Middletown Sports Hall of Fame Induction this week

MIDDLETOWN — Today, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Middlesex County and throughout our great country. MLK Day is a special day, one that celebrates not only his birthday, but the huge impact that the civil rights leader had on the United States of America.

There are many celebrations around Middlesex County today that will honor Dr. King’s life and legacy. I am proud that chamber Workforce Development Director Lorenzo Marshall will represent our organization at the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Committee of Greater Middletown event this afternoon at Church of the Holy Trinity in Middletown.

The Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce also has a longtime and enduring partnership with the Middlesex County Chapter of the NAACP, and I am truly honored that the organization’s business award bears my name. As I do every year on MLK Day, I would like to take a moment to recognize all of those who volunteer their time in the service of others. We are all in this together, and it is in that spirit that we honor Dr. King’s legacy.

Switching gears a bit, another busy chamber week features a number of important meetings, events and activities happening throughout the state. On Tuesday morning, the Westbrook Division will meet at Water’s Edge Resort and Spa, and on Thursday morning, the East Haddam and Haddam Division will meet at the Saybrook at Haddam.

These meetings will feature updates from local officials, information on local workforce development initiatives, and a report from members of the chamber’s Legislative Committee. On Tuesday afternoon, I look forward to meeting in Hartford with my fellow executives from Connecticut’s eight metro chambers of commerce. The metro chambers collectively represent thousands of businesses in our state, and these meetings always feature productive discussions about collaboration and joint advocacy for the business community.

On the tourism front, I look forward to attending Wednesday’s meeting of the Speaker’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Tourism at Foxwoods Resort and Casino. Led by its Chairman, Don DeVivo, the panel is working to boost Connecticut’s tourism industry, already worth billions of dollars to the state’s economy. I thank Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz for his leadership on this critically important issue, and look forward to working with my fellow committee members as we move forward.

Another key area of focus for our organization is workforce development. I look forward to attending a meeting of the Workforce Alliance Board of Directors on Thursday morning, where we will continue our discussions on developing a prepared and productive workforce in our state. The chamber is proud of its relationship with Bill Villano and his entire team at Workforce Alliance, and we will continue to work to connect job seekers to employers in our region.

Back in Middlesex County, the 26th annual Middletown Sports Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will be held Thursday evening at the Red Lion Hotel in Cromwell.

I want to congratulate the following individuals and teams who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame: Danielle Benoit, Mary Mesek, Matt Moravek, Fred Norton, Hugh O’Gorman, Rodney Privott, Nick Puorro, John Raba, Otis Rankins, Daniel Thompson (posthumously), Robert Trigo, the 1948 Woodrow Wilson High School Football Class B State Champions, the 1978 Middletown High School Track Class M State Champions, the 1978 Woodrow Wilson High School Track Class S State Champions, and the 1978 Xavier High School Track Class L State Champions.

All of these fine individuals and teams deserve this high honor, and I look forward to celebrating their achievements.

The key chamber event of the week is Friday, when we will welcome Boston Red Sox President and CEO Sam Kennedy as keynote speaker for our January Member Breakfast Meeting, sponsored by Webster Bank.

According to his official biography on the Boston Red Sox website, Kennedy, 44, is a native of Brookline, Massachusetts, who grew up within walking distance of Fenway Park. He joined the Red Sox as vice president of corporate partnerships in 2002. He was among the first wave of executives the current ownership group brought to Boston from the San Diego Padres, where Kennedy had worked the previous six years.

Kennedy immediately distinguished himself, playing a key role in the revitalization of the Red Sox brand and the dramatic growth of the team’s financial base through the creation of new revenue streams. Kennedy was also intimately involved in the preservation and transformation of Fenway Park and the transformation of the ballpark experience. He is also a 1995 graduate of Trinity College who has strong Connecticut ties.

I appreciate Sam’s willingness to come to Middlesex County to visit with our group and we certainly look forward to a terrific event. We also received word that Sam will be bringing the 2018 World Series trophy with him to the event. This is a great opportunity for members and their guests to pose for a picture with the trophy, and to continue to celebrate another championship for the club.

This Member Breakfast Meeting would not be possible without the support of Webster Bank. Not only are they sponsoring the event, but Executive Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Bill Wrang and Senior Vice President of Commercial Real Estate James Lane were instrumental in getting Sam Kennedy to come. I thank them once again for their longtime friendship and support of our chamber.

In closing, I want to take a moment to honor the recent passing of Jane Opalacz. When I first moved to Middletown in 1963, Jane and her late husband Ed were the first individuals to truly welcome me in to this wonderful community. They became lifelong friends, and I am very grateful for their support and that of their entire family over the years.

Jane was an inspiration to everyone she touched. She was a great a friend to many and supported a wide variety of community causes along the way, including Xavier and Mercy high schools, the Ladies Guild of St. Mary’s, the Catholic War Vets Auxiliary, the St Mary’s Senior Club and of course, the Polish Falcons.

She was adored by her family, which was, without question, the most important aspect of her life.

The funeral Mass at St. Mary of Czestochowa Church in Middletown Jan. 14 was a true testament to Jane’s life and the impact she had on so many. Her son Stan and her daughter Teresa gave a moving, funny and warm eulogy in honor of their mom, and her granddaughters Sheena and Aniella followed up with one of their own.

Knowing the family so well, I was not surprised. It was my honor to coach her sons Cliff, Ed and Stan at Xavier, and I am so appreciative of Teresa’s longtime leadership and support in the chamber, including her service as chairwoman in 2010 and 2011. The thoughts and prayers of all of us at the chamber are with Jane’s entire family at this difficult time. May they take comfort in the fact that she led a life well-lived, and that she was loved by so many.