INDUCTION YEAR: 2024
If anyone thought that they had seen the last of Mac Slover following his retirement in 2018, they were sorely mistaken. The longtime director of sports for the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities is busier than ever, continuing to build on his successes with the Miracle League of Alexandria.
“I always had a passion to put others first,” Slover said of his ongoing dedication to the Alexandria community. I was always passionate about being a champion for children and adults, especially the last 14 years with the special needs population. I have been focused on trying to provide the best opportunities for our participants to be successful in life, whether that is through social programs, sports programs, or cultural programs – I just felt I had a calling to help as much as I could to make a difference in someone’s life.”
A native of Macon, Georgia, Slover began his 30-year career with the city in 1988 when he was hired as assistant director of the Charles Houston Recreation Center. From there he held various director positions at the Charles Barrett and Cora Kelly Recreation Centers before serving as director of sports for the last 15 years.
“I was very fortunate to be able to go to Charles Houston and start there,” Slover said. “It wasn’t the best of times in that area. But I learned so much, especially from Lucky Elliott. I also learned a lot from community citizens, working and seeing people that really had to work to make a living and provide for their kids. It drew me closer to the city of Alexandria than ever before. I never had a thought of leaving once I started.”
Slover’s crowning achievement was the establishment of the Alexandria Miracle League, a baseball league for special needs children and adults, and the building of the Kelley Cares Miracle Field at the Nannie J. Lee Recreation Center.
Named for Kelley Swanson, a volunteer with the city’s therapeutic recreation department who died within weeks of graduating from T.C. Williams High School in 2005, the field was dedicated on Nov. 17, 2012, and provides a rubberized surface optimized for wheelchairs and players with special needs.
Since his retirement, Slover has continued to voluntarily serve as the Miracle League of Alexandria’s Chair and program coordinator. “It’s my baby. I love this program and seeing the smiling faces of the children and adults and the crowd cheering as they run around the bases.”
Slover’s love of sports dates back to his childhood in Macon, the city he proudly notes is home to Otis Redding and Little Richard. His mother, Dorothy, died when Slover and his older brother Mike were young. His father John remarried, expanding the family to include several step siblings. When his father also died unexpectedly, Slover was raised primarily by his stepmother.
“I grew up playing baseball in the backyard with my brother Mike,” Slover said. “You name it, I pretty much played baseball everywhere.”
Slover played baseball and football at Central Lanier High School before attending Georgia Southern University. He graduated in 1979 with a BS in Public Recreation.
“I played a lot of intermural sports there and because of my recreation studies was able to volunteer with the local community of Statesboro, Ga.,” Slover said. “It was there I learned the administrative side of recreation — how to run athletic programs, how to do ground and field work. It gave me an all-around idea of what recreation was all about.”
When Slover’s stepmother June learned of his choice of career, she asked, “What are you going to do, play for life?”
“And that’s just what I ended up doing,” Slover laughed.
Slover was a single parent when he applied for the job in Alexandria. It gave him the opportunity to return to the East Coast after a brief stint working in Texas.
“I had the pleasure of being able to work with so many great people in the city of Alexandria,” Slover said. “I always approached this as a team effort with my staff and any recognition that I get goes certainly to them.”
The idea to bring the Miracle League to Alexandria came when Slover saw a TV segment on the Miracle League in Atlanta.
“Being from Georgia, that caught my attention,” Slover recalled. “I knew this was something I wanted to get started. I met with the national Miracle League office in 2006 and conned Bill Rivers into getting involved. But the economy hit bottom so instead of trying to get the field built first, we started the league and played our first game in the dirt in April of 2011.”
The latest addition to the Miracle Field is the electronic scoreboard, which was dedicated in September of 2024. The funds for the scoreboard were donated by Mark and Sheri Jessell, a Florida couple who had seen an online video of the Miracle League of Alexandria and were looking for a way to honor the memory of their son Daniel and Sheri’s sister Loey.
MLA received a $50 donation from the Jessell family in the 2023 Spring2ACTion fundraiser. Slover corresponded with the family and invited the Jessell’s to attend the Annual National Miracle League All-Star game in 2023 which was being held in West Palm Beach, not far from their home.
“Experiencing that event and seeing the passion and compassion of Mac and other volunteers, the enthusiastic support and cheering of parents, friends and relatives, and the players’ pure joy was extremely moving. We were hooked,” Mark Jessell said.
Added Slover, “In 2012, we had a Miracle dream come true with the construction of the Kelley Cares Miracle Field and again in 2024 another Miracle dream has come true with the installation of the scoreboard. I feel our participants and the City of Alexandria have truly been blessed by the love and kindness of people like the Jessell Family.” In addition to his work with the Miracle League
By: Jeanne Theismann
Photo Credit: Steven Halperson-Tisara Photo