Council Honors Albany Little League Leader Rex Higginbotham

Albany resident Rex Higginbotham, a long-time champion for youth sports in the city and board member of the Albany Little League, was honored with a proclamation at the Albany City Council meeting Monday night.

The measure followed Higginbotham's recent announcement that he is retiring from the Little League board after 18 years.


Among the achievements noted in the proclamation are the success in working with UC Berkeley in preserving quality playing fields at University Village, improvements in the youth baseball program and his leadership of the organization "Albany Kids First."

After the proclamation was read by Mayor Peggy Thomsen, Higginbotham offered a brief look back at his work with past City Councils and the challenges of maintaining the Little League program.

"I'd like to thank you," he said in conclusion. "It's been a great organization to work for, and the Albany City Council has always been really out there for kids."

The volunteer-run Albany Little League began with four teams in 1956 and now has 58 teams as of this year.

Below is the text of the proclamation:

Proclamation in Honor of Rex Higginbotham

WHEREAS, Rex Higginbotham recently announced his retirement from the Albany Little League Board; and

WHEREAS, Rex has served on the Albany Little League Board for 18 years, and has been involved with Albany Little League for over 20 years; and

WHEREAS, Rex has been a resident of the City of Albany for 36 years; and

WHEREAS, one of Rex’s many accolades while serving on the Albany Little League Board is the collaboration he helped foster with the University of California to ensure dedicated space for playing fields within University Village; and 

WHEREAS, as a result of Rex’s commitment to Albany Little League, significant improvements have been made to the Albany Little League baseball program, including improvements to old fields and development of new fields for all youth sports; and

WHEREAS, Rex has served as President of “Albany Kids First,” an organization developed to identify and support City Council and Board of Education candidates committed to supporting youth recreation and cultural enrichment in Albany; and

WHEREAS, as a result of Rex’s dedication, children within the City of Albany have access to quality playing fields for all youth sports.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Albany City Council hereby wishes to express its gratitude and appreciation to Rex Higginbotham for his stewardship and service to the City of Albany.

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