A Slice of Smith Life: Hall of Famer

St. John Bosco's Feast Day and My Dad's Induction to Hall of Fame!

St. John Bosco's feast day is today, January 31. In the short paragraph HERE about John Bosco's life it states that,"to ensure the continuation of his work, St. John Bosco founded a religious congregation named in honor of one of his favorite saints, St Francis de Sales. This holy saint died in 1888, but today John Bosco's Salesians continue his work all over the world."

I love learning more about this Saint, especially since my father is a graduate of one of the schools that was inspired by John Bosco's life and by the religious congregation that Don (Don = a traditional Italian honorific for a priest) Bosco founded! I think that's a cool connection to have to a man who later became a Saint! :)

In 2011, my Dad was inducted into Salesian High School's Hall of Fame and you can read my post about this great honor and trip with my parents HERE.

Patty over at Reasons for Chocolate made this traditional Italian dessert in honor of Saint John Bosco: Double Chocolate Walnut Biscotti. Mmmmm...I might just have to try these out!

Saint John Bosco, pray for us!

My Dad, our Hall of Famer!

My husband figured out a temporary solution to my computer troubles I blogged about here and now I can blog this post dedicated to my Dad, our Hall of Famer!

I just got home this past Sunday night from a trip to New Rochelle, NY to see my Dad get inducted into his high school's hall of fame for basketball. I took a flight on Friday with my Mom and met my Dad, Aunts, Uncles and my brother and his girlfriend in NY. We had a wonderful weekend and I am so grateful that my husband was willing and able to stay home with our 4 children over the weekend while I was away.

My Dad played basketball his senior year at Salesian High School in 1962. We were invited to see my Dad get inducted during halftime of the varsity boy's basketball game in the new gym at Salesian High School. Prior to the afternoon game, my parents and the athletic director gave me a tour of the beautiful high school campus. Here are some photos of the campus with captions:

This is a statue of Saint Dominic Savio who was one of Saint (Don) John Bosco's (Don = a traditional Italian honorific for a priest) students in the mid 1800s. The Salesians of Don Bosco are a worldwide organization founded by Saint Don John Bosco, the second largest Catholic religious order in the world! On the statue, Saint Dominic is holding a paper that reads "Death but not sin"

This is the old gym where my Dad played when he was a student. The bottom door led into what used to be a bowling alley (the old kind of alley where you set up your own pins! ), locker room, and offices. This lower level of the gym is currently being renovated into new classrooms and office spaces. We then went up the staircase to see where my Dad impressed his fans on the court :)

Here is my Dad standing proudly at center court

In the upper corner of the gym (where the double doors are) was this room where my Dad lived for a short time the summer after his senior year. The All-Star got to live in the gym...Awesome! :)

This is my favorite picture....the 50+ year old gym bleachers! WOW!

Salesian High School dedicated a new gymnasium in October to Brother Jim Wiegand, my Dad's basketball coach. Here is my Dad standing in front of the new gym.

Here I am with my parents in front of Br. Jim Wiegand, SDB, Athletic Center

Just outside of the entrance to the gym is this beautiful plaque in honor of Brother Jim.

On the foyer wall of the gym is this beautiful Book of Donors.

When you open the Book of Donors there are metal pages that list all the people and organizations that have contributed their time, talent, and treasures toward making the new, beautiful Athletic Center. My mom's parents names will be included in this book soon since my parents made a donation in memory of them. My maternal grandmother used to work at Salesian High School when my Dad was a student and that is how my parents met.

WELCOME TO SALESIAN HIGH SCHOOL

This is inside the Br. Jim Athletic Center with the Salesian Varsity boy's basketball game in progress. I was just so glad to not have to sit on those wooden bleachers in the old gym...Ha! Ha! :) Unfortunately, Salesian did not win their game :( When my Dad first entered the gym, he was surprised by a childhood friend and his wife who came to see his induction! This really touched my Dad a lot and he had the biggest grin on his face! Thank you C. and B. for making the trip to surprise my Dad! It meant a lot to him!

My Dad (second from the left) stood at halftime with his last name "Bua" and number displayed on a framed jersey. The announcer then told the audience about my Dad's basketball career and I plan to get a copy of the speech since it was quite impressive and something I would like to keep forever! Dad, we are so proud of you and love you!

My Dad, the Hall of Famer!

From left to right is my Dad's older sister, my Dad's twin brother, my Dad's older brother with his wife, Br. Jim, my Dad, my Mom, me, my brother and my brother's girlfriend

Here is my Dad with his coach, Brother Jim, who the gym is named after. My Dad is not from NY, but from Boston. So how did my Dad get to NY to attend high school? Brother Jim met my Dad when my Dad attended a Don Bosco boys summer camp as a teenager. Br. Jim recognized my Dad's hard work ethic and dedication to using his talents when my Dad was a teenager and when Brother Jim transferred to Salesian High School to coach, my Dad was asked to join him on the court.

Brother Jim, thank you for all you have done for my father and family. You are a blessing to so many and I'm glad you were a wonderful role model for my father and thanks for keeping him out of trouble when he was in high school! :)

I had a wonderful weekend with my family and I loved hearing all the stories from many, many, many, many (you get the point :) ) years ago. I went away from the weekend with a great new sense of pride and admiration for my father and I am grateful for Brother Jim who took my father under his wing to become one of the many people who helped guide him and mold him into the wonderful person and father he is today!

We love you Dad and Brother Jim!

I'm linking this post up to Lynda's "A Day in Our Life" Blog Hop

Click button below to join Lynda, Anna-Marie and I for the No Ordinary Blog Hop for the entire month of January:) The blogger who posts the most will be spotlighted next month and be given a Star Blogger Award. Come join the FUN!!