OxfordPress.com

FAIRFIELD — Joe Nuxhall believed education builds strong character, said longtime friend John Dickerson.

The owner of Dickerson Distributing Co. said "The Ol' Left-hander" had no doubt that good character was the most important thing in life.

"I can remember him just about every year at the scholarship luncheon telling the scholarship winners that if there was anything he might have done differently in his life, it would have been to continue his education," Dickerson said at the annual Joe Nuxhall Memorial Scholarship luncheon Friday, May 30, at the Fairfield Community Arts Center.

Twenty-five high school seniors representing 13 Butler County schools received scholarships at the luncheon. Each winner also received a signed copy of Hal Uban's "Life's Greatest Lessons."

Nuxhall's son, Kim, who attended his first scholarship luncheon, said he was emotional because his dad, who died in November, is not here to give out these scholarships. He also said he was inspired because his dad knew these scholarships will continue. The elder Nuxhall had placed an emphasis on the scholarship program because he had wondered "what if" he wasn't a major-league baseball player.

"He realized how fortunate he was to do what he did," Kim Nuxhall said. "He realized it would have come down to education."

Nuxhall said his dad was modest in his fame, saying he never thought of himself as a celebrity. But he said being famous doesn't make someone successful, nor does having lots of money or material goods.

"You don't have to be a celebrity to go out and make a difference in the world," he said at the luncheon. "It doesn't cost anything to be kind."

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5112 or mpitman@coxohio.com.

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