The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Hall of Fame welcomes five new members
TORRINGTON — The Torrington Athletic Hall of Fame celebrated Torrington’s outstanding athletes, supporters and the essence of local sports for the 22nd time Sunday night at Chatterley’s Banquet Facility, inducting Bruce and Eleanor Fox, Andy Pace, Raoul Robillard and Tom Soja Sr. into its membership.
The event re-acclaims individual accomplishment, but Mayor Elinor Carbone, whose father-in-law, husband and son are members, painted the greater significance of the organization’s inclusiveness in a sports-loving community.
“The real hometown heroes of our sports are those who follow our local teams, support them and donate their resources,” Carbone said.
“The skills our kids develop in sports are essential life skills: 100 percent effort, playing with their hearts, hard work, preparation, teamwork and time management.
“The recipients of this award all focused these lessons on their careers.”
Sunday night, Bruce and Eleanor Fox, whose careers included long service as Torrington High School principal and faculty member, began an evening that proved Carbone’s point.
Each of them downplayed their own sports abilities while reaffirming their dedication to local sports.
“I was the advisor, not the coach, of the cheerleaders and Raiderettes because I didn’t have the skills to be their coach,” said Mrs. Fox. “But we have a large collection of Torrington basketball T-shirts from (legendary coach) Tony Turina and we wear them often.”
Mr. Fox recounted his
own athletic mishaps — a baseball landing on his head in elementary school, a trip to the emergency room as a member of a
faculty basketball team.
“We found our best spot was standing or sitting at a game,” said Fox, who, with his wife, is still an ardent fan while helping to bring about the Torrington Booster Club and the Hall of Fame itself.
Andy Pace, who died recently after a long, ultradistinguished avocation centered on the founding of the Torrington Varsity Alumni Club and its establishment of a thriving youth basketball league and scholarship program,
resisted induction for years.
“No, it’s all about the kids,” his son reported him saying.
Raoul Rebillard, a record-setting swimmer at Torrington High School and the University of
Maryland, sent an email from his home in North Carolina, saying, in part, “Swimming shaped who I am today.”
Tom Soja Sr., an outstanding basketball and baseball player who spent several years in baseball’s
minor leagues, eloquently summarized the Hall of Fame’s significance and Mayor Carbone’s message.
“The biggest award I’ve ever received is this one,” Soja said. “My biggest accomplishment is coaching the kids.”