By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC sporty shoutout is sent along to World War II veteran Victor “Not Through the Iron Duke” Lippiello.  An avid Detroit Tiger and University of Notre Dame fan, Lippiello spends his spare time at the Putnam Elks living up to his nickname “Champ.”  On July 16 Lippiello celebrated his reverse 49th birthday.

On July 2, thanks to good friend and former Norwich Rotary Club President Barry Shead ,RPC attended the Norwich Native Son/Native Daughter luncheon at the Ensemble Room on the campus of Norwich Free Academy.  The 2014 Norwich Native Son honoree was Arizona Cardinals linebacker Matt Shaughnessy, who was at the head table with his fiancée Heather Heise and Barrett their six-month old son.

The Shaughnessy story is truly one of local boy makes good.  As he related in his comments following the reception of his award, it all started in the youth leagues of Norwich.  Shaughnessy then became a standout tight end for the NFA Wildcats, where he was recognized by the University of Wisconsin Badgers for his fine play on the football gridiron.

After four years at Wisconsin where he was a Big Ten standout he was drafted in 2009 by the Oakland Raiders, where he played for two years before joining the Cardinals.  He recently signed a substantial two-year contract for his outstanding play as an outside linebacker.  His career statistics include 159 tackles 18.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.

Shaughnessy was recognized by the people of Norwich for his character beyond the football field.  Beginning with his days in Wisconsin he’s been involved in the community, helping out at food shelters, making visits to patients in hospitals and running football camps for youth.  

The Native Son luncheon is sponsored by the Norwich Rotary Club, which presented Shaughnessy with a Paul Harris Award, the highest recognition in Rotary International.  He also was honored by the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce, a proclamation from the City of Norwich presented by Mayor Deb Hinchey, the NFA Alumni Association, and the Norwich Women’s City Club.

Shaughnessy is one of many young men from Norwich and Southeastern Connecticut who are in professional sports.  Other Norwich professional athletes include Eric Campbell (New York Mets), Dominic Leone (Seattle Mariners) and Andrew Carignan (San Francisco Giants).  From Fitch High School Matt Harvey (New York Mets), Jesse Hahn (San Diego Padres), also Rajai Davis of New London High School (Detroit Tigers) and the veteran John MacDonald of East Lyme High School (Los Angeles Angels).     

Harrisville Hole-in-One Haven

Mike Sosik, owner of Harrisville Golf Course, reports that the club has witnessed a rash of holes-in-one recently.  Two of the fortunate golfers hailed from Thompson while one was a Massachusetts resident.

Dan Durand, the coach of the TriTown American Legion Junior Baseball team, enjoyed a round of golf on an off day from the baseball diamond with his son Jared and his neighbor Dan Bolte.  It turned out that the round of golf was a blessing in disguise as Durand recorded the first hole-in-one in his career on the links.  His dream shot came on the par-three 9th hole, which was playing 167 yards.  Durand used an eight-iron on his ace that landed on the green right of the pin and rolled gently into the cup.

“I was having a rough day on the course.  I was discouraged as I had totally messed up the short par-four 8th hole.  My son said to me, ‘Forget it dad and make a good shot on the last hole.’  I guess I followed his advice.  I think I’ll be back to play another day,” said Durand.

Peg Blain was the other Thompson resident who recorded an ace.  Her shot also came on the 9th hole, which was playing 115 yards from the women’s tee.  She used her favorite five-hybrid for her hole-in-one.  The 9th hole was the place to be if you wanted a shot at a hole-in-one as David Prunier of Douglas, Mass., used a gap wedge from 130 yards to record his dream shot.

America Bids Farewell to Ex-POW and WWII Hero

As a youngster I frequented the Putnam Public Library, which was located on the top floor of the town hall.  I always enjoyed reading biographies of individuals who were involved in some fashion in the world of athletics.  One person I read about was a noted runner by the name of Louis Zamperini, who for some reason I always remembered although he faded from the headlines.

It wasn’t until I received the book, “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand that the memories of Louis Zamperini were revived.  In “Unbroken” Hillenbrand describes in detail the running career of Zamperini and how it was interrupted by WWII.  She also details his heroic effort to remain alive following the crash of the B-24 Liberator he was in went down in the Pacific, leaving him and another individual to float on the Pacific Ocean for 47 days.

The raft that Zamperini, weighing less than 100 pounds, was in finally came ashore on an island that was held by the Japanese, where he was captured and tortured by his captors.  Given up for dead, he survived the living nightmare in a prison camp where he was beaten, tortured and humiliated for more than two years but never succumbed.

Following his liberation, Zamperini fell on tough time from the evils of alcohol but thanks to support of family and friends he managed to right his life.  It wasn’t until Hillenbrand uncovered his story that America realized that this man was a true hero.

Zamperini died following a 40-day bout with pneumonia on July 3 at the age of 97.  At the time of his death he was working with Angelina Jolie on a Universal Studio movie detailing his ordeal and his recognition as a true American hero.

From the young man in the Putnam Public Library to the adult who was touched by “Unbroken” we take a moment to remember Louis Zamperini.  The people of his generation are dying off at a dizzying rate but as their stories are told they will never be forgotten.

Don’t Give Up

Remember Taquan Zimmerman who was a high scoring guard at Putnam Science Academy?  After finishing his postgraduate year at PSA he bounced around at a number of small colleges and junior colleges.  He finally settled in at Thompson River University in Canada and now he’s looking for an opportunity to play professional basketball.

Although he entered the NBA draft he was not selected but has had brief workouts with some teams as a free agent.  He continues hold on to his dream of getting to the NBA but if that doesn’t occur he’s prepared to travel.  His options are in Europe or Turkey, where his ability to shoot and drive to the hoop may open some eyes and some doors as he continues to pursue the dream.

RPC’s Closing Thought For the Day: “Out of difficulties grow miracles.” Jean De la Bruyere

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