David Platt (photo by Larry Wolfe)
Larry Wolfe
Mystery solved! After several years in the Sun Lakes Witness Protection Program, Dave Platt has finally emerged to share his story! Don’t ask!
A baseball and softball “lifer,” Dave was a three-year letterman for the South Minneapolis High School Tigers team, then transitioned to softball. Much more on that later in this article. Dave attended Augsburg University and the University of Minnesota where he majored in business administration.
After three years at the University of Minnesota, Dave took the Civil Service Exam and began working for the U.S. Postal Service. Little did he know at the time that that was the beginning of a 32-year career with the USPS. He worked at the main post office in Downtown Minneapolis, first as an administrative clerk, then for the final 10 years as a bulk mail technician. His career choice was highly influenced by the fact that four other family members were postal workers. The great thing about working for the post office is that if you have over 30 years of service, you can retire with full benefits at age 55+. Dave did just that and began living the good life!
About a year into retirement in Minnesota, Dave and his wife Ann visited friend and fellow softballer Phil Gutterman in Arizona. What was to be a one-week vacation turned into a lifestyle change, as they bought a home in Maricopa on that first visit. They later moved to their current place in Sun Lakes.
Ann and David have been married for five years and have a blended family of two daughters, a son, and a one-year-old granddaughter. Ann is still working as a nurse for Banner Health, while Dave “plays around”!
Dave has played on numerous softball teams for nearly 40 years. Back in Minnesota, he played in both recreational and industrial leagues, and now he’s into senior softball. He joined our league in 2018 and has been a top performer since day one, consistently finishing in the Top Ten in both batting average and homeruns. He’s also a key member of the AZ Scorpions tournament team, which recently won the World Championship. Dave says that was his biggest softball thrill to date.
Other activities include golfing (Dave has a membership at Cottonwood) and hiking (both Ann and Dave recently got into “serious hiking”). They also enjoy going to rock concerts and have seen many of the classic groups, such as The Rolling Stones, Alice Cooper, Eddie Money, George Thorogood, and AC/DC. Quite a line-up!
As relative newcomers to Arizona, Dave and Ann enjoy exploring our state and have visited all the must-see sites, such as the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Tombstone. They also do day trips to less famous spots.
As a native Minnesotan, Dave’s been a lifelong fan of the Twins and Vikings. If you see a “Viking Purple” golf cart driving around, that’s him!