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0015Description
Ben Cheney played a significant role in baseball in Tacoma. The Montana native moved to Tacoma in 1924 to attend Knapp College of Business and founded Cheney Lumber Company in 1936, establishing mills in Tacoma and Medford, Oregon. Cheney’s legacy in the lumber business came in the late 1930s as he standardized the size of wall studs at 8 feet long by 2 inches thick and 4 inches wide, commonly known as a 2-by-4.
Cheney’s legacy in athletics bears his name, Cheney Stadium. He contributed $100,000 to cover construction overruns of the stadium, which opened in 1960 for the arrival of the Tacoma Giants, the AAA-affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. A life-size bronze statue of Cheney sits in a front row seat in the grandstand of Cheney Stadium, the home of the Tacoma Rainiers, the AAA-affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. Cheney’s involvement in sports in Tacoma went beyond the baseball stadium. Cheney reportedly financially backed 230 amateur sports teams that included more than 5,000 players. His best-known teams were the Cheney Studs baseball squad.Lexicon
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