Led by their CEO Joe Crookham, Musco Sports Lighting®, the “Official Sports Lighting System of Little League® Baseball and Softball” since 1992, was named the 2022 W. Howard Hartman Little League Friendship Award winner. Due to unfortunate weather during the 2022 Little League Baseball® World Series, Mr. Crookham and Musco Sports Lighting were unable to receive their award but will be honored in 2023 with an award presentation prior to the U.S. Championship game on Saturday, August 26 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
For the past 30 years under Mr. Crookham’s leadership, Musco has provided quality lighting systems guaranteed to meet Little League standards for local league fields while reducing energy use and maintenance concerns. Also serving as Little League’s lighting consultant in the area of safety and standards, Musco provides local leagues the technical assistance needed to make sports lighting project a cost-effective and long-lasting success. To help leagues with this challenge, Musco offers local league volunteers a free Project Planning Guide, complete with information to help begin planning a lighting project, and also co-sponsors Little League’s A Safety Awareness Program (ASAP).
“For three decades, Joe Crookham and Musco lighting have been committed to the Little League program, providing continuous support to our local leagues in communities around the world as well as generous donations of modern lighting solutions that enhances the experience for our players at our Region and World Series tournaments,” said Stephen D. Keener, Little League President and CEO. “On behalf of all of us at Little League, and the millions of volunteers who operate our program each year, we are pleased to honor Joe Crookham and all our friends at Musco with the 2022 W. Howard Hartman Little League Friendship Award.”
In addition to their local league support, Musco has provided lighting solutions at all five U.S. Region complexes that are used for the Little League Baseball and Softball Region Tournaments each summer. Leading into the 2022 Little League Baseball World Series, Musco also worked with Little League to retrofit the stadium lighting at iconic Howard J. Lamade Stadium to be able to produce light levels that meet both Little League and broadcast standards while minimizing glare. In addition, and BallTracker® fixtures light the underside of the aerial baseball to help players follow its path with better contrast against the dark sky.
Color-changing RGB fixtures allow staff to wash Lamade Stadium with different colors, and can be synced to music using the Show-Light+® entertainment package to create spectacular light shows in future years 🤩
Bring affordable lighting to your facility: https://t.co/ho5MuxLPez https://t.co/d58q1RcOdG
— Musco Lighting (@MuscoLighting) August 26, 2022
The W. Howard Hartman Little League Friendship Award was created in 1988 to honor W. Howard Hartman, one of Little League International’s most generous and loyal friends. The award is presented annually to an individual or organization who has demonstrated a similar relationship with Little League.
Previous Recipients:
- 1988-Ray Keyes
- 1989-Robert Yasui
- 1990-Putsee Vannucci
- 1991-Howard Baldwin
- 1992-Jack Lundy
- 1993-Bill Byham
- 1994-Gary Mayer
- 1995-John Troisi
- 1996-Mary Lib Stockwell
- 1997-Sharon Verbos
- 1998-Ed Claudius
- 1999-Terry Gramling
- 2000-Tom Dempsey
- 2001-Williamsport-Lycoming Foundation
- 2002-Alan Wells
- 2003-Peter Luppachino
- 2004-Thomas ‘Tuck’ Frazier
- 2005-Hon. William Miller
- 2006-Susquehanna Health System
- 2007-Lycoming County Law Enforcement Association
- 2008-Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce
- 2009-Fred Plankenhorn & Paul Weaver
- 2010-WRAK Radio (Williamsport, Pa.)
- 2011-Dave and Don Fowler
- 2012-Lenel Systems International, Inc.
- 2013-Steve Moff
- 2014-Federal Correctional Complex Allenwood & U.S. Penitentiary Lewisburg
- 2015-Pennsylvania State Police, Troop F
- 2016-American Honda Motor Co.
- 2017-Jim Darby, Easton Sports & Easton Foundation
- 2018-Don Goodman, Calif. District 35 Administrator
- 2019-Paul Graziano
- 2020-No Award Due to Coronavirus Pandemic
- 2021-Ken Sawyer
- 2022-Musco Sports Lighting