C. Bruce Alger - President & General Manager
C. Bruce Alger was awarded the positions of President/General Manager of New Market Rebels Baseball, Inc. for the second time on July 4, 2001. He led the Rebels to a Valley Baseball League Championship in 2002 and during his first term as President/General Manager he led the organization to a runner-up finish in 1981.
Bruce has been a member of the Rebels organization since 1965 and has served in every available position within the organization during that time. He is entering his 53rd year supporting the Rebels organization and the Valley Baseball League. He has also served as the “Voice of the Rebels” for over 45 years and has been behind the microphone for over 950 Rebel home games. He will continue in that capacity again this year.
Bruce divides his time as evenly as possible throughout the community. He is a member of the New Market Chamber of Commerce and is a past recipient of the Chamber of Commerce President’s Award for Outstanding Community Service in 2002. The New Market Chamber of Commerce also honored and awarded Bruce as the recipient of their Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 2009. The New Market Shockers of the Rockingham County Baseball League presented Bruce with a Bobby Strickler Honorary Award for outstanding dedication to the game of baseball in 2016.
Bruce has served as a council member and past Council President for Reformation Lutheran Church in New Market where he is a baptized lifetime member. He currently serves the church as an Assisting Minister and as Chairperson of the Worship, Music and The Arts Committee. He also serves as a member of the Finance, Mutual Ministry and Crisis committees. Bruce is a member of the New Market Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie No. 4264, the New Market Rotary Club where in July of 2018 he was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow for outstanding community service, and the New Market Historical Society. He currently serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the New Market Community Center and represents the Town of New Market on the Shenandoah County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board as well as the Shenandoah County Parks and Recreation Executive Committee and the Shenandoah County Historical Society Board of Directors, where he is a lifetime member. He also serves the Town of New Market on the Our Town Development Committee and the New Market Economic Development Committee. Bruce currently holds the position of Vice President of the Stonewall Jackson Alumni Association Board where he was a graduate in the Class of 1971.
Bruce has served on the Valley Baseball League Board of Directors for over 25 years and served over 12 years of that span as the VBL’s Executive Vice President. In July of 2017 Bruce was elected Commissioner/President of the Valley Baseball League which also seated him on the Board of Directors of the NACSB, (the National Alliance of Summer Collegiate Baseball). In his duties as Commissioner/President he presides over the Bylaws and Operating Policies and Procedures, Umpire, Nominating, Expansion/Extraction, Hall of Fame, Major League Baseball Grant Proposal and Executive Committees. Bruce is also a member in good standing of the ABCA, (American Baseball Coaches Association) and the Grandstand Managers Club which is a support group of New Market Rebels Baseball, Inc.
In the past Bruce has also served on the New Market Fire Department Financial Control Board, where in 2006 he received a Certificate of Appreciation for community service, the New Market Jaycees and the Town of New Market Parks and Recreation Committee. For many years Bruce voluntarily offered his services as a volunteer coach for the Shenandoah County Parks and Recreation Department’s youth basketball program as well as the Mt. Jackson/New Market Little League, Senior League and All-Star programs.
Bruce resides in Market and lives adjacent to Rebel Park, his “Field of Dreams”, which a writer for the Washington Post has described as “one of the world’s most breathtaking sports facilities”.
Bruce and the entire New Market Rebel staff, listed below, are committed to serving the beautiful, historic Town of New Market and the surrounding community by working year round to provide outstanding collegiate baseball players, from across the United States and beyond, the opportunity to showcase their talents and skills to Major League Baseball and area fans.
“We cordially invite you to join us at Rebel Park throughout the summer. We promise you an exciting, fun-filled family oriented night of baseball each time you visit us. If you’re a regular we’ll look for you in your usual seat, if you’re a stranger, you won’t be for long as you join in and share, with our Rebel baseball family, the experiences of making new friendships and relationships that will last a lifetime while enjoying collegiate summer baseball at its finest”.
Mike Jones - Executive Vice President
Mike Jones is member of the Rebels’ Board of Directors. He has been married to his wife Ann for 24 years and they have three children together. He graduated from Bridgewater College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Management. He was a 1988 graduate of Stonewall Jackson High School. He currently works as the Owner/Manager of Mt. Jackson Farm Service.
Mike is also heavily involved in many community organizations. He works with Economic Development Authority of the Town of Mount Jackson, is a member of the Forestville-Quicksburg Ruritans Club, a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 4264, volunteers with the Lawrence L. Lucas Foundation, volunteers with the Mt. Jackson Cemetery Association, is a member of the Shenandoah County Career and Technical Education Committee, is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans – Captain Jack Adams Camp 1951 and is a member of the St. Luke Brethren Church.
Joanne T. Burns - Secretary
Joanne T. Burns is the New Market Rebels' Board of Directors' Secretary and Host Family Coordinator. The Rebels "bug" bit Joanne in June 2010 when a Rebel host family friend, Richard Torovsky and her fellow New Market Rotary member asked her to consider hosting a Rebel player. With her "why not" spirit, Joanne became a Host Family to Rebels' Catcher, Caleb Long from Bluefield, Va. When Caleb was injured and sent home, Joanne experienced the "empty nest" syndrome and gladly hosted another player in her newly built home. At the end of the 2010 Rebels' season, Joanne went into Rebels' "withdrawal" realizing she had to wait 9 1/2 more months to host a player. She was hooked on "Rebel-mania." To the rescue came Rebels' General Manager, Bruce Alger, who asked Joanne to join the Rebels' Board of Directors as their Host Family Coordinator. Since the fall of 2010, she has been on the hunt to find host families for the team's 30 players and 3 to 5 coaches. Nose down and tail up, each year Joanne contacts Shenandoah and Rockingham County residents to find good families for her Rebel players. Burns also enjoys serving the Rebels as the Board of Directors' Secretary since 2015. Additionally, In 2017 Burns is serving as the Chairperson for the Rebels' July golf tournament fundraiser. Prior to her Rebel life, Burns moved from the Washington Metropolitan area after retiring from 24 years in Federal and local law enforcement, which she describes as "dreams of a lifetime." Joanne lives in Mount Jackson where she relaxes with her horse, Honey, and her furry, feline friends.
Clara Chambliss - Treasurer
Clara Chambliss was appointed to the Board in October 2018 as Treasurer. Clara worked with the board to restructure the finances beginning in January 2018. Her background includes 47+ years in the finance field and held a CPA certification until 2017 when she did not renew the license due to an upcoming retirement. Clara is currently CFO of WAEPA, a large non-profit in Falls Church VA. She assisted her husband Mitch manage a full-service travel business for 30+ years. Clara is also involved with The New Market American Legion as their bookkeeper and F I S H a non profit in Herndon Virginia where she handles the disbursements to utilities and leasing company’s for people that are in need. Clara is excited to be part of the New Market Rebel’s from hosting players to helping with the finances.
Mitch Chambliss - Assistant Treasurer
Mitch Chambliss is the Assistant Treasurer for The New Market Rebels and was asked to be on the board in October 2018. Joanne Burns asked Mitch to host a player in the Spring of 2017 and Clara accepted the invitation for us as she thought it would be a great opportunity for Mitch – the non sports person - to meet new people in the community, learn about baseball and help the young college baseball players to meld into the new community for a summer and improve their baseball game. Although as owner of a full-service multiple location travel business for nearly 30 years and had been hosted in many parts of
the world, hosting by Mitch in our home would be a new experience. It proved to be an unbelievable and very rewarding experience. As Joanne Burns would say The Rebels bug bit Mitch and Clara. Mitch is also involved in a Race Car Business where we race on dirt tracks, build race cars and fix them. Although a new Shenandoah Valley semi-retired resident starting in 2016, Mitch loves the valley, the valley’s wonderful pace and its people, and the many activities like Rotary, American Legion, and church he is involved in. The New Market Rebels is a great organization and Mitch is proud to be a part of them.
Cheryl Miller - Board of Directors
Cheryl was elected to the New Market Rebels Board of Directors in October of 2018 and has accepted the position of Director of our Rebel Yell Souvenir Stand. Cheryl is a lifelong resident of Shenandoah County, growing up in nearby Mt. Jackson, Va. Dedicated to a life of providing care for others she started her career in nursing as a Candy Striper. She then moved to the position of Operating Room Nurse and for the last 47 years as an OB/GYN Nurse first for a private practice and now for
Valley Health. She is an active member of Reformation Lutheran Church in New Market where she serves in several capacities including Communion Server, Communion Presenter and Nursery Assistant as well as organizing and planning special events dinners. She also assists church members once a month in providing entertainment in the form of Bingo games for the residents of Life Care, a nursing home facility located in New Market. She is the proud mother of four children and
four grandchildren that are the love of her life.
Sis Blosser - Board of Directors
John Blosser - Board of Directors
Bill Harper - Board of Directors
Dennis Atwood - Board of Directors
Dennis Atwood has been the Rebels’ lead play-by-play webcaster since 2014 and joined the team’s board of directors in 2016, adding public relations to his New Market portfolio.
Dennis has included pre- and post-game interviews with head coaches and players in his broadcasts, and added a very popular feature near the end of the 2017 season – Facebook Live video, from an ideal location - the outdoor web deck behind home plate.
“Seeing the Rebels’ home games from the greatest viewing spot in Rebel Park and helping our fans, and even our opponents’ fans, who can’t be in attendance, to enjoy the games, is such a rewarding pursuit that it doesn’t really seem like a job,” Dennis said.
“Being a part of the New Market Rebels family, as club President and General Manager Bruce Alger calls everyone involved with the team; getting to know the coaches, players, and their families; watching the players further develop their baseball skills during the season; and working with our staff interns, all make it a distinct pleasure to support the enterprise,” Dennis added.
Baseball and basketball were Dennis’ favorite sports at Francis C. Hammond High School, Alexandria Virginia. While living in Maryland in the late 1950s, before becoming a teenager, Dennis would ride the streetcar from Silver Spring to Griffith Stadium to watch the Washington Senators play (Eddie Yost, Clint “Scrap-Iron” Courtney, Roy Sievers, Herb Plews, Camillo Pasqual , and their teammates). He has been a life-long fan of the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. Proud to be a “Terrapin,” Dennis is a 1972 alum of the University of Maryland, College Park.
Dennis served 25 years in the Naval Reserve (1966-1991, retiring as a Master Chief Petty Officer), while working for 40-years in the Federal civil service, the major portion being in emergency management preparedness with FEMA. After retiring from his day job, in January 2007, Dennis was a sportswriter with the Northern Virginia Daily (2008-13), followed by a one-year stint with the weekly Free Press, as well as volunteering with several community organizations, including Shenandoah County government committees, and the Shenandoah County Historical Society.
Dennis and his wife Rose, with three young children, moved from Columbia, Maryland to a small farm in Maurertown, Virginia, in 1978. They were blessed with a fourth child in 1980 and now have six grandchildren.
Anna Lawrence - Board of Directors
Anna Lawrence is a lifelong Rebel fan, having grown up just down the street from Rebel park in New Market. She has been an involved fan since her teen years, and joined the board of directors in 2011. She currently acts as the social media director and alumni coordinator.
Anna graduated from high school in 2002 and attended Blue Ridge Community College and Graduated with a B.A. in Interpersonal and Organizational Communications from Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne in 2008. She has worked at Lowe's Home Improvements since 2010, and is currently a Sales Specialist in Flooring.
Anna married husband Jimmy in November 2012 in a ceremony just outside left field at Rebel park. Together they live on the outskirts of New Market in a small home with their three cats. Anna and Jimmy have been hosting Rebel players in their home every summer since the 2013 season.
David Barb - Board of Directors
David Barb started helping with the Rebels in 2003. He has have performed many jobs around Rebel park, such as giving out Baseballs cards to kids for foul Balls, operating the scoreboard , working in the concession stand, working in the souvenir stand, selling reserved seats, been in charge of the Bat Boys and Bat Girl’s, and has run Rebel Parks famous Dash for Cash for Many Years. When asked to sum up what he enjoys about working with the Rebels David said “The biggest joy I get out of it is the people I’ve seen and met over the years and the great Friendships that have been made”.
Andrew Kipps - Board of Directors
Andrew Kipps first joined the Rebels in the summer of 2002 at the age of 10 as a bat-boy. Since then he has worked in the concession stand, assisted with field work, operated the scoreboard, and has worked as the official scorer for all Rebel home games since 2014. In 2015 Andrew joined the Rebels’ Board of Directors. In 2017 he took over running the team’s website and currently holds the title Director of Score-keeping and Website Administration.
Andrew’s passion for the game of baseball developed at a young age while chasing foul balls at Rebels games, playing in the New Market/Mt. Jackson Little League, and watching Chicago Cubs games on WGN with his grandparents. Andrew played baseball for Stonewall Jackson High School which also calls Rebel Park home. In 2010 Andrew was awarded the Unsung Hero Award for his work behind the scenes with Stonewall Jackson Athletics.
From 2012 to 2014 Andrew attended Longwood University in Farmville, VA. In August of 2014 he graduated with honors earning a B.S. in Kinesiology. He now works at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community Wellness Center.
Jared Thompson - Board of Directors
Having played baseball since the age of 5, up until a tragic accident at the age of 17, I have always had a love of the game. For many years after the accident, I had to leave the thought of baseball. After about 20 years, I started watching it again, going to games, and getting involved. It’s great to be back in some capacity.
For almost 30 years, I have worked in the printing industry. For the past 9 years I have been a sales representative for a printing company in Baltimore Md. My territory is Washington DC/NOVA where I work with hundreds of clients including the Washington Nationals.
I am a beekeeper, avid gardener, terrible golfer and a huge Rebels fan since 1979. I enjoy the outdoors and anything to do with it.