ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
The 2016 Agganis Foundation award winners. Top, from left, Mike Shanahan and Joe Riley, who presented the Paul F. Cavanagh Community Award; Becky Benowicz, who presented the Dr. Elmo F. Benedetto Award; Amanda Weber, who presented the Harold O. Zimman Foundation Award; and Ed Cahill, who presented the David C. Weidner Media Award. Bottom, from left, Richard E. Holbrook, recipient of the Paul F. Cavanagh Award; Gary Molea, recipient of the Dr. Elmo F. Benedetto Award; Ann Marie Tobin, recipient of the David C. Weidner Media Award; and Paula Phipps and Michael LeVangia, children of Thomas A. LeVangia, recipient of the Harold O. Zimman Foundation Award.
BY KATIE MORRISON
LYNN — During halftime of the 55th annual Agganis All-Star Football Game Thursday night at Manning Field, four individuals were honored for their work on behalf of the Agganis Foundation.
Gary Molea, former Lynn English High School athletic director and current vice principal, was presented with the Dr. Elmo F. Benedetto Athletics Award. Eastern Bank chairman and CEO Richard E. Holbrook received the Paul F. Cavanagh Community Award. Ann Marie Tobin, Lynnfield and Peabody Weekly News sports editor, accepted the David C. Weidner Media Award. Thomas A. LeVangia was honored posthumously with the Harold O. Zimman Foundation Award.
Cavanagh was a three-sport athlete at Lynn English and played football at Boston College. He was a member of the Agganis Classics committee before being killed in a plane crash at 43 while on assignment for the FBI.
The award is presented to someone who conveys Cavanagh’s and the Foundation’s ideals of sportsmanship, education and community.
“I’ve always been a big supporter of the Agganis Foundation and all the work they do here in the area, promoting education as well as athletics,” said Holbrook, chairman and CEO of Eastern Bank. “That’s very near and dear to my heart personally, as well as to the Eastern Bank folks that I work with every day.”
The connection was personal for Holbrook as well. Like Cavanagh, two of his sons attended BC.
“I love that connection that we have there,” said Holbrook. “Eastern Bank has its roots here in Lynn and Salem. Over the last 198 years, 190 of which we’ve been in Lynn, our capacity to be successful depends on having a community that’s equally successful. That only happens if people in the community have a good education and an opportunity for good jobs. The Agganis Foundation gets a lot of these kids off to the right start. It’s really gratifying for me to be involved with them.”
The Benedetto award struck a personal chord with Molea, who saw the type of work Benedetto did. He founded the Agganis All-Star Football Game in 1956, and was Lynn’s athletic director for 26 years. He helped student-athletes excel during his 40-year career.
The award is presented annually to someone who best symbolizes Benedetto’s dedication to student-athletes.
“It means a lot to me because I actually had some dealings with Dr. Benedetto,” said Molea. “He actually helped me get into college at a time where I was struggling a little bit to see what I wanted to do, and he talked me into getting into education.”
Molea took lessons learned from Benedetto, and strives to apply them to his own work, he added.
“Everyone always said that Dr. Benedetto always thought there was a college for every kid if the kid wanted to go,” said Molea. “I happened to be the prime suspect. I had nowhere to go late in August. He got me into UMass Boston, and I ended up playing football there and got my degree from there. The rest is really history. I started in Lynn in 1979 subbing and coaching and I’ve been back since ‘88 full time. He really made an impression on me as an 18-year-old senior coming out of high school.”
Weidner was a promising sportswriter for The Item when he suffered a heart attack and died at age 24. The award named in his honor is presented to someone who provides outstanding coverage and support of youth and amateur sports, the Agganis All-Star Classics in particular.
Tobin hasn’t been in the business long. But she’s made a big impact in her few years.
“It’s meaningful because the Agganis Foundation has, for so many years, been doing so many great things,” said Tobin, an attorney and a recent inductee into the Massachusetts Golf Association’s Hall of Fame. “I’ve only been in the business maybe five or six years, and it’s the greatest job I’ve ever had. It’s truly an honor to be recognized.”
The Zimman Award is given to a person whose dedication to the foundation exemplifies its ideals of academics and athletics.
Zimman was the chairman of the foundation for 37 years, until his death in 1994. He was one of the founders of the foundation, along with the Daily Evening Item and the Boston Red Sox.
LeVangia, of Nahant, died in March, and was a generous benefactor for the Agganis Foundation. He graduated from Lynn Classical and earned a mechanical engineering degree at Northeastern University. He was also a World War II Navy veteran.
His son, Michael LeVangia, and his daughter, Paula Phipps, were on hand to accept the award on his behalf.
“Harry Agganis was the most remarkable person (my dad) ever met,” said Michael LeVangia. “I think he would be in awe to be a part of this. I just pray he’s looking down and smiling upon us.”
