Over 500 people gathered for the field dedication at the newly christened Marshall Rau baseball field recently, with residents converging from Lower Macungie and some traveling from as far as St. Louis, Mo. or Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for the event.

"Where did all these people come from?" Marshall E. Rau asked.

The field dedication marked the culmination of Marshall's 40-year tenure with Citizen's Fire Co. #2, alternately as an outfield player, active firefighter, board of trustees member and most notably, baseball coach of the Citizen's Fire Co. #2 B league and junior league teams. During Marshall's tenure coaching B league, the team maintained a fierce rivalry with the Catholic War Vets.

"Everybody wanted to be [Citizen's Fire Co.] #2 or the Catholic War Vets," Mayor Winfield "Winnie" Iobst said. "And when those two got together, let me tell you, there was action here. And the words that came out of some of those people's mouths were not in Webster's Dictionary, either."

Marshall Rau began his coaching career in 1974 and enjoyed the privilege of coaching all three of his sons in their youth, often emulating famed left-handed pitcher Sandy Koufax during practice sessions.

"I think he tried to tie my right hand behind my back so I'd be a leftie," middle son Douglas Rau said.

Marshall Rau's youngest son Steve Rau recalled, "It was a lot of practice outside, broken windows in the house and out in the yard."

Marshall Rau's coaching extended beyond his B league roster. He would invite the younger siblings of players to team practices, working with sister and brothers of teammates, which would often inspire children to join the team when they came of age.

During league games, Marshall Rau would yell incentives to players from the dugout, tantalizing players with promises of ice cream from Dino's.

"When we would win, my Dad had a pick-up truck and you got 14, 15 kids [that] jumped in the back of the bed," Doug Rau recounts. "Back then you didn't have the laws or nothing and we're going down Broad Street with 15 kids in the back of the truck screaming and carrying on and what happened was it got to be a ritual."

Marshall Rau was particularly adept connecting with his B league and Little League players, many of whom were at an age where youthful indiscretion mingles with reckless abandon.

"There were a few that, maybe, on another team were probably uncoachable," Doug Rau said. "He approached them differently and got results out of them."

"We were bad kids that turned into really good players," remembers Blake Waterman, who played with Citizen's Fire Co. #2 in 1975. "He [Marshall Rau] never tried to make something out of you that you weren't. He just taught you to use what you had."

Additionally, Marshall Rau organized and coached the Biddy division travelling team for the Emmaus Youth Association, served as an assistant junior varsity coach for Emmaus High School and was an assistant coach for both Muhlenberg College and the Emmaus Senior Legion.

"It's hard for me to describe what he did for Emmaus. Most small towns could only hope to have a man like Marshall [Rau] do what he did for Emmaus Little League baseball and the town of Emmaus for all these years," Waterman said.

As Marshall Rau sat before the mob of family members, former players, grateful parents and general well-wishers at the field that now bears his name, he was (nearly) at a loss for words.

"I want to thank everyone who showed up here today. This has been a great, great honor. I can't believe it, I really can't."