Upon hearing the sad news Frank Sullivan died Monday, veteran sportscaster Bob Lobel and longtime broadcaster Ken Cail both referred to their former WGIR radio colleague as “Mr. Manchester.”

“Frank was Manchester, New Hampshire,” said Lobel. “He was just a great guy who had a passion for local sports. I feel badly about this because he was a good friend.”

Cail, who has been in the radio business for 40 years and currently is the play-by-play broadcaster for the Manchester Monarchs, said “Frank was the best radio partner I've ever had. We had a great working relationship and I will miss him. He was a great friend, dad and teacher.”

Sullivan, a graduate of the former Bishop Bradley High and St. Anselm College, taught English, including a sportswriting class at Manchester Memorial for nearly 40 years, retiring in 1999. He loved horse racing, was active in the theater and drama program at Memorial and worked part-time covering local sports for nearly 20 years at WGIR.

Lobel and Sullivan co-hosted the “WGIR Sportsline” show for four years (1974-77). “Along with the show we worked many high school football and basketball games. Frank was just a great guy who always came to work with a positive attitude,” said Lobel.

When Lobel left Manchester to accept a job in Boston, Mass. for WBZ radio, Cail was working for WTIC in Hartford, Conn., when he received a call from WGIR owner Norman Knight (founder of Knight Quality Stations) who offered him Lobel's job.

“I had known about Frank when my dad was part-owner of the Manchester Yankees (Double-A Eastern League, 1969-71),” said Cail. “Frank, in association with the team, was raising money for school programs through a fund-raiser called 'Dollars for Scholars.' Around that time, he and his brother, Joe, hosted a radio sports show called 'Mrs. Sullivan's Boys,' which I later found out was the very first sports radio talk show in New Hampshire. Before signing off every night, they'd always say good night to their mother.”

Cail started working at WGIR in October of 1977 and teamed up with Sullivan, who had remained as host of “WGIR Sportsline” after Lobel departed to WBZ.

“Frank and I covered just about everything from the Queen City Invitational Basketball Tournament, NHIAA hockey, the Class L basketball and baseball tournaments and the very first Turkey Bowl (Thanksgiving Day football city championship) in 1981,” said Cail. “I owe a lot to Frank. When I came to town, he made my transition from Hartford easier by introducing me to everyone. When it came down to preparation, no one was more prepared for a game than Frank. He did his homework before we went on the air.”

Cail said Sullivan enjoyed his free time at Rockingham Park and was a devoted Red Sox fan. “He even convinced me to run for a state representative seat and I served one term,” said Cail. “Frank served three terms, but we couldn't pass a vote to get slot machines legally in the state.”

Cail said when he applied for the Monarchs' job in 2001, “I submitted tapes of high school hockey games that I worked with Frank at WGIR to (former Monarchs' President) Jeff Eisenberg. So Frank played a big part in my life in many ways.”

State Senator Lou D'Allesandro, a lifelong friend, said Sullivan was the “King of the Queen City. He had a great wit, smile and just reached out to people in a positive way. My condolences go out to the entire Sullivan family.”

Hours before Sullivan died, his brother-in-law, Gary Simpson, presented him with a Manchester Babe Ruth League hat with the letters' 'LC' stitched on the side. This year the league is honoring Luke Capistran, who died of cancer at the age of 16 last year. Capistran, who played in the league, was Sullivan's grandson.

“I went to Indian Head Athletics the same day Frank died and (owner) Don York quickly produced a new hat with Luke's initials stitched on it,” said Simpson. As Sullivan tried the hat on, Simpson said “he asked me how he looked. I told him he looked great. He smiled back and said I made his day bringing the hat to him. He died a few hours later.“

Memorial donations may be made to the Manchester Memorial High School Faculty Scholarship Fund, One Crusader Way, Manchester, NH 03103.

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Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of the Youngsville Baseball League. The league is hosting a picnic party, which includes free hot dogs and a drink for kids. The league will also stage a kickball game, wiffle ball game and a softball game.

Garde Burgess, a former president of the league, has been associated with Youngsville for over a decade.

“I came aboard in 1999,” said Burgess. “I brought a 10-year-old Jimmy Fund team from Raymond to a tournament in Youngsville in 1998 and became fascinated by the 70-foot baseball game on the major league field. My son liked it as well and we came to Youngsville the next year.”

Burgess served as coach and manager, taking an all-star team to Cooperstown (N.Y.) Dreams Park four years in a row for one of their tournament weeks. He was voted to the Youngsville board in 2001 and became the president in 2008.

“We have many of the same problems the other leagues endure, but what has kept this organization going all these years is the dedication of several people throughout its history,” said Burgess. “They passed on the ideals to the new people and always found one or two who would stay with the organization long after their own children had left.”

John Habib is a staff sports reporter. Email him at jhabib@unionleader.com.