LYNN — You’ll see, if you look at the beginning of the Agganis Week program book, that the foundation named in honor of Harry Agganis has awarded $2,334,000 in scholarships to 1,040 male and female scholar-athletes since its inception in 1955.
That didn’t happen by accident. It took a lot of work by a lot of people — none of whom accepted any money for their efforts.
Tops on the list were the initial driving forces: Attorney Charles Demakis, Teacher Harold O. Zimman and Lynn Athletic Director Dr. Elmo F. Benedetto.
Demakis enlisted the aid of both the Daily Evening Item in Lynn (as it was called at the time) and the Boston Red Sox in starting the foundation. The Yawkey Foundation subsequently contributed four four-year scholarships for deserving Boston students. The Agganis Foundation awards 17 scholarships of its own, all four-year grants of $4,000 each.
Over the years, those three were helped in planning and running the game by the likes of Edward M. “Ted” Grant, who succeeded Zimman as chairman and president, Thomas P. Iarrobino, who has been chairman of the scholarship committee for many years, and an ever-evolving board of trustees that include chairman Greg Agganis, Harry’s grand-nephew.
Tonight, Agganis Week concludes with the annual Agganis All-star football game, at 6:30 p.m., at Manning Field. It’ll be the North squad, coached by Bobby Serino of Swampscott against the South squad, coached by Sean Driscoll of St. Mary’s.
As Curt Gowdy might have said about the Rose Bowl, the football game is the granddaddy of them all. It is as old as the foundation itself. Next up was baseball in the 1990s, then softball. Finally, boys and girls soccer, basketball, and lacrosse were added.
Agganis was the consensus pick as Lynn’s greatest athlete. He had his career all marked out for him, making the Red Sox and becoming starting first baseman by 1955. However, he died on June 27 of that year of a pulmonary embolism.
His death didn’t just shock Lynn. The Red Sox, in Washington, began their game the day of his funeral late so everyone could take a moment of silence. Shortly after that funeral, Demakis suggested a foundation be started. The rest, as they say, is history.
After Grant left, and Agganis and Andrew Demakes took over the administration, Paul Halloran assumed the role of executive director. In his position, he runs the games, handles the rosters, and helps assemble the program book, among other things. He is assisted by Game Director Jim Foley, Jeff Newhall, Julie Halloran and Matt Durgin.
Also relatively new to the board are treasurer Jeremy Hmura, and program designer Amanda Lunn.
Halloran also gets a big boost from Rich Avery, the site coordinator for both Manning and Fraser Fields. Avery received the Harold O. Zimman Foundation Award for work on both fields in getting them ready for the game.
