PASADENA, Texas – More than a year after it was stolen from a Pasadena park, a beloved bronze statue honoring Roy “Kipper” Mease has been replaced, bringing relief and emotional closure to a family that spent months hoping to see the memorial restored.
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Community members gathered last week at the Kipper Mease Sports Complex in Pasadena as Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia joined the Mease family and Pasadena Mayor Thomas Schoenbein to unveil a newly recreated bronze statue of the young baseball player died in 1982.
For Kipper’s father, Roy Mease, the moment carried special meaning.
When the original statue was stolen in December 2024, thieves cut the bronze sculpture from its base, leaving behind only the damaged pedestal at the park named in Kipper’s honor.
At the time, Mease told KPRC 2 he had one mission left.
“I’m 86, and I need to live long enough to get it replaced,” he said after the statue disappeared. “I’ve got a purpose now.”
More than a year later, that purpose became reality.
The original statue had stood at the sports complex for nearly 35 years before it was stolen. Although the sculpture was never recovered, Harris County Precinct 2 worked with the original artist to recreate the memorial so it could once again stand at the park that bears Kipper’s name.
Harris County Commissioners Court approved $44,000 in April 2025 to rebuild the statue.
During the unveiling ceremony, Mease stood beside family and friends as the bronze statue was revealed once again at the complex where he often visited to reflect on his son’s memory.
Commissioner Garcia said the statue’s replacement represents far more than the restoration of a piece of artwork.
“Today we brought Kipper Mease back to his rightful home,” Garcia said. “This statue is more than bronze. It represents love, legacy and a young life gone too soon. While someone may have stolen the original memorial, they could never take away the spirit and memory behind it.”
Kipper Mease died in 1982 at the age of 20. Known for his love of baseball, his legacy lives on through the Kipper Mease Sports Complex, which has served Pasadena families and youth athletes for decades.