Kincaid Field
Sgt. Kent D. Kincaid was a 13-year veteran of the Houston Police Department. He was 40 years old when he was driving his personal vehicle while off-duty with his wife, Nancy. People in a passing car seemingly threw something that shattered his windshield. He pursued the vehicle and pulled the car over. When he walked up to the vehicle and identified himself as a police officer, he was shot and killed. His end of watch was May 23rd, 1998. (People can go online to find out the full details of the case.)
Classmates and friends of Kent’s got together and requested that the baseball field Kent played on during his youth be named in remembrance of and in his honor. I wanted everyone to know this bit of history so that in years to come, Stockton remembers the reason for the name.
Kent grew up in Stockton and graduated from Stockton High School in 1975. I remember he loved his cars and played a lot of baseball. He was my classmate, my senior prom date, and my graduation partner.
My memories of Kent began when my family moved to Stockton during my grade school years. Plus, he lived next door to one of my best friends, Karen Sanders. And anyone who knew Karen knew there was always some type of fun (or trouble) brewing whenever a few of us got together! Such glorious memories! Who remembers “Kick the Can,” jumping on the trampoline, and sleepovers?
I admit to having a crush on Kent during our junior high years, but for most of high school, Kent and I had just a few classes together, and our paths rarely crossed, often due to our differing interests in sports, organizations, etc.
However, I do remember quite vividly the day he asked me to my senior prom. Of course, it was fitting that he asked me down at the Rooks County Fairgrounds, where there used to be a baseball field located on the grandstand infield, and a bunch of us were there one early spring evening watching the boys play ball.
I don't remember for sure when Kent and I made our pact to walk in together at our high school graduation, but I think it was after our eighth-grade graduation. Anyway, at the beginning of our senior year, our sponsor, Mr. Sheffer, was making plans for our graduation. One day during English class, he announced he was making a list of who we wanted to walk in with. I didn’t even have time to raise my hand when he looked at me and said, “Miss Laska, Mr. Kincaid has already told me you two are walking in together.”
So whenever you are down at Kincaid Field watching your kids or grandkids play ball, remember a young boy with brown hair, a sweet smile, and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes who once ran those same bases during his youth and served honorably as a police officer for many years.
(Correct me if I am wrong, but was the baseball field at the Fairgrounds dedicated to our WWII veterans? I don’t think many people remember there was even a baseball field there, and that is why I want to make sure no one forgets the history of Kincaid Field.)
