Born on Nov. 28, 1920, in Conway, Marion Lassiter has only had brief periods away from his hometown during his lifetime, but one of the most memorable was at Barton College from 1938-42.

“It is most gratifying to be remembered for the days that meant so much to me,” said the former baseball and basketball standout who was twice named Kiwanis Male Athlete of the Year.

Lassiter was captain of the Bulldogs’ basketball team for two seasons and won the school sportsmanship award his senior year. He was also president of the “A” Club for two years before graduating with a degree in social studies.

He played semi-pro baseball during the summers in college and had a brief pro baseball stint with the Wilson Tobs of the Bi-State League. He also played basketball for several years with Conway in the Goober Belt League.

Shortly after graduating, Lassiter was inducted into the U.S. Air Force in 1942. He worked with radar, radar countermeasures and LORAN navigational equipment and served overseas in Saipan, an island in the Mariana chain.

He married Anne Holloman in April of 1946 and they have two children, Joseph and Judith.

Lassiter was a superb athlete at Barton, but around Conway, he is revered for his sense of community pride, his faith and his dedication to family.

He is a lifelong member of the Conway United Methodist Church.

He was the Conway Town Commissioner for 16 years and has been a Mason, Scottish Rite and Shriner for 50 years. Lassiter was a member of the Ruritan Club for 40 years, serving as the group’s president in 1976, when the Lassiters were named “Family of the Year.”

He has coached Little League baseball and church teams and served as a senior volunteer for the Northampton County Schools, where he helped children with special needs.

Lassiter is a man who has given of himself throughout his life. Some of his other positions included: member of the Northampton County Planning Board; chairman of the Northampton County East High School advisory committee; director of the Conway First Citizens Bank; director of the Roanoke-Chowan Hospital; and director and chairman of the Roanoke-Chowan Hospice Board.

Although it appears his life has been spent volunteering his services in so many ways, Lassiter’s business center included 10 years as manager of an International Harvester dealership and 33 years as Northeastern N.C. Territorial Manager for ESTECH, Inc., a division of Swift & Co.

“I am just thrilled to have been chosen to be a member of the Barton College Athletic Hall of Fame,” Lassiter said. “It’s a great honor.”