Agganis Breakfast recognizes achievements

LYNN – The Agganis All-Star Classics began 50 years ago as a single football game to celebrate the life of Lynn’s greatest athlete, Harry Agganis. Over the years, the Classics have grown into a weeklong celebration of the finest male and female student-athletes the area has to offer.The kickoff of Agganis Week came as usual on Sunday morning at Manning Field when the annual Agganis Awards Breakfast inducted five new members into the Agganis Foundation Hall of Fame. Also, the ceremonies included the presentation of the first-ever Cahill Award, named after a former sports editor of The Item.Click here for an Agganis photo gallery.The Harold O. Zimman Foundation Award given for dedication and service to the Agganis Foundation and its ideals of academics and athletics went to Eastern Bank chairman and CEO Richard E. Holbrook.”Harold and Elmo (Benedetto) ran this on an envelope for 37 years and a lot of the reason for what this event has turned into is because of Eastern Bank,” Agganis Foundation chairman Ted Grant said.Holbrook heads a bank that has a nearly 200-year history in Lynn and has underwritten a program on NESN that begins airing tonight (6) that tells the story of Agganis and the Agganis Foundation.”All of the athletes here (Sunday) have a chance to be a part of a great legacy,” Holbrook said.Not even a Hollywood screenwriter could have dreamed up the way that Newburyport’s Bill Pettingell would have his 40-year coaching career come to an end as he led the Clippers to their first state championship since 1964. For that honor and career, Pettingell was chosen as the recipient of the Benedetto Athletics Award for dedication to student-athletes.The David F. Weidner Media Award went to the Boston Globe’s Bob Holmes. Holmes, a 23-year veteran of covering high school sports, graduated from Boston College in 1980 and has covered the Agganis games for nearly two decades.”This really is a great honor,” Holmes said. “I look at the list of names that have gotten this award and it’s pretty special.”The Paul F. Cavanagh Community Award went to Lynn Housing Authority executive director Charlie Gaeta. Gaeta is the youngest person ever to serve as president of the Lynn City Council at 23 and has been in his post at LHAND since 1983.”It really is a humbling honor,” Gaeta said.Anyone familiar with the area of downtown Lynn has probably spent a morning or two sitting at Brother’s Deli being fed by George Markos and his family and staff.Every year, Markos hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for Lynn residents and was recently commended for his community service by President Obama. For his dedication to the Foundation’s ideals of academics and ethics and his Greek heritage, Markos was the recipient of the Atty. Charles Demakis Heritage Award.Student-athlete D.J. Webster of Saugus/St. Mary’s was awarded the first Ed Cahill Agganis Scholarship. Cahill was a former sports editor of The Item.