Curtain rises for Agganis Week

LYNN – On a morning that was perfect in nearly every way, the Agganis Foundation welcomed 19 new scholarship winners, along with five new Hall of Fame inductees, into the fold Sunday.The awards ceremony at Manning Field was held under brilliantly sunny, yet refreshingly mild, skies, and that only enhanced the optimism and spirit that the week-long series of Agganis games (nine in all) seeks to promote.The ceremony serves as a prelude to the Agganis softball and baseball games, which took place Sunday afternoon, as well as girls and boys basketball (6 and 7:30 tonight at St. Mary?s), girls and boys lacrosse (5:30 and 7 p.m. Tuesday respectively at Manning Field); boys and girls soccer (5:15 and 7 p.m. Wednesday at Manning) and football (Thursday, 7 p.m., at Manning).The man entrusted in maintaining Manning and Fraser Fields, and getting them ready to host the games, received the Harold O. Zimman Foundation Award, one of the five Hall of Fame designations.John Kasian oversaw both the reconstruction of Manning Field back in 2007 and the refurbishing of Fraser Field last fall.?It?s a great honor,” he said. “I remember when my son (John) played in the soccer game (in 2007). To be involved with these games in the capacity I?m in is most gratifying.”Also honored were St. John?s Prep athletic director (and retiring football coach) Jim O?Leary (Elmo F. Benedetto Athletics Award), Tom Dalton (Dave Weidner Media Award), Dr. Irene Duros (Attorney Charles Demakis Heritage Award) and Taso Nikolakopoulos (the Paul F. Cavanagh Community Award).?I?m a North Shore guy,” said O?Leary, who coached at St. John?s for 30 years and twice saw his Eagles win Super Bowl titles, as well as nine Catholic Conference titles, “and Harry Agganis was a very important figure in our lives. Everybody knew the story.?When I was growing up, it was just the football game,” he said. “I?m really happy they expanded it the way they have. The foundation does good work.”Nikolakopoulos is active as the chairman of the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce, but he?s also heavily involved in youth sports on a number of levels, including coaching youth soccer and making sure that student athletes have jobs at John?s Roast Beef in Lynn, which he owns.?I?m active in a lot of different areas,” he said, “but it?s all with the same purpose in mind. I just want to make my community better.”On a personal note, he said, “it?s an honor to be associated with the name Paul Cavanagh (a former FBI agent who helped establish the Lynn English Boosters). If you have children, you went them to be like Paul Cavanagh.”Dalton worked for both the Daily Item of Lynn and Salem News. In Lynn, he worked in the sports department, where part of his duties was to cover the Agganis football game. He has won journalism awards at both The Item and the News.?I love Lynn,” he said. “It still means a lot to me. When I was at The Item, I had the pleasure of covering one of the best basketball teams I?ve seen — the Classical team that won a state championship (1980). I really enjoyed that.”Duros has degrees in psychology from Boston College, a master?s in child development from Tufts, and a doctorate in school counseling from Boston University. Her award is named for the driving force behind the establishment of the Agganis Foundation.