Three of Vernon Zmolek’s 11 grandchildren including Josh, Bryce, and Hunter Dostal – sons of Anita and Marty Dostal – smile proudly last Saturday while standing alongside the Redhawks baseball visiting team dugout at J.L. Lister Field which was painted by muralist Dan Hatala in memory of their grandfather Vernon, a North Tama 1965 graduate and longtime Redhawks baseball fan. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANITA DOSTAL

TRAER – What was once a couple of flat red walls at J.L. Lister Field now has a little more flair thanks to longtime Redhawks baseball and softball fan, the late Vernon Zmolek.

“We were throwing around ideas on how to use my dad’s memorial money and of all the ideas we kept coming back to the [baseball] fields,” Anita Dostal – one of Vernon’s four children – told the Telegraph in a text-based interview.

Zmolek, who passed away in April of 2022, was a North Tama High School Class of 1965 graduate who spent much of his adult years cheering on and supporting his children Cory Zmolek, Anita (Zmolek) Dostal, Heidi (Zmolek) Strouth, and Maria Zmolek, and later his grandchildren – including current Redhawk baseball varsity player Josh Dostal – as they competed on the Redhawk ball fields east of Traer.

“When we played ball you could either find him leaning on the fence visiting with other parents or standing between the fields trying to catch both games,” Anita said before later adding, “My dad loved watching us play ball and continued watching the Redhawks even after we all graduated.”

One of the reasons Zmolek was able to be such a proud fixture at the ball fields was because of where he worked – Manatt Concrete, now Manatt’s Inc. – which has a location just west of the North Tama Athletic Complex. According to Zmolek’s obituary, he worked for the company for many years and enjoyed doing so even after hours.

Redhawk baseball’s home team dugout at J.L. Lister Field, part of the North Tama Athletic Complex located east of Traer. Both baseball dugouts were painted recently by muralist Dan Hatala in memory of Vernon Zmolek who passed away in 2022. PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON

“Even after his stroke he still spent a lot of time out there either [ferrying] kids on the golf cart to practice, picking up loose balls, or just checking things out.”

The current baseball dugouts were donated in 2009 by the Vesely family in memory of both Kent Vesely – a North Tama High School student who died suddenly in 1965 between his freshman and sophomore years – and his parents, the late Marlys and Johnny Vesely. All three were avid North Tama sports fans like Zmolek. Kent’s parents utilized memorial money from Kent’s passing to originally fund the home team dugout.

Zmolek was involved in the effort to update the dugouts using Vesely memorial funds. Creating murals on the back of those dugouts just seemed like a perfect fit, Anita said — one perhaps as natural as a catcher’s favorite glove.

“The murals were partially funded with his memorial money and then my mom [Judy Zmolek] covered the rest.”

Anita contacted artist Dan Hatala with Hatala Illustration for help with the baseball themed murals after learning of his work through the Jack and the Beanstalk mural which was painted last fall on a downtown Traer building as part of the town’s Sesquicentennial celebrations.

PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON

“I looked [Dan] up and [learned] he also loved baseball,” Anita explained.

The home team dugout features a baseball player at bat with an American flag background, while the visiting team dugout includes a dynamic image of a baseball flying through the air on a black background with the words ‘Redhawks Baseball’ firmly painted across the canvas.

“He loved working in Traer and the surrounding communities,” Anita said of her dad. “He was always willing to help out.”

As best as Anita can remember, she said her dad never missed a single game while his children were playing, a testament to his dedication as both a Redhawk fan but more importantly as a devoted dad.

“He might have come late wearing his work clothes,” Anita added, “but he was always there.”

Redhawk baseball’s visiting team dugout at J.L. Lister Field, part of the North Tama Athletic Complex located east of Traer. The dugout along with the visiting team’s dugout was painted recently by muralist Dan Hatala in memory of Vernon Zmolek who passed away in 2022. PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON

Vernon John Zmolek was born March 7, 1947. After graduating from North Tama High School in 1965, he went on to serve his country in the United States Army. On October 3, 1970, he married Judy Hulme. According to his obituary, he enjoyed the Iowa Hawkeyes and attending his four children and later his grandchildren’s sporting events.

Zmolek died peacefully at the age of 75 on April 11, 2022. His dugout murals are now on display for everyone to enjoy – baseball fan or otherwise – at J.L. Lister Field located at the North Tama Athletic Complex just east of town along Hwy 8.

Vernon Zmolek, left, pictured watching baseball from his favorite spot in later years at J.L. Lister Field. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANITA DOSTAL