LYNN — Many people still remember one of the most somber days in the city’s history — the day they buried Harry Agganis in Pine Grove Cemetery.
The route from St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church, where Agganis worshiped, across the Lynn Common, all the way up Franklin Street, and along Boston Street to the grave just inside the gates on North Bend Street, was packed three- and four-deep. One such citizen was 12-year-old Frank Carey.
“There’s a picture of the funeral — I think it is in the Item — that showed me on my bicycle. I’d gone down there to be a part of it.”
Carey later played baseball at St. Mary’s with the legendary Tony Conigliaro; and, even later, became — at the time — the winningest high school coach in state history with North Reading.
It will be 65 years Monday that Agganis — deemed Lynn’s greatest athlete ever — died of a pulmonary embolism. He put every school for which he played — whether it was Lynn Classical or Boston University — on the map during his tenures. He had a chance to play for football’s Cleveland Browns, but chose baseball and the Boston Red Sox, ostensibly to be closer to his recently-widowed mother.
He was hitting .315 and was the starting first baseman for the Red Sox when he first felt the bronchial virus that would ultimately kill him. He just couldn’t recover from it, despite two separate stretches of being out of the lineup. Finally, a pulmonary embolism got him on June 27, 1955. He was 26 years old.
Once the shock of his death wore off around Lynn, Attorney Charles Demakis inquired about setting up a scholarship foundation for scholar-athletes going to college. Demakis’ dream has become an astonishing reality. Founded in 1955, shortly after Agganis’ death, the foundation has awarded 1,040 scholarships totaling $2,334,000.
Over the years, there have been many people who have kept that vision alive. The Red Sox and The Daily Item were among the founders, and today the Yawkey Foundation, named for the late owner of the Red Sox, donates four scholarships annually to Boston students. Item publisher Ted Grant served as either chairman or president of the foundation for 33 years before handing the keys over to Andrew Demakes.
There were others. Coach and mentor Harold O. Zimman preceded Grant as chairman and worked hard to keep the foundation going. Elmo F. Benedetto, for many years, took care of running the football game that served as the principal fundraiser for the foundation.
The late Paul Cavanagh, an FBI agent who died in a plane crash, was one of many whose constant efforts on the part of the foundation and the game helped keep them alive. David C. Weidner was a promising BU student who died at 24, but who covered many Agganis athletic events in his short life.
All of the aforementioned will be honored Sunday at the awards ceremony that precedes the lineup of nine athletic events that will take place over the four days between Sunday and Wednesday. Each — Demakis, Zimman, Benedetto, Cavanagh and Weidner — have awards named for them. Demakis’ award honors a person of Greek heritage; Zimman’s recognizes someone who has been important to the foundation; Benedetto’s goes to a person who has been influential in youth sports; Cavanagh’s to someone who has made a difference in the community; and Weidner’s to a journalist who has taken extra care to promote the games.
The nine games are baseball, softball, boys and girls lacrosse; boys and girls basketball; boys and girls soccer; and football.
