This is a story about arguable the most outstanding baseball player to come out of Kashmere High, Larry Dean Washington born to David and Willie Mae Washington on September 13, 1948. Larry’s baseball foundation started at the family home with his Dad as his catcher showing him how to master certain pitches. He was an honor student-athlete and member of The National Honor Society and voted as “Most Popular Male” before graduating from Kashmere Gardens Jr. Sr High School in 1966.

In the early sixties Larry along with his cousin Willie Jones and other childhood friends audition for the prestige Ryon Sports Baseball Organization, being one of the most successful programs on the north side of Houston, audition is what you done to make that team. The friendships that were developing on that team would carry them throughout their baseball career. In steps Mr. Herman “Coach Boolah” Smith who had an eye for assessing talent, realized that this area of Fifth Ward widely known as “Hardy Street” was laced with superior baseball talents. With Larry and Eugene Fontenot “Ryon Sports” form the best right and left-hand pitchers in the city. Ryon Elementary, principal Mrs Grimsby boldly made a predicted to Kashmere’s baseball coach Henry Stevenson that this group of “Hardy Boys” would help bring him a state championship.

At Kashmere Larry would blossom into the City’s premier pitcher leading Kashmere to district championships three consecutive years. His junior year 1965 he helped secure the prediction of Mrs Grimsby as the Ram’s would bring home the state title. Larry pitched and won two of the three games against Waco Moore High School, striking out 26 batters in 14 innings all in one day claiming the state title for the Rams. His accolades include three-time All District, Two-Time All- City as well all Two-Time All-State. He would help them to the state runner up his senior season therefore leaving Kashmere as the most decorated baseball player in school history.   Because of his academic strength and his parent’s vision of pursuing his secondary education the decision for pro baseball at that time wasn’t an option, turning down an offer to join the Houston Astros therefore accepting an athletic scholarship to Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana?  After longtime friend James Jackson made his decision to play football at Prairie View instead of baseball at Southern, for the first time Larry would enter a phrase of his life without any of those childhood friends as the Ryon Sports era came to an end.

After one season at Southern University Larry had to withdraw because of illness. After returning home Larry met and married the late Barbara Barefield Washington on March 14, 1969 and to that union was two daughters Latisha and Yolanda. He was blessed with eleven grandchildren and one great-grandchild, a very supportive and dear sister Doris Washington-Hughes. Larry departed this earthly life on May 20, 2013, possibility remembered as “The Greatest of All Time” when speaking of Kashmere Baseball. The picture below is from the State Championship Celebration in 1965 with Mrs Grimsby and “The Hardy Boys” Jordan, Washington, Bell, Mrs Grimsby, Miller, Jackson, Martin, Jones and not pictured  Johnson.