‘‘He is arguably one of the most famous ... Frederick County athletes,” wrote Middletown Burgess John D. Miller, who was among several community members who supported naming the field after the Kellers.

John Horine, former Middletown High School coach, together with Paul Straup and Ron Engle, the former principal and athletic director at the school, first contacted the school system about naming the field for the Kellers last year.

‘‘I can’t think of any family more deserving to be recognized than the Kellers,” Horine said. ‘‘Their attributes of citizenship, caring and respect were something we felt should be recognized.”

Frederick County Public Schools officials initially rejected the proposal because of a policy that bases naming on monetary donations.

The three men then turned to the community for support.

They gathered letters from the burgess and commissioners of Middletown, the Middletown Valley Baseball Alumni Association, AmVets Post 9 and the Middletown Lions Club.

When the group appealed the rejection to the Board of Education on April 25, community support for the Keller family became a deciding factor in allowing the field to bear the Kellers’ name.

‘‘We are very pleased with the board of education’s decision,” Horine said.

All three Keller brothers — Charlie, Hal and Hugh — were baseball standouts at the University of Maryland.

Hal Sr., was also a catcher for the Washington Senators in the 1940s, and later worked as an executive for the Senators⁄Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners. Hugh also played semiprofessional ball in Virginia.

Hal, now 79, is the only one of the three brothers who is alive today. He is the father of the school system’s director for fiscal services.