Kids & Family
The Mystery Man at Miller Park is a Hamilton Grad
The Mystery Man at Miller Park is Hamilton High School graduate, Chad McLaughlin. Patch caught up with him Tuesday to see what it's been like in the limelight.
We now know that the Mystery Man at Miller Park was local Hamilton High School graduate Chad McLaughlin.
Patch spent the day attempting to track him down, but the teacher-to-be was busy cleaning Lannon Elementary School at his summer job.
Social media has been buzzing about the man who went out of his way to get a little boy a ball during a double-date at a Milwaukee Brewers game at Miller Park. Wisconsin sports fan Sarah Kooiman wrote a blog about McLaughlin's heartwarming deed, which went viral on social media overnight. Just look at the endless list of comments pouring in from around Brewers nation.
“I honestly thought we would would get a ball. I kept saying, 'I will will get you a ball,' but each time we missed one he got sadder and sadder. I thought, 'I really have to go buy him a ball to make him feel better,'” McLaughlin said.
And sure enough, it brightened the little boy's day. McLaughlin pulled out a Brewers souvenir ball at the end of the game, since he promised the little boy he would get him one.
- "All I know is that you still tried like crazy to get him a game ball, knowing that you had a secret backup plan in place to make my son, a complete stranger to you, feel like a million bucks," Kooiman wrote in her blog entry.
“I did not expect that. I didn’t even expect his mother to blog about it," McLaughlin said. “I haven’t really experienced the buzz yet."
Before Patch caught up with McLaughlin, Patch readers were already singing high praise for the modest man from Colgate.
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The Milwaukee Brewers have even extended a letter of gratitude to McLaughlin, and they want to bring him and Kooiman back to a game and reward this great story.
"Milwaukee is a close community and a lot of 'friends of friends' as we all know–somehow this message will find you both. We hope to make another special memory for you and your family," the open letter from the Brewers stated.
McLaughlin has just over a year left before he becomes a secondary education teacher. He was inspired to become a teacher back at Templeton Middle School in Sussex.
"Impacting kids is one reason, but the enjoyment of being in school is another. I had a great teacher at Templeton Middle School, Allen Schneider, and I always wanted to do what he did," McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin attended the game with his girlfriend of two years. He gives her a lot of credit for becoming the man he is today.
"I've read all the comments and they say that my girlfriend is lucky to have a guy like me. It's the opposite. I'm lucky to have her. She's the reason I am the man I am today," McLaughlin said.
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