities. I always thought the kid that couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time had the same right to play as the outstanding athlete.”

Cathedral baseball and football coach Craig Beesley, who played Dixie Youth baseball as a child and now coaches his 11-year-old son Andrew in the league, said that Bowlin represented what youth sports is supposed to be about.

“He is a man that didn’t look at the athletic ability of the kids, he wanted to treat everyone the same,” Beesley said. “Whether they were stars or average players, everyone was treated the same. And that’s what Dixie Youth baseball is about. Some kids are going to be better than others, but in Dixie Youth baseball, everyone should be treated evenly. And that’s the main thing Mr. Bowlin always did.”

And it’s that kind of sentiment that the current Natchez Dixie Youth board of directors tries to emulate.

“One thing you can always say about Clarence Bowlin is that he always has the kids’ best interest at heart,” board of directors’ member Joe Eidt said. “When he made a decision, it was based on the whole league, not just one person. We continue to try and emulate him with every decision we make.”

And Bowlin hasn’t just made a difference in the lives of local kids. Through his work with the national board of directors, children across the Southeast have felt his reach.

“He was instrumental in creating the Dixie Youth scholarship fund, which annually provides a sizeable scholarship to kids throughout the South,” Eidt said. “He was one of the big supporters and innovators who established that.”

The scholarship fund is just one more example of Bowlin looking out for all children and not just the most talented few.

“He’s always looking to reward the kids and take care of them,” Eidt said. “He made sure they had the best equipment possible at a low cost.”

Even though Bowlin is retired from his position with Natchez Dixie Youth, he still is active in the community.

He is a member of the Lions Club, spends his days working at Sports Center and is a staunch supporter of a youth sports complex in Natchez.

And Bowlin has a simple solution for the lack of recreation facilities on Natchez.

“Just build something,” Bowlin said. “I’ve heard all this talk about an $8 to $10 million facility, but just build something for the kids to play on.”

Bowlin said the city needs adult softball fields and soccer fields the most, and is losing money by not having those facilities.

“Do you have any idea how much money we lose by not having adult softball and soccer fields?” Bowlin said. “People come from all over to play in tournaments and we don’t have anything for them to play on.

“Look at Vidalia. They don’t have a state-of-the-art facility, but they have something they can host tournaments on, and they do have at least one every month.

“Just quit talking about it and build something.”

Bowlin might have retired from his position as president, but his legacy continues.

“I didn’t always agree with him and haven’t always supported his decisions, but I guarantee I respected his decisions,” Eidt said. “I hope that we as a board can provide that same type of leadership as we run the league.”

And Bowlin has full confidence in that.

“We’ve got a good bunch of people running the Dixie Youth program now,” Bowlin said. “They really do try to help the kids of Natchez.”

And all they had to do was pay attention for the last 50 years to see how to do it right.