[Melissa]

My mom called to tell me a little bit ago. It's odd because I'd actually been thinking about him recently. In my small town, he ran a summer recreation program on weekdays all summer long. Kids of all ages would gather at the park - there was a playground, softball field, concession stand... Gave you somewhere to go, things to do.

Here's what someone wrote in his guestbook on his obituary:

Every summer, I looked forward to attending his summer recreation program each day. I have fond memories of paddleball, box washers and the Major League Softball Tournament every Thursday -- he let the littlest kids have more strikes than 3, and then suddenly, if they still had trouble, you'd hear his booming voice: "Ball 4, take your base!" He taught us sportmanship, fair play, generousity, volunteerism, work ethic and good citizenship. We'd compete for opportunities to work the concession stand in exchange for a free coke -- none of us ever cheated, stole or fought, and I'd say those lessons stick with all of us to this day.

I'll never forget Mr. Hagan and still hear his voice bursting out in a Dean Martin tune here and there, "Everybody loves somebody sometime ...." The world is a better place because Mr. Hagan was here.

He was such a great person.