Sarkis Sarkisian of Peabody refers to Stan Brown as the founding father of Danvers Little League.

For sure, that's how it all started for Brown in the 1950s. But the way it evolved through the decades, Brown really became the Big Daddy of Little League baseball on the North Shore, if you will.

Brown, who died of cancer yesterday at age 81, was the District 15 Little League Commissioner for 48 years. To the very end, he never seemed to grow tired of that role, presiding over a district that became the largest in the state under his watch with more than 20 leagues. One of those District 15 teams, Peabody West, advanced to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. this year.

He was extremely humble about that achievement, never wanting any piece of the spotlight that rightfully belonged to the players. But the people who know him best also say he was very proud. He cared not just about Peabody West but every team in District 15. Peabody West just happened to represent hundreds of kids from the North Shore who play on district teams. That's how he saw it.

"He was extraordinary," said Sarkisian, who was an assistant district administrator under Brown for the last 10 years. "You don't find too many people like him. For all the headaches that occur when you have an organization like that — 21 leagues can be a pretty daunting task — he handled it extremely well.

"For a guy to put that much time and effort and heart into it; it says something about the man. I will miss him immensely, but we'll carry on with his program. He's laid the groundwork for the future. If it's not broken, don't fix it, and we are not broken (as a Little League organization. We're going to keep going with his legacy."

Brown, who lived in Danvers, was a longtime member of the Danvers Touchdown Club and was also a chairman and member of the Danvers Recreation Committee for many years. However, Little League baseball on the North Shore occupied much of his time. In recent years, two playing fields at Plains Park in Danvers were named after him. One of the joys of his life was simply to watch kids chewing up those fields doing something they loved.

If you could sum up his motto for District 15, it was expand and improve. He was always looking to add cities and towns to his district. He wanted more kids, more coaches, more participation. And he got it.

"I remember District 15 back in the 1970s, when it was just 11-12 teams," said Jackie Dean, who knew Brown from the time he got involved with Beverly Little League 40 years ago. "Back then the teams came from the (bigger) cities and towns like Peabody, Danvers and Beverly, along with a Hamilton-Wenham and a couple of other places, but Stan had a way of talking to people about how beneficial it would be for them to join District 15. Stan was the one who brought in the Salems and Gloucesters and many other communities.

"I go back a long way with him and his energy level was incredible, whether it was the regular season or beyond. For many years, he didn't even have a staff, but what he did for Little League around here was above and beyond."

His industriousness wasn't confined to the local level, either. Brown was on the national advisory board for the Little League headquarters in Williamsport, Pa., suggesting changes for the good of the game.

"He always had good ideas," said Dean. "He always went out there with the mind set that they should improve things for the kids. Stan was instrumental in pushing for the rule that made it mandatory that all kids (who were on all-star teams in the Williamsport tourney) get playing time. He was big on that.

"All the years I knew him, he was just a remarkable human being. He was in it strictly for the kids. He loved the purity of Little League ball. I mean, he was a huge baseball fan, but the greatest thing for him was seeing kids with a big smile on their face. He could go to any park around here and he'd be in heaven. His wife, Janet, also loved being around him at the games. The kids kept him young."

Tommy Smith of Beverly, who's been involved in Little League for 33 years and who's been an assistant district administrator for the last five seasons, said that Brown always reminded the adults that they were in it for the players and not the other way around.

"We would have these meetings and Stan would make it clear that it's the kids who play the games," said Smith. "His famous line was that managers should be seen and not heard. The way he cared for the kids, the way he conducted meetings and the way he organized, he was just unbelievable. It's a very large void without him. We have to fill that void and we'll be dividing the jobs because Stan did so many things himself."

Even when he supposed to be away from the game in the offseason, Brown could never let it all go. He and Jan would go to Lakeland, Fla. every winter while the snow piled up on the North Shore, but Brown would be thinking and planning ahead for the next Little League season.

"He cared about it every day," said Sarkisian. "He'd be down there in Florida and he would call me. He'd say, 'What are you hearing? What's going on with the people in our district?' His whole life was about Little League."

Brown could get fired up if he felt one of his teams didn't get a fair shake. Back in 1965, Danvers National lost a controversial game to Windsor Locks, Conn. in the Eastern Regional in Staten Island, N.Y., denying Danvers an opportunity to advance to the World Series in Williamsport. Decades later, Brown could still recall the details if anyone asked him about it. That Danvers team was one of his favorites.

This year, of course, the outcome of the regional tourney was far more pleasant. Peabody West won the New England Regional to get the berth in Williamsport. Brown sent out an e-mail to everyone in District 15, saying they had a hand in Peabody's success because they provided competition that helped them get better. He had a lot of admiration for Peabody West but, as usual, he was being all-inclusive.

"Stan was our biggest fan long before we got to the World Series," said Dan Marchese, who coached Peabody West. "He truly enjoyed every minute at the state tourney (held in Beverly) and in Bristol, Conn. (the New England Regional tourney site). He got to know all the kids on our team and they knew he was rooting for them. For so many years District 15 was always a bridesmaid, never a bride until this year. It's so nice he lived to be a part of it.

"The best way to describe Stan is classy. Whatever he did was done the right way. He was truly a gentleman and he had that passion for Little League. He couldn't get enough of it. I think that's what kept him so young. This is a sad day. We're all going to miss him."