Like many of the young ballplayers at Partin
Park, Kirk Little imagined a future as a
professional baseball player. But unlike the
other boys his age, playing pro ball would
just be following in his father’s footsteps. In
1955, Elmer Clyde “Ace” Little had signed a
Professional Baseball Contract with the Cincinnati Reds. “This was
before the big million-dollar contracts. My dad got $5,000 and a
new car,” he said with a smile.
When Kirk was awarded a baseball scholarship at South
Georgia State College in Douglas, Georgia, his hopes of playing pro
ball seemed right on target. But by the end of his second year of
college, he was certain of only two things: “I was not going to play
pro ball, and I needed to decide on a major.”
One college course in particular helped direct him in that
decision. “The class was taught by Dr. Cunningham,” said Kirk.
“As part of the class, we got to do field observation with kids with
behavior disorders and graph the behavior problems. Then, we
wrote a course of action on how that behavior could be changed. I
HOMETOWN L I V ING AT ITS BEST 49
Inheriting his
father's wisdom and
his grandfather's
love of the farm,
Kirk Little found
a way to balance
commitment and
hard work with
something he loves
to do.