One hundred years in the making
Jun. 1—LOCKPORT — Time flew by for Roy Kinyon.
Turning 100 years old on Tuesday, the centurion looked back at a lifetime of hard work and a passion for sports in an interview at his home.
"Always keeping busy," Kinyon said — he was an avid swimmer until about a half-year ago and still does his own gardening — he talked about different games he played of baseball and basketball, as well as family and other stories.
In 1942 he was spotted by a representative for the Bison Bills while playing semi-pro baseball at Krull Park in Olcott, and was asked to try out for the next season. By that time, though, World War II was escalating and Kinyon knew everyone would be called into the conflict. He enlisted into the U.S. Navy in November of that year.
Kinyon was sent to the Pacific and said he vividly remembered the day when U.S. forces took Iwo Jima. On Feb. 23, 1945, he saw the American flag raised over Iwo Jima and all the boats circling around the island suddenly started blaring their horns.
"It sent chills down my spine!" he said more than 70 years later.
During his time in the Armed Forces, Kinyon learned how to repair boat engines. In 1943, during leave, he watched the Navy baseball league, particularly the Base Commanders. He heard from someone else that they only accepted pro players, but Kinyon had other ideas in mind.
"I said, 'Chief," Kinyon said. "I watched the boys bat. I can hit as good as them."
Kinyon was let on the team, but for the first time in his life, he was on the bench. Still, Kinyon was happy to be there to see professional players really play.
By the third game he wondered if he'd ever play, but was called on to pinch-hit and rallied the team after hitting a single. When the batting roster got around to Kinyon, he hit again. They won the game!
After that Kinyon was playing regularly around Florida against other military teams.
Kinyon described another experience, an exhibition in which a Black man ran the bases.
"His left foot would touch every base," Kinyon remembered. "He did it three times and when he got done, everybody stood up and clapped."
This was before the integration of baseball and it was very rare for a Black man to participate, as well as praised for the sportsmanship he showed.
After the war, Kinyon returned home and continued to play baseball for a while, but broke his leg in 1946. While in the hospital, he met Theresa Balling who he'd later marry.
"They sent me up to Buffalo General and I was there three months," he said. "Back then they had 50 gals being nurses and this one nurse would come and give me shots, and they never hurt."
"I said to myself, 'I bet you I marry that girl'," he said.
Kinyon said he didn't know this girl's name, but they started talking and soon she started coming in on weekends with pies for him. Later after he'd healed, he started picking her and her family up for church.
"I made my points," he said. "Then we set a date for our wedding."
Kinyon couldn't play baseball anymore, there was story in the paper about how he'd broken his leg, but he continued his life in Lockport after getting married and had a daughter and three sons. He coached them in baseball in Lockport Little League and basketball at the YMCA. He even taught them to bowl.
Kinyon also worked at the Harrison Radiator on Walnut Street for 35 years.
As to his secret? Kinyon credits it to eating healthy and good genes from his mother who lived until she was 98. Roy reads the paper, watches the news on TV, and plays cards with his sons almost daily.
He's an absolute fanatic about baseball.
Kinyon will watch two different games at the same time on two different TV's during baseball season, one for the Yankees, another for the Mets, as well as keep the local radio station on to hear the Yankees commentary. He celebrated among friends and family on Sunday.
