- Details
- Category: Past Issues
By Ron P. Coderre
A sporty RPC hello goes out today to Barry Shead of Woodstock. Shead, who is a commercial lender at The Savings Institute branch in Norwich, is an avid fan of Woodstock Academy athletics. He’s also involved with the Tri-Town American Legion Baseball program, assisting with fund-raising.
As the weather warms and most civic organizations have squeezed their golf tournaments into the months of May and June, there are still some major tournaments of interest in the area. Most of the upcoming tournaments are for very good causes, generally associated with non-profit organizations.
One of the area’s most notable non-profits, The Arc of Quinebaug Valley, is preparing for its Silver Anniversary golf tourney. The 25th Gardner Johnson Memorial Golf Tournament is scheduled for a 9 a.m. shotgun start on Friday, July 13 at the plush Foster Country Club in Rhode Island. The scramble event has all the usual amenities, including 18 holes of golf with cart, continental breakfast, foot-long hot dogs at the turn, prizes, special contests and raffles, all these offerings are followed by a sumptuous steak dinner.
The one special item that this tournament has that others don’t have is its cause. The Arc organization is a very special group, which assists individuals with intellectual, developmental and other life affecting disabilities. The Arc works diligently in assisting these individuals to become valued and contributing members of their communities. In doing so, they also offer support to the families of these people.
“This golf tournament is one way in which we receive financial support to assist with our vocational, day, educational, residential, employment and retirement programs. We don’t only measure our success on the ROI, we measure our success by our Return On Mission,” said Linda Lamoureux, administrator of Development and Public Relations.
The tournament, which is named after one of the organization’s founding members and a parent, the late Gardner Johnson, offers a variety of sponsorship opportunities. The Platinum ($2000) includes among other items, two foursome entries to the event. The Gold ($1000) includes one foursome, while the Silver ($750) includes a twosome. There are also opportunities, including the Bronze at the $500 level, and tee sponsorships at $100.
“We’re hoping that Friday the 13th will be a lucky day for us and for all the golfers in our tournament. Our goal is to make this a red carpet day for the players and sponsors from the time they arrive at the course until their departure,” said Susan M. Desrosiers, executive director.
For additional information or to register as a player or foursome, contact Linda Lamoureux or Sandi Riemann at the Arc office, 860 774-2827 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Checks may be made out to The Arc of Quinebaug Valley and mailed to 687 Cook Hill Road, Danielson, CT 06239.
Golfers and sponsors can help make Friday the 13th of July a lucky day for The Arc by joining in and assisting the organization in reaching its goal of $20,000.
Tourtellotte Hall of Fame Revisited…
In 2010 Tourtellotte Memorial High School inducted its first class into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Since its inception, 30 players, coaches, contributors and teams have entered the hallowed Hall.
One of the initial inductees was Theodore “Ted” Vriga, a product like so many of the Tiger athletes of the past cut his sporting teeth in an area of town known as “The Greek Village.” Vriga has to go down as one of the most talented if not the top athlete ever to graduate from Tourtellotte.
A 1954 graduate, Vriga played three sports, but most notably is remembered for his exploits as a baseball and basketball player. A four-year varsity performer in both sports, Vriga is the school’s all-time leading basketball scorer. He joined the 1000-point club in 1953 and is remembered for scoring more than 500 points in both his junior and senior seasons. He captained the 1954 team and was accorded Connecticut All-State honors in his senior year, as chosen by the New Haven Register.
As the catcher and captain of the 1954 baseball team, Vriga was drafted off the Tourtellotte campus by the Boston Red Sox. He played two seasons in the Red Sox organization, reaching the AAA level with the Louisville Red Sox.
Following his playing days, Vriga went to work in Worcester, where he was a highly successful basketball coach at St. Mary’s High School, leading his teams to City Championships as well as State competition.
Today, Vriga remains in touch with athletics as a member of the NCAA Women’s Basketball, where he serves as an evaluator of officials.
From The Where Are They Now Files…
It’s Milford, N.H., for former Putnam High School standout athlete Kevin Bianchi. A center on some very good Clipper football teams and a catcher on competitive baseball teams, Bianchi was always in the middle of the action in both sports. He was a “rock” who held the Clippers together with his grit and determination. Bianchi was also a three-year member of championship Putnam Savings Bank baseball teams that dominated the Putnam Senior League during the decade of the ‘70s.
Today, Bianchi works for the Federal Aviation Administration at the Nashua Control Center, which covers an area from 200 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean, west to Cleveland, Ohio, north to Canada and south to New York City. His primary duties include vectoring and advising aircraft in his radar area to major airports in the sector. He’s been with the FAA for approximately 20 years.
Bianchi is the son of former Putnam High School football lineman Edward “Dick” Bianchi and the late Elaine Bianchi.
RPC’s Closing Thought For the Day: “Philosophically speaking, men make friends completely differently than women do, even if the main elements – understanding, trust, respect – are the same,” Bill Russell, from his book Red and Me.