(Nov. 15, 1914 – Sep. 20, 2002) Athlete…sports official…organizer…journalist. The tags all fit when applied to Salem’s own Orland “Al” Lightner.

Born in Colorado, he attended grade and high school in Stockton, California and later attended Compton Junior College where he captained the baseball team which competed against major league great Jackie Robinson.

He signed with the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League in 1938 and later played at Bellingham before coming to Salem in 1940 as a member of the first Salem Senator’s team. He’s lived in Salem ever since.

In the last 47 years, Al Lightner’s contributions to sports have been many. He started junior baseball programs and coached in youth leagues. But perhaps his biggest contribution as a participant was as a referee in football for 30 years and in basketball for 25 years. In basketball he was rated the No. 1 major college official on the West Coast; more than 20 years participating in 11 NCAA regional and four “Final Four” tournaments.

Lightner was as Oregon horse racing official for 30 years and sports editor of the Salem Statesman newspaper for 34 years.

Inducted into the NAIA District Hall of Fame in 1976 and the Stockton, California Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982, he joins the State of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame tonight by receiving the Marion J. Pericin Award for Special Contribution to Sports.