Life wasn't always about baseball and helping the community for
George Hall, but you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at him.
Whether it be running the snack stand or reworking the sprinkler system on one of the seven fields he maintains at the Northridge City Little League complex, Hall has been devoted to helping the little league for close to 40 years.
"My boy stopped playing around 1970 or so, and I just stuck around and I've been with the Little League ever since then," said Hall. "It's no big deal really. I've just always been around because there was always something to be done and I wanted to help."
Behind that sun-worn skin lies many tales that most have never even dreamed of.
Born on Aug. 10, 1920, in St. Paul, Minn., Hall attended the University of Minnesota for three quarters before beginning his aviation career.
Over his lifetime, Hall has flown in defense of his country in World War II, as a commercial airline pilot for Northwest Airlines and as a flying operator for Lockheed Martin, testing almost every kind of plane that came under their possession for over 30 years.
It is this love for aviation that still leads Hall to volunteer at the Travelers Aid desk at Los Angeles International Airport for four hours every Tuesday morning in the Bradley terminal. This devotion has certainly carried over into his love for the community as well.
Hall, ever so humble, insists it's no big deal and says that he does it so that the league doesn't have to waste money on little things that could be fixed by someone with a bunch of time on their hands.
"We have the cheapest rates around," Hall stated. "I'd rather do all this work than make the league raise rates on the kids. Besides, it gives me something to do when I wake up in mornings."
Since he retired from Lockheed Martin in 1983, Hall has been as hands-on as one could ask for with the little league, even following the all-star teams all the way to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
In 1994, the "Earthquake Kids" from Northridge City Little League won the United States Little League championship and Hall followed them all the way to Williamsport, where they eventually fell in the world finals to a team from Curacao.
When asked about past all-star teams, Hall has a story about most teams and can recall most players as well.
He simply loved watching the kids play and they loved having him around.
That just might be the legacy that Hall will leave behind when he finally stops volunteering at Northridge Little League, but even Hall is humble to the end.
"I don't know what kind of legacy I'll leave behind, but I just want people to know that I always just wanted to help out the kids."