Inside Out: Sports legend Bill Welsh feted by runners for his 92nd birthday

Editor’s Word: Welcome to Inside Out, our weekly roundup of tales about Staten Islanders making waves, being seen, supporting our neighborhood and simply making our borough a particular place to reside. Have a narrative for Inside Out? E-mail Carol Ann Benanti at [email protected]­­m.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As a method to rejoice the illustrious lifetime of Staten Island sports activities nice Invoice Welsh, former college students and associates hosted a dinner in his honor at Kettle Black in West Brighton.

Amongst them had been Charlie Marsala (Staten Island Corridor of Fame/Monitor), Wagner Faculty cross nation and observe & subject head coach Joe Stasi, Joe Pisicolo, Angelo Costagliolia, Bob Stasi, Pat Walsh and Dom Storniolo, who had been all runners within the New Dorp Excessive College Class of 1982.

“Mr. Welsh had a blast and even needed ‘to exit’ after dinner,” Pisicolo gushed. “And it was our pleasure to take him out. He had an impression on all of us. And he’s an Island legend and coached Invoice Jankunis, who went to the Olympics. He coached him in New Dorp Dorp Excessive College earlier than we bought there. And Charlie Marsala was an Island legend within the Eighties and he broke the four-minute mile, which is an Island report and nonetheless the Island report within the mile.”

Welsh had a ball reminiscing about outdated exercises he deliberate for workforce members in Nice Kills Park — on a troublesome cinder observe.

“We confessed and instructed him we complained about how onerous the exercises had been on the time and he laughed and stated, ‘And right here we’re 40 years later laughing about it.’ It was nice simply to sit down down and speak in regards to the outdated highschool days,” he added.

In talking of the residing legend, Pisicolo defined Welsh nonetheless has a good way of telling tales.

“His love of the game and life are second to none. We joked with him and requested him the place did all of the coaches go at evening after we went on in a single day journeys and he jokingly replied, ‘We (the coaches) couldn’t get corridor passes and get out.’”

A FEW FACTS ABOUT WELSH

4 years in the past, longtime runner Jeff Benjamin, who’s the Staten Island Working Affiliation chairman, famous: “Coach Welsh was additionally a national-class runner in the course of the Nineteen Fifties and completed among the many prime finishers twice within the Boston Marathon. And he competed in a single to 2 races each weekend from distances of 5k as much as the half-marathon! And he has 10 gold medals to show it.”

He added: “Coach Welsh started his teaching profession at [the former] Augustinian Academy after which New Dorp Excessive College, the place he was coach for over 25 years. He additionally was one of many founders of the Staten Island Excessive College Monitor and Discipline Affiliation.”

In 2001 and 2014, the Island Working Neighborhood and the Brighton Kiwanis honored Welsh with a 5K Run and Dinner Roast in his title.

When he was solely 14, Welsh’s highschool teammates talked him into turning into head coach after theirs stop and he’s been a observe coach for 70 years — and has made Staten Island a greater place.

Welsh has been an inspiration to the hundreds of people whose lives he touched all through his years of dedication to trace and subject — and as an all-around athlete, coach and humble humanitarian.

He ran at St. Francis Faculty and continued after faculty.

For various years, he was one of many nation’s prime runners — competing in opposition to greats of the Nineteen Fifties and ‘60s like Browning Ross, Gordon McKenzie, Horace Ashenfelter, Ted Corbitt, Johnny Kelley and others.

His fastest-ever marathon was 2:34:39 at Atlantic Metropolis in 1962.

FYI: Staten Island’s Steve Moore, Marty Walsh, Larry Cimato, Bob Corbett, Jack Singler, Jack Fonss and Fabrizio Esposito had been all college students of Welsh. One other was Bob Andrews, an assistant principal at Staten Island Technical Excessive College. Andrews went on to an excellent profession at UPenn and a top-rated masters runner for Shore AC.

LIFEGUARD REUNION

Had been you a lifeguard at any of Staten Island’s seashores or swimming pools within the Sixties or the years that adopted?

Should you had been, or know of anybody who was, Ray Kennedy is asking that you simply unfold the phrase a couple of reunion.

Whereas all lifeguards are invited to attend — together with current or present guards — the reunion will focus totally on former lifeguards from South Seashore, Midland Seashore and Nice Kills Seashore.

The reunion is about for Saturday, Aug. 21, at midday on the Lifeguard Shack.

After a meet-and-greet on the seashore that day, they’ll head over to the West Cork Union Corridor Tavern on Henderson Avenue in West Brighton for a three-hour barbecue.

Kennedy, a former lifeguard who was assigned to South Seashore and Midland Seashore from 1968 to 1972 and who now calls East Durham, N.Y., residence, is a retired state trooper within the Kingston space, the place he’s now a decide. A 1968 Monsignor Farrell Excessive College grad, Kennedy lifeguarded whereas attending SUNY Brockport.

He nonetheless manages to communicate with just a few fellow lifeguards, however he stated there are nonetheless a fantastic many who’ve drifted off. Nevertheless, since Staten Islanders are keen on returning to their roots, he’s assured that many will likely be within the reunion.

Kennedy has acquired RSVPs from roughly 30 former guards, lots of whom are bringing their spouses. He stated a few of them are coming from as distant as Seattle or Florida and have had diversified careers: Invoice Stark is an oceangoing tug captain and the senior man on the East Coast; Ron Sarge, our former chief lifeguard in South Seashore, is a retired dentist who nonetheless works with veterans at a hospital in Maryland.

Different lifeguards went on to grow to be metropolis firefighters, cops and lecturers. And John Touhey, who’s nonetheless a Staten Island resident, was an EMT and nurse for 35 years.

“The primary reunion began out as 4 guys getting collectively for lunch and ended up with 52 former guards and their wives. For sure, various these guys are now not with us so we will likely be having a second of silence on the reunion.”

Kennedy could also be reached at P.O. Field 34, Sunside Street, East Durham, N.Y., 12433, at 518-622-2075 or at [email protected].

CELEBRATIONS – AUG. 8 TO AUG. 14

AUG. 8

Pleased birthday Sunday to Barbara (Babe) Pisani, Kim Genau, Lisa Marie Macchia, David Beyar, Kie Jacobs, Anthony Legato III, Liza Brown, Phyllis Marino and Gianna Nicole Martinez, who turns 12.

AUG. 9

Monday is birthday time for Nicole Legato, Joe Sugzda, Clarence Genau, Hailey Schnell, Louis Mammolito, Nabillia A. Caraballo, Jesse Inigo, Joe D’Aquila and Kim Schaffer. 

AUG. 10

Birthday greetings Tuesday to Lia Michele Andriulli, who turns 7, Julia Falcone, John Forlenza, Ron Ferger Jr., Tim Carr, Robert Galvin and Nicole Legato.

Pleased forty second marriage ceremony anniversary to Laura and Robert Leonardi.

AUG. 11

Birthday greatest Wednesday to Marjorie Hack, Breann McKeon, Rebecca Wheeler, Frank Cammaroto and Thomas Sean Pellechia.

AUG. 12

One of the best of birthdays Thursday to Sharon Cohen, Amanita Duga Carroll, Ceaser Mercado, Kathleen Camiolo, James Carucci, Vanessa Signorelli, Joyce Pearsall, James Alexander Greco, Dennis Coughlin, Phillip J. Karg, Roseann Carrera, Cosmo D’Aquila, Rayann Besser, Jennifer Mitchell and Anthony Frank Petruzzi.

Pleased marriage ceremony anniversary to Beth and Fred Fennell and to Kelly and Ron Stafford.

AUG. 13

Pleased birthday Friday to Robert Raimonto, Christian J. O’Hanlon, Rosemary Newman, Margaret Wilson and Dominick Cassissa.

AUG. 14

Saturday is birthday time for Wealthy Stancavage, Thomas Rutherford, Edward Guerra and Sue Smith.

Pleased marriage ceremony anniversary to Donna and Rick Klein.