Bearson Memorial Courts Will be Dedicated Saturday

(KNSI) – This weekend is the official dedication of the Tom Bearson Memorial Basketball Courts in Sartell.

A short ceremony is scheduled at Pinecone Central Park at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Foundation President Greg Bearson says games have been played at the site for a while, but some final amenities have just been added.

He says, “We were able to complete three basketball courts, I think it was early summer of last year, but we’re actually finalizing everything here with what we call a gathering space/seating area that’s adjacent to the basketball courts.”

City officials will be there to mark the occasion. Bearson says the courts are made up of tiles that can handle weather and the change of seasons. City staff will take them each winter and then lay them again once spring comes.

Bearson says the organization his family started after their son was murdered during his freshman year of college has led to a half-million dollars raised and a fitting legacy for Tom. Greg says the courts at Pinecone Central Park are the capstone project for the foundation but not the only one he is proud of.

Bearson says, “We refurbished the St. Francis Xavier gym. That was kind of a labor of love because Tom attended St. Francis. My wife, Debbie, she still works at St. Francis. To have been able to refurbish that gym and make it so much nicer than it ever was…That was really a project [that] meant a lot to us as well.”

Tom was a huge basketball fan and a standout high school player. He was killed just weeks after arriving on campus at North Dakota State University. No one has ever been arrested related to the crime.

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