W. Pa. post office to be named for John Challis

FREEDOM, Pa. (AP) — A U.S. Post Office branch in western Pennsylvania is about to be named for John Challis, a high school athlete who inspired professional players with his battle against cancer before he died in August 2008.

Challis made national headlines when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Pittsburgh Pirates game against the New York Yankees two months before he died of lung and liver cancer in August 2008.

Challis was diagnosed with terminal cancer when he was 16. In April 2008, he fulfilled a dream to play on the Freedom Area High School baseball team when he singled as a pinch hitter.

Officials will honor Challis at noon Monday with a plaque at the post office in Freedom, about 20 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.