Chris Corsinetti’s love for the New York Yankees has resulted in what people like Gary Mazzie are calling an “extraordinary new-look Walk of Fame” at Johnston High School.
“This is absolutely beautiful,” Mazzie said while getting his first look at the Walk of Fame, which has been built in conjunction with the Johnston High Athletic Hall of Fame.
“I never envisioned anything like this. It is certainly a showcase that each and every Johnstonian can be proud of.”
Because the original brick walkway at the entrance to the high school’s Edward L. DiSimone Gymnasium became a victim of high volume traffic and weather, Mazzie – who heads and founded the Panthers’ prestigious Athletic Hall of Fame – called upon Corsinetti to re-design the entire area.
Moreover, some of the bricks – which people purchased as a tribute to teams or individuals who in some way made significant contributions to the Johnston athletic program – were decaying and had to be remade.
Thus, Mazzie met with Corsinetti – the Lady Panthers head basketball coach who owns and operates Hartford Materials & Paving at 112 Old Pocasset Road, which his father Anthony Sr. founded in 1974 – about re-doing the Walk of Fame.
“I’m a Yankee fan,” Corsinetti admitted the other evening while watching Dave Morrocco smooth out the sand base where a total of 136 re-made bricks have since been placed. “I thought it would be nice to have something similar to Monument Park at New York’s Yankee Stadium.”
Mazzie and people like soon-to-be Johnston High Hall of Fame inductee Ralph Marziale – who now lives in Bristol and owns a real estate company – had praise for the re-designed Walk of Fame last week even before Morrocco completed his work, which features each individually purchased brick staggered to offer a more impressive look for viewers.
“I just came here to see my brick,” offered Marziale, who is the still the highest scorer in Johnston High hockey history and had 40 goals in just one season. “It’s obvious a lot of thought – and work – has gone into this re-design. It will certainly enhance our Athletic Hall of Fame.”
And, as Mazzie noted: “Ralph will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame with the class of 2015 in October.”
“I’m humbled and honored,” Marziale said of his election to the Hall of Fame. “What a tremendous honor, and this Walk of Fame is a great, great idea. I also encourage other alums to purchase a brick.”
Even before any of the engraved bricks were set in place, Morrocco – who works for Hartford Paving but donated his time to build the new Walk of Fame – had to build the monument area that rests against the east wall outside DiSimone Gymnasium, where, as Mazzie emphasized the other evening, “there’s still plenty of room for expansion.”
The area includes colored concrete paving stones and is done in a retaining wall-like setting, which features a crushed-stone base that holds the sand and Hall of Fame bricks, and also enhances the look at the entrance to DiSimone Gym.
“I’m calling this phase one of a three-phase plan,” Corsinetti said while talking with Marziale and Mazzie. “I’m confident we’ll have more brick orders sometime soon.”
Each brick costs $50 and has room for three lines of engraving. People who’d like to purchase a brick should send what they’d like the brick to read, along with a check for $50, to Gary Mazzie, 345 Cherry Hill Road, Johnston, RI 02919, or call 401-578-0785.
“The Johnston High School Athletic Hall of Fame will continue offering people an opportunity to commemorate a life touched by our school with an engraved brick on the Athletic Walk of Fame,” Mazzie said. “We encourage alumni to honor someone special with a unique and lasting gift.”
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